A. General Powers: Except as may be otherwise provided in this Code, all powers of the Town, including the determination of matters of policy, shall be vested in the Town Board of Trustees. Said Town Board shall have and may utilize all of the powers granted to the Town and the Town Board by the State Constitution and laws. (2011 Code § 1-11)
B. Municipal Policy And Business:
1. The Town Board of Trustees shall conduct all business of the Town, set policy for the efficient administration of the Municipal government, administratively supervise all activities of Municipal employees and carry out their responsibilities, powers and duties as officers and as a corporate and politic body, within the limits prescribed by the State Constitution and laws and this Code. (2011 Code § 1-12)
2. It shall be the policy of the Municipal government that no person shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, genetic information or disability in employment or other activities sponsored directly or indirectly by the Town. (2011 Code § 1-12; amd. 2017 Code)
3. Every member of the Town Board of Trustees who shall be present when the opportunity or need arises to vote upon a question, shall vote thereon, unless excused by the unanimous consent of those Town Board members present, or unless he is directly interested in the question to the event a conflict may exist. In the event of the latter, he shall disclose his interest to the Town Board and it shall be made a matter of record. (2011 Code § 1-12)
C. Meetings And Rules:
1. Municipal business of the Town shall be conducted at regular, open and public meetings held in the Town Hall, 212 S. Main Street, or an agreed upon place which is open to the public, on the first Thursday of each month at six o’clock (6:00), or in the event of a conflict with a holiday, the Board shall meet on the immediately following business day, beginning at six (6:00) P.M., except when a special, emergency, continued, or reconvened meeting is deemed necessary by the Mayor or Town Board of Trustees.
2. If any change in the date, time, or place of a regularly scheduled meeting is made, notice of the change shall be given to the Town Clerk-Treasurer at less than ten (10) days prior to the implementation of such change, and the Clerk-Treasurer shall publicly post a notice of the change.
3. An agenda for each regularly scheduled meeting of the Town Board of Trustees shall be prepared and shall be publicly posted in the Town Hall in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act and at least twenty four (24) hours prior to the meeting excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
4. All voting shall be by roll call of the Trustees by the Town Clerk-Treasurer. All voting shall be by "aye" or "nay" and shall be taken on all questions.
5. A majority of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
6. All motions may be reduced to writing and, if desired by the Mayor or any member of the Board, shall be read by the presiding officer or Clerk-Treasurer before a vote is taken on the motion.
7. All parliamentary questions shall be decided by the presiding officer subject to override by a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the Board. Any item may be placed on the agenda by request of any Board member.
8. Executive sessions to discuss personnel shall be placed on the agenda with specific actions to be considered set forth.
9. The Clerk-Treasurer shall prepare a schedule of all regular meetings conducted by any Town Board or committee prior to each calendar year and shall post this schedule in the Town Hall prior to December 15 preceding the calendar year for which the schedule has been determined.
10. Special or emergency Town Board meetings may be called by the Mayor, or by a majority of the Trustees, in accordance with the following provisions:
a. Special meetings shall not be held without public notice being given at least forty eight (48) hours prior to said meeting. Such public notice of the date, time, place, and agenda for the special meeting shall be given in writing, in person, or by telephonic means to the Clerk-Treasurer.
b. At least twenty four (24) hours prior to the special meeting, a written public notice of the special meeting shall be prominently posted in the Town Hall. Such notice shall include the date, time, place and agenda for the special meeting, and only items appearing on the agenda shall be considered at the meeting. The twenty four (24) hour public posting shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays legally declared by the State of Oklahoma.
c. In the event of an emergency, an emergency meeting of the Town Board of Trustees may be held without public notice required. If an emergency meeting is required, as much advance public notice as is reasonable and possible under the circumstances existing shall be made in person or by telephonic or electronic means.
D. Removal From Office; Vacancies:
1. The Mayor or any Trustee may be removed from office for any cause specified by, and by the methods prescribed and specified by, applicable State law for the removal of an officer, including 22 Oklahoma Statutes section 1181 et seq., as amended, or any other present or future law applicable.
2. Whenever a member of the Town Board of Trustees is inexcusably absent for more than one-half (1/2) of all meetings of said Town Board (regular and special) held within any period of four (4) consecutive months, said member shall thereupon automatically cease to hold office, unless the remaining members of the Town Board vote to retain the member on said Town Board.
3. When a vacancy occurs in the office of any Municipal elected official, the Governing Body shall, by a majority vote of the remaining Trustees, appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the next general Municipal election, and until a successor is elected and qualified. Any vacancy shall then be filled at the next general Municipal election by election of a person to complete the balance of the unexpired term. If the vacancy has not been filled within sixty (60) days after it occurs, the Board of Trustees shall call for a special election for the purpose of filling the vacancy for the duration of the unexpired term unless such vacancy occurs within one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the first day of filing period for the next general Municipal election.
4. When a majority of the Governing Body offices are vacant more than sixty (60) days before the beginning of a regular filing period for general Municipal elections, the remaining members of the Governing Body shall call for a special election to be held in the Town for the purpose of filling all vacant offices for the remainder of their unexpired terms.
E. Supervision Of Town Activities: The Board of Trustees may designate members of the Board to serve as Supervisor or as member of a committee which shall supervise various Town activities. In all cases, this Trustee or committee shall be subordinate to the Board.
(2011 Code §§ 1-13 - 1-15; amd. Ord. 305, 1-13-2014; Ord. 362, 6-2-2022)