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Resolution 001-1977RESOLUTION NO.1 -1977 WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, adopted Board Administrative Procedures, and WHEREAS, said Board now desires to rescind said Adminis- trative Procedures and adopt new Administrative Procedures, now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that it hereby adopts the attached Monroe County Board of County Commissioners Administrative Procedures and by this resolution rescinds and revokes any other previously adopted Administrative Procedures. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY SAID BOARD that the Adminis- trative Procedures adopted by this.resolution shall take effect immediately. DATED January 4, 1977. Attest:- -� r� Clerk BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COLUTY, FLORIDA By / - e. / - yor drid Chairman (Seal) been rcvseviezi for Eouu content and that -tie sar►ie moets try approval. PAUL L SAWYER County Att®rft MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES Sec. 1'.01 Sec. 1.02 Sec. 1.03 Sec. 1.04 Sec. 1.05 Sec. 1.06 Sec. 1.07 Sec. 1.08 Sec. 1.09 Sec. 1.10 Sec. 1.11 Sec. 1.12 Sec. 1.13 Sec. 1.14 Sec. 1.15 Sec. 1.16 Sec. 1.17 Sec. 1.18 Sec. 1.19 TABLE OF CONTENTS Governing Rules Regular Meetings, Time, Place Special Meetings Agenda Presiding Officer, Election, Duties Parliamentarian Attorney Call to Order Roll Call Quorum Order of Business Rules of Debate Questions Under Consideration As to the Chairman Getting the Floor,;.Improper References to be Avoided Interruptio.n ; Privilege of Closing Debate, Roll Call Vote Reading Minutes Votes by Roll Call Addressing Commission Scheduled Agenda Topic, Topic Not on Scheduled Agenda Addressing Commission,, Manner,.Time Page 1 1 1 1 & 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 '3 3 3 3 Decorum Sergeant -at -Arms Ordinances, Resolutions, Motions, Contracts and other Documents Preparation of Ordinances and Resolutions Approval of Ordinances by County Attorney Introducing for Passage or Approval Action to be Taken -by Resolution, Ordinance or Motion 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF.COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES RFC'TT0N l Sec. 1.01 Governing Rules: Except as may be provided by these rules and by-laws, questions of order, the methods of organization and the conduct of business of the Commission shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order. Sec. 1.02 Regular Meetings', Time, Place -'- The County Commissioners shall hold regular meetings at 7:00 P.M.,, on the first, third; and fourth.Tuesday of each month,'except when the day fixed for our regular meeting falls upon a day des- ignated as a holiday, then no meeting shall be scheduled on that Tuesday. Regular meeting may be postponed or cancelled by Board action. Department Heads will not attend regular meetings. There will be a 5 minute recess every hour on the hour during any meeting of the Board. Regular meetings are to be held in the following locations: Key West meetings, Courtroom B, 3rd Floor, Monroe'County Courthouse Annex; Marathon meetings, Marathon Subcourthouse; and Plantation Key meetings, Plantation Key Subcourthouse. The following schedule will be observed: first Tuesday,,Key West; second Tuesday, open; third Tuesday, Marathon; and fourth Tuesday, Plantation Key. All 'meetings are to be open to the news media and the public. Sec. 1.03 Special Meetings: A special meeting of the County Commission may -be called by the Chairman whenever in his opinion the public business,'may require it, or whenever the majority of the Commission requests a special meeting. Whenever special meeting shall be called by the Chairman, a notice in writing signed by the Chairman, shall be served on the Clerk of the County Commission, and whenever a'special meeting shall be called by members of the Commission, anotice.in,writing signed by at least two members of the Commission 'shall be served upori the Clerk. The Clerk shall forthwith serve either verbal or written notice upon each member of the Commission, and, the 'Attorney stating the date and hour of the ,meeting and the purpose for which such meeting is called, and no other business shall be,transacted at that meeting.. The, Clerk is to furnish the, Commiss.i•on with 'the proper form for the calling of a special meeting and the form shall include the designated location for the special meeting: The Clerk in his notice. -of a special meeting shall -allow at least twenty-four hours to elapse between the call of the meeting.and the date and hour of the meeting. Whenever an emergency exists which requires immediate action by the Commission, the Chairman may call a meeting by notifying the Clerk who shall cause the Commission to meet on short notice by telephone or otherwise in special meeting for the purpose. If after reasonable diligence, it was impossible to give notice to each Commissioner, such failure shall not affect the legality of the meeting if a quorum be in attendance. The minutes of each special meeting shall show the manner and method by which notice ofnsuch-special meeting was given to each member of the Commission, or shall show a waiver of notice. All special' meetings shall be open to the public and shall be held and conducted in the Monroe County Courthouse or subcourthou,se. Minutes thereof shall be kept by the Clerk. S•ect.' 1.04 Aqenda: There shall be an official agenda for every meeting of.the County Commissioners, which shall determine the order of business conducted at the meeting. The County Commission shall not take action upon any matter, proposal, report or.item of business`which is not listed upon the official agenda, unless a majority of the Commission present shall have first consented to the presentation thereof for consideratior and action. Monroe County Board of County Commissioners Administrative Procedures P aqe 2 Sec. 1.04 Agenda (con't) The agenda shall be prepared by the Clerk in appropriate form approved by the County Commission.. Matters may be placed on the agenda by any County Commissioner, the County Attorney, Department Heads, or citizens no later than 4:00 P.M., Wednesday preceding the meeting on Tuesday. The agenda shall be prepared and distributed not later than four (4) days preceding the meeting on Tuesday. Sec. 1.05 Presiding Officer, Election, Duties: The presiding officer of the Commission is Chairman, who shall be elected annually by a majority of the members present at the first regular meeting of each calendar year, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Commission. The Commission shall also elect'a Vice -Chairman, who shall preside over the Commission in the absence of the Chairman. The Chairman shall assume the chair as presiding officer immediately after his election. The presiding officer shall preserve strict order and decorum at all meetings of the Commission. He shall state every question coming before the Commission and announce the decision of the Commission on all matters coming before'it. A majority vote of the members present shall govern and conclusively determine all questions of order not otherwise covered. The Chairman may vote on all questions, his name being called last. The Chairman shall sign all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the Commission during his presence. In the event of the absence of the Chairman, such ordinances and resolutions shall be signed by the presiding officer. Sec. 1.06 Parli:ameh.ta,rian: The County Attorney or his designee in his absence shall act as parliamerrt.ar:i-an, and shall advise and assist the presiding officer in matters of parliamentarian:.- law. Sec. 1.07 Attornev: The County Attorney shall be available to the Commission at all meetings unless excused- by the Board. He shall draw ordinances and resolutions for any member of the Commission when and as directed. Sec. 1.08 Call to Order: The Chairman shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting, and shall immediately call the Commission to order. In the absence of the Chairman, and the Vice -Chairman, the Clerk shall then determine whether a quorum is present and in that event shall call for the election of a temporary Chairman. Upon the arrival of the Chair- man, or the Vice -Chairman, the temporary Chairman shall relinquish the chair upon the conclusion of the business immediately before the Commission. Sec. 1.09 Roll Call: Before proceeding with the business of the Commission, the Clerk or his designee shall call the roll of the members in alphabetical order unless the Chairman stipulates all are present and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes. Sec. 1.10 Quorum: A majority of the whole number of members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. No ordinance, resolution or motion shall be adopted by the Commission without the affirmative vote of the majority of all the members present. Should no quorum attend within thirty minutes after the hour appointed for the meeting of the Commission, the Chairman, or the Vice -Chairman, or in their absence, the Clerk or his designee, may adjourn the meeting until the next day, unless by unanimous agreement those members present select another hour or day. The names of the members present and their action at such meeting shall be recorded in the minutes by the Clerk. ,Monroe County Board of County Commissioners • Administrative Procedures Pace 3 Sec. 1.11 Order of Busines's All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public.k,Promptly at the hour set for each meeting, the members of the Commission; --the County Attorney, and the Clerk shall take their regular stations in the Commission Chamber, and the business of the Commission shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in accordance with the agenda for the meeting. The agenda shall constitute the order of business, unless otherwise determined by a majority of the members present. Sec. 1.12 Rules of Debate: r (a) Questions under consideration: When a motion is presented and seconded, it is under consideration and no other motion shall be received thereafter, except to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone, or to amend until the question is decided. These motions shall have preference in the order in which they are mentioned and the first two shall be decided without debate. Final action upon a pending motion may be deferred until the next regular meeting by a majority of the members present. (b) -As t-o t'he= Ch-a-i'rman: __The Chairman or such other member of the Commission 'as-'may-`16 presiding