Pursuant to Chapter 6, Article 9A, Section 3 of the West Virginia Code, the members of the Town Council of the Town of Winfield do hereby adopt the following rules to make available, in advance, the date, time, place and agenda of all regularly scheduled meetings of the Town Council of the Town of Winfield, and the date, time and place and purpose of all special meetings of the Town Council of the Town of Winfield to the public and news media except in the case of an emergency requiring immediate action as follows:
(a) Regular Meetings. A notice shall be posted and maintained at the front door or bulletin board of Town Hall of the date, time and place fixed and entered of record by the Town Council for the holding of regularly schedule meetings. In addition a copy of the agenda for each regularly scheduled meeting shall be posted at the same location by the Recorder not less than forty-eight hours before such regular meeting is to be held. If a particular regularly schedule meeting is canceled or postponed, a notice of such cancellation or postponement shall be posted at the same location as soon as feasible after such cancellation or postponement has been determined.
(b) Special Meetings. A notice shall be posted by the Recorder at the front door or bulletin board of the Town Hall not less than forty-eight hours before a specially scheduled meeting is to be held, stating the date, time, place and purpose for which such special meeting shall be held. If the special meeting is canceled or postponed, a notice of such cancellation or postponement shall be posted at the same location as soon as feasible after such cancellation or postponement has been determined.
(c) Presentations. All persons that desire to address the Town Council shall register to address the Town Council within fifteen minutes prior to the time a scheduled meeting is to commence. All persons that desire to address the Town Council shall be limited to five minutes and only two persons representing a group may address the Town Council during each scheduled meeting. No person shall address the Town Council unless registered to do so and only those persons registered to address the Town Council shall be recognized to address the Town Council.
(d) Attendance. In the event that there is not room enough to conduct a scheduled meeting in the Chambers of the Town Council due to the number of members of the public that wish to attend, a scheduled meeting shall be moved to any other facility that will accommodate all those wishing to attend upon proper motion by any member of the Town Council. Any scheduled meeting may be adjourned and reconvened at a later date and time in the event that facilities are not readily available to accommodate the members of the public wishing to attend the meeting upon proper motion by any member of the Town Council.
(e) Conduct. Any member of the public attending a scheduled meeting of the Town Council that is disruptive to the extent that orderly conduct of the meeting is compromised shall be removed from the meeting with the assistance of the Town of Winfield Police Department upon proper motion made by any member of the Town Council.
(f) Minutes. Written minutes of all scheduled meetings of the Town Council shall be prepared and maintained and shall be available to all members of the public within ten days after the meeting and shall include, at least, the following information:
(1) The date, time and place of the meeting;
(2) The name of each member of the governing body present and absent;
(3) All motions, proposals, resolutions, orders, ordinances and measures proposed, the name of the person proposing the same and their disposition; and
(4) The results of all votes and, upon the request of a member, pursuant to the rules, policies or procedures of the governing board for recording roll call votes, the vote of each member, by name.
(g) Executive Session. The Town Council may hold an executive session during any regular, special or emergency meeting. During the open portion of a meeting, prior to convening an executive session, the Mayor or presiding officer shall identify the authorization for conducting an executive session and shall present it to the members of the public present at the meeting. An executive session shall only be held upon a majority affirmative vote of the members of the Town Council and no decision shall be made in executive session.
(h) Media Broadcast. The Town Council shall allow the placement and use of equipment necessary for broadcasting, photographing, filming or recording a scheduled meeting. The equipment shall be placed or used within the meeting room so as to prevent undue interference with the meeting. In the event the Town Council determines that the size of the meeting room is not sufficient to accommodate all the members of the public present and the equipment and personnel necessary for broadcasting, photographing, filming and tape recording in the meeting room without unduly interfering with the meeting and an adequate alternative meeting room is not readily available, the Town Council may require the pooling of the equipment and personnel operating the equipment.
(i) Agenda. The Town Council shall prepare a written agenda for all scheduled meetings and shall distribute it in accordance with paragraph (a) above. The agenda shall only include those items upon which official action is anticipated and those items to be presented to the Town Council for informational purposes. No item shall be added to the agenda within forty-eight hours of the meeting.
(Ord. 1999-00-11. Passed 3-21-00.)