(A) Meetings of Council.
(1) Regular meetings of the Council shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month unless changed by a majority vote of members present at any regular or special meeting.
(2) Special meetings of the Council may be held on the call of the Mayor, or a majority of the members present at any regular or special meeting may also call a special meeting of the Council. Notice of a special meeting shall be given immediately to all available members and the news media by the Municipal Clerk.
(3) All regular and special meetings of the Council shall be open to the public.
(B) Conference sessions.
(1) Town Council may have conference meetings as permitted by the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and the Town Code at such times and in such places as may be deemed necessary and in the public interest by the Mayor or any member of the Council.
(2) No formal vote shall be taken upon any matter under discussion at any such conference. Still, informal polling of the Council may be made if desired by any member of the Council.
(3) The Municipal Clerk may, if time permits, give notice to the news media that a conference meeting will be held pursuant to law without stating the specific matters to be discussed. When advance notice is not given, the Municipal Clerk may provide notice of such meeting after it has been held.
(4) No vote of Council shall be necessary to call a conference meeting.
(C) Agenda. Matters to be considered by Council at a regular or special meeting shall be placed on a written agenda publicly posted by the Municipal Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The deadline for agenda item requests is noon Wednesday, prior to the regular monthly meeting. Agenda packets to the Council will be delivered on Thursday prior to the regular monthly meetings. Items shall be listed on the agenda in the order specified by the Mayor.
(D) Quorum and rules of order. A majority of the Council members serving constitutes a quorum for the conduct of business at any meeting. The Mayor or Mayor Pro Tempore shall preside, except that, when both are absent, the senior Council member present (longest term of office) shall preside. Except as otherwise required by state law or ordinance, all proceedings of Council shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, as amended, and the Mayor shall act as a parliamentarian. The Mayor shall decide questions of order without debate, subject to appeal to the Council.
(E) Voting requirements.
(1) All actions of the Council shall be by a majority vote of members present at a public meeting. No proxy, mail, or facsimile vote may be cast.
(2) Every member of the Council present, including the Mayor or presiding member, shall vote on every question except when required to refrain from voting by state law.
(3) A roll call vote may be required by any member of the Council.
(4) The vote on every question shall be recorded in the minutes.
(5) No member of the Council may leave the Council Chamber while in public session without permission of the presiding officer.
(F) Minutes of meetings. The Municipal Clerk shall keep the minutes of all public meetings of the Council, which shall be a matter of permanent public record. At each Council meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting shall be presented for approval. Minutes shall not be considered the official record of a meeting until approved by the Council. A member of the Council may place a written expression of position on a matter in the minutes not later than the next regular meeting.
(G) Appearance of citizens. Any resident, property owner, or anyone maintaining a current business license of the municipality may speak at a regular meeting on a matter pertaining to municipal services and operations, except personnel matters. Any resident, property owner, or anyone maintaining a current business license may speak at a time designated by the Mayor and may be limited to a three-minute presentation at the discretion of the Mayor.
(H) Municipal Clerk to attend. The Municipal Clerk shall be ex officio clerk of the Town Council. The Municipal Clerk shall give notices of meetings, post the agenda, attend regular and special meetings, record votes of Council, keep minutes of Council meetings and perform such other duties as may be assigned.
(I) Hearings by committees. The Council may appoint a special committee to assist in or hold a public hearing for the Council at any time upon any matter pending before it. Minutes or reports of hearings held by special committees shall be filed with the Municipal Clerk as public records.
(J) (1) Ordinances required. The Council shall act by ordinance in all matters required by law to be done by ordinance, including:
(a) Adopt or amend an administrative code or ordinance, establish, alter, or abolish any municipal department, office or agency;
(b) Provide for a fine or other penalty or establish a rule or regulation in which a fine or other penalty is imposed for violations;
(c) Appropriate funds and adopt a budget;
(d) Grant, renew, or extend franchises, licenses, or rights in public streets or public property, and close abandoned streets after public newspaper notice and public hearing;
(e) Authorize the borrowing of money or the issuance of bonds;
(f) Levy taxes, assess property for improvements or establish charges for services,;
(g) Annex area to the municipality;
(h) Convey or lease or authorize the conveyance or lease of any lands of the municipality; and
(i) Amend or repeal any ordinance.