may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as they are by these rules imposed upon all members and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Commissioner by reason of his being the presiding Chairman,. (c) Getting the Floor, Improper Referencecs to Be Avoided: Every member desiring to speak for any purpose shall address the presiding officer, and upon recognition, shall confine himself to the question under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous language. ,• (d) Interruption: A member once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it be to call him to order or as herein otherwise provided. If a member while speaking, be called to order, he shall cease speaking until the question of order be determined by the presiding officer, and if in order he shall be permitted to proceed. Any member may appeal to the Commission from the decision of the Chairman upon a question of order when without debate the Chairman shall submit to the Commission the question, "Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?" and the Commission shall decide by a majority vote. (e) Privilege of Closing Debate: The Commissioner moving the adoption of an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the debate. (f) Roll Call Vote: Upon any roll call vote there shall be no discussion by any member voting, and he shall vote yes or no. Any member, upon voting may give a brief statement to explain his vote. A member shall have the privilege of filing with the Clerk a written explanation of his vote. A member of the Commission may abstain from voting or any matter in which he feels there is a conflict of interest and must file statement as to the conflict. Sec. 1.13 Readina Minutes: Unless a reading of the minutes of a meeting is requested by a majority of the Commission, such minutes, when signed by the Chairman and the Clerk shall be considered approved without reading; provided, that the Clerk deliver a copy thereof to each member of the Commission and the County Attorney at least one full working day preceding the meeting. The minutes of prior meetings may be approved by a majority of the members present, and upon such approval shall become the official minutes. • Monroe County Board of County Commissioners Administrative Procedures Page 4 Sec. 1.14 Votes by Roll Call: The vote upon every resolution or call in alphabetical order except member called, and the vote shall Resolutions and Ordinances shall at such meetings and by the Clerk minutes. Sec. 1.15 Addressing Commission: ordinance shall be taken by roll the Chairman shall be the last be entered upon the minutes. be signed by the presiding officer before they are entered upon the (a) Scheduled Agenda Topic: Any person may petition the presiding officer for leave to address the Commission on any matter as it may appear on the agenda. (b) Topic Not on Scheduled Agenda: Any person may orally petition the Commission, at any Commission Meeting, for leave to orally address the Commission at that meeting, which leave shall be granted only after showing to the satisfaction of a majority of the members of the Commission present that the subject matter of the address deserves the time and attention of the Commission. The Clerk will make available prior to the meeting a form on which the individual should indicate his name, address, and topic he wishes to discuss with the Board. The form must be completed prior to the start of the regular meeting. Sec. 1.16 Addressing Commission, Manner, Time: Each person addressing the Commission shall step up to the front, shall give his name and address in an audible tone of voice for the minutes, and unless further time is granted by the Commission, shall limit his address to ten minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to the Commission as a body and not to any member thereof. No person, other than Commissioners and the person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a member of the Commission, without the permission of the presiding officer. No question shall be asked a Commission except through the• presiding officer. Sec. 1.17 Decorum: Any person making impertinent or slanderous remarks or who becomes boisterous while addressing the Commission shall be barred from further audience before the Commission by the presiding officer, unless permission to continue or again address the Commission be granted by the majority vote of the Commission'. Sec. 1.18 Sergeant -at -Arms: The County Sheriff, or his designated Deputy, shall be the sergeant - at -arms at the Commission meetings and he will carry out all orders of the Chairman for purposes of maintaining order and decorum.. Sec..1.19 Ordinances, Resolutions, Motions, Contracts and other Documents: (a) Preparation of Ordinances and Resolutions: The County Attorney, when requested, shall prepare ordinances and resolutions which shall be delivered to the Chairman. A copy of the same shall be forthwith furnished to each Commissioner and the Clerk. There shall be a minimum of two public hearings on all ordinances other than emergency ordinances. The procedures as set forth in the Florida Statutes as far as advertising and reading of said ordinances shall be adhered to. =(b) Approval of Ordinances by County Attorney; All ordinances, resolutions and contract