IRON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RULES OF ORDER

1. AUTHORITY

1.1 These rules are adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Iron - pursuant

to Section 46.11 of the Compiled Laws of Michigan, as amended.

1.2 During the January organizational meeting, the County Board shall review, amend if

deemed necessary, the Rules of Order for the ensuing year.

2. BOARD MEMBERSHIP

2.1 Board membership shall consist of five (5) members as determined by the Apportionment Committee.

2.2 Terms of office shall be for two (2) years, beginning on odd years and ending on even

years.

2.3 Compensation shall be $250.00 per month for the chair and $225.00 per month for each member. A Board member will also receive $25.00 for all approved meetings

attended. If the meeting lasts more than four (4) hours, or held out of the County, or a second meeting is