(2) In all other matters Council may act either by ordinance or resolution, written or oral, recorded in the minutes.
(K) (1) Form of ordinances and resolutions. Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption, which shall include:
(a) A title briefly describing the content;
(b) Findings, reasons, or basis for the ordinance, if desired and appropriate;
(c) An enacting clause;
(d) Citation of any ordinance repealed;
(e) The provisions of the ordinance, including section numbers if the ordinance is to be codified or amends an existing codified ordinance;
(f) The effective date of the ordinance;
(g) The name of the person requesting the introduction of the ordinance;
(h) The assignment of the ordinance number; and
(i) Space for the signatures of the Mayor or presiding members of Council and the Municipal Clerk attesting notice, if required, and adoption.
(2) Written resolutions shall be in such similar form as deemed appropriate by the Town Attorney.
(L) Introduction of ordinance. Any member of the Council may propose an ordinance. A proposed ordinance shall be referred to the Town Attorney for approval as to form. The Town Attorney shall render assistance in the preparation of notices and ordinances. After an ordinance is in proper form and required notices have been given, the Town Attorney shall send the ordinance to the Municipal Clerk to be held for public inspection. An ordinance shall be deemed to be introduced when it appears on an agenda for a public meeting of the Council, and its title is read.
(M) Introduction of resolution. A voice motion of a Council member shall be considered to be the introduction of an oral resolution which shall require no written record other than a notation of the Municipal Clerk in the Council minutes. A resolution proposed in writing shall be introduced in the same manner as an ordinance.
(N) Enactment of ordinances.
(1) An ordinance to levy a tax, adopt a budget, appropriate funds, grant a franchise, license or right to use or occupy a public street or public property for commercial purposes shall be complete in the form in which it is finally passed, and in such form remain on file with the Municipal Clerk for public inspection at least one week before final adoption.
(2) No ordinance shall be adopted until it shall have been read two times and on two separate days with at least six days between each reading.
(3) Emergency ordinances may be adopted on one reading without notice or hearing by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of members present. An emergency ordinance expires automatically on the sixty-first day following enactment.
(4) The introduction and reading of any ordinance shall be by the reading of the title only unless full reading is requested by a member of the Council.
(5) After the introduction of an ordinance, any member of the Council may request a public hearing which may be held if approved by a majority of the Council present and set for a time prior to final adoption of the ordinance. A public hearing may be held on the same date as the final reading.
(6) Any ordinance may be amended on final reading.
(7) Upon final adoption by a vote of the Council, an ordinance shall be signed by the Mayor or presiding member and attested by the Municipal Clerk, who shall file the original in the Council minutes in the permanent public records.
(O) Adoption of resolutions. Written or oral resolutions may be adopted on one reading unless a public hearing is set by a majority of the members of the Council present.
(P) Codification of ordinances. All ordinances relating to administration, health, safety, vehicles, streets (except franchises and encroachments), traffic, railroads, crimes and offenses, utilities, solicitations, pollution, municipal court, descriptions of areas annexed to the town, and any other ordinances or portions of ordinances so required by the Council shall be codified and updated annually in a loose-leaf Code of Ordinance. Standard codes, technical regulations, and zoning ordinances may be cited in the code by reference, and copies thereof shall be made available for public inspection by the Municipal Clerk and distribution or for purchase at a reasonable price.
(Q) Validity. Should any section or provision of this section be declared by the courts to be invalid, said declaration shall not affect the validity of the section as a whole or any other part thereof, other than the part so declared to be invalid.
(Ord. 77-02, passed - -77; Am. Ord. 78-02, passed 6-26-78; Am. Ord. 79-02, passed 4-9-79; Am. Ord. 85-01, passed 1-14-85; Am. Ord. 85-02, passed 1-14-85; Am. Ord. 06-04, passed 5-1-06; Am. Ord. 22-20, passed 11-7-22)