documents before presentation to the Commission shall have been reduced to writing and shall have been approved as to form and legality by the County Attorney. Prior to the presentation all such documents shall be referred to the head of the department under whose jurisdiction the administration of the subject matter of the ordinance, resolution or contract document would devolve. When so referred, the County Attorney shall affix his signature on the • Monroe County Board of County Commissioners Administrative Procedures Page 5 document certifying to the factual contents and shall append his recommendations. The Attorney shall affix his signature on all resolutions, ordinances, and contracts certifying to factual contents. (c) Introducing for Passage or Approval: Ordinances, resolutions and other matters and subjects requiring action by the Commission, must be introduced and sponsored by a member of the Commission, except that the County Attorney may present ordinances, resolutions and other matters or subjects to the Commission for consideration, and any Commissioner may assume sponsorship thereof by moving that such ordinance, resolution, matter or subject be adopted in accordance with law; otherwise they shall not be considered. When a Commissioner assumes sponsorship of an ordinance or resolution, he may countersign the same if he desires. (d) Action to be Taken by Resolution, Ordinance or Motion: All actions of the Commission shall be taken by resolution, or ordinance except that approval of purely administrative matters may be accomplishe by motion duly adopted and recorded in the minutes of the meeting. All ordinances and resolutions shall be prepared in advance to give suf- fucient time for reading and study. Sec. 1.20 Adjournment: A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and decided without debate. Sec. 1.21 Clerk, Minutes, Agenda, Correspondence: (a) The Clerk of the Circuit Court, or his deisgnated Deputy Clerk shall act as Clerk of the Commission. The Clerk shall prepare the minutes and all resolutions and ordinances, and for a reasonable charge shall furnish copies to persons desiring them. The Clerk shall make available to the Commissioners a copy of the agenda four (4) days before the meeting and a matter not on the agenda may be considered only upon consent of a majority of the members present. (b) Appeals of zoning matter shall be set down on the agenda for 4:00 P.M., and scheduled in order causing least inconvenience to the Commission and the public. (c) Each person presenting an item of business on the agenda shall prepare a brief written statement or digest of all essential facts, shall state what action he is requesting the Board to take, and shall give specific reasons therefore. Each statement shall be prepared and submitted to the Board prior to the meeting. A written statement need not be prepared for routine or recurring items of business with which the Board is familiar. (d) Correspondence of a general nature addressed to the Board shall be answered by the Department Head to whom it may be referred without first filing with the Board. The receipt of all correspondence will be immediately acknowledged. Current files of such correspondence shall be maintained and made available each Tuesday for the Com- missioners' examination; thereafter the correspondence shall be returned to the files. (e), The official minutes as prepared by the Clerk shall be as bri.e_f as possible and reflect only the very essential elements or actions. Those items specifically requested by the Board shall appear" in the minutes in the manner as directed. (f) The Clerk shall be custodian of the County Seal, affixing the seal to documents as appropriate and attest to the signature of the presiding officer on all ordinances, resolutions, and other documents. • Monroe County Administrative Pacge 6 Board of County Commissioners Procedures Sec. 1.22 Work Sessions; Purposes, Scheduling, Conduct: The Board will schedule a regular work session the first Tuesday morning of each month at Key'West.:. The purpose of the work session is to enable heads of departments to brief the Commissioners with background information,_ and to enable the Commissioners to determine that all items to be placed upon the agenda have been fully co- ordinated by all department heads. The workshop session shall be informally conducted by -the Chairman in the order and manner he deems necessary to complete the work in a timely and orderly manner. The time'of the'.iwork session shall be between 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 A.M. with department heads. The meeting will recess for lunch.,and reconvene at 1:00 P.M. until business is done as a public workshop meeting. Public workshops shall be scheduled for 1:00 P.M. on the third Tuesday in Marathon and on the fourth Tuesday in Plantation Key. Purpose of the public workshop sessions will be to allow the general .public to discuss with the Commissioners and department heads any matter pertaining to County Government. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WILL'.BE TAKEN AT WORK SESSION, ITEMS.WILL BE REFERRED TO REGULAR MEETING AGENDA. Other work sessions may be called as deemed appropriate by the Chairman or a majority of the Commissioners at a regularly scheduled meeting.