Rules Of Procedure And Order Of Business
The following shall be the order of business:
• Call to Order
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Roll Call
• Correspondence
• Approval of Minutes
• Old Business
• New Business: Committee Reports
• Board Comments
• Office Head Comments
• Public Comments
• Adjournment
1. All questions relating to the priority of business shall be decided without debate.
2. The Chairman shall preserve order and decorum and shall decide all questions of order (subject to an appeal by the Board), without debate.
3. The Chairman of the County Board shall be elected by its members at the first meeting after swearing in of new Board members, for a two-year term and every two years thereafter, as provided by law.
4. The County Board Chairman shall serve as ex-officio member of all committee meetings. Chairman is allowed to vote in the event of a tie on all committees. When the County Board Chairman cannot attend a meeting, then the Vice-Chairman shall sit in his/her place at the committee meeting. The Chairman or Vice-Chairman will be considered a member of the committee if their presence is necessary for a quorum.
5. The meeting dates of the Board will be established by action of the Board after election of new Board and Officers.
6. Those dates and times may be changed at any regular Board Meeting thereafter by approval of the Board.
7. No member shall proceed to speak until recognized by the Chair.
8. When two or more members shall speak at the same time, the Chair shall name the member who is first to speak.
9. A member called to order shall immediately refrain from speaking unless permitted to explain, and if there is no appeal, the decision of the Chair shall be final.
10. A motion must be seconded and stated by the Chair before debate may occur.
11. All resolutions and appointments except emergency issues and issues of immediate import (in the opinion of the Board Chair and/or the relevant Committee Chairman) shall be submitted to the County Board at one county Board meeting and voted on at subsequent County Board meeting. Drainage and Fire District appointments will require only one reading.
12. All committee reports shall be in writing and submitted to the County Clerk in time to be included in the Board packet. If time does not allow the minutes to be included in the Board packet the minutes shall be submitted to Board members at least 24 hours before the meeting.
13. All claims against the County shall be fully itemized. All mileage claims must be made on the appropriate form, showing date, exact mileage and reason for claim. All activities and meetings relating to committee responsibilities and Board appointment to committee, boards and trustees shall be compensated at the committee rate. Only those activities officially authorized by the Board will be compensated.
14. The Chair shall appoint all Special and Ad Hoc Committees unless otherwise directed by the Board.
15. The Rules and Procedures and Order of Business may be changed at any regular Board meeting by the approval of the Board.
16. The Chairman shall vote on all matters before the Board.
17. For any questions arising not covered by these rules, The Simplified Rules of Order(adopted from Robert's Rules of Order) will govern the Board.
There shall be ten (10) standing committees, as follows:
• Committee on Committees
• Legislative Committee
• Budget and Finance Committee
• Building and Grounds Committee
• Road and Bridge Committee
• Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee
• Planning, Zoning and Land Use Committee
• Personnel Committee
• Insurance Committee
• Liquor Committee
(Note: There is also a GIS Committee and Elections Committee that meets as needed.)
Requirements For Claims Being Paid
1. Only members of the Committee may charge for attending a Committee meeting.
2. No charges may be submitted for mileage except in conjunction with a specifically stated Committee meeting of which you are a proper member, or County Board meeting.
3. Only one meeting can be charged for if County Board meeting or Committee meeting is on the same day. Page 1-5, County Government Law: Per diem cannot be authorized for separate meetings on same day. (1972 Attorney General Opinion S-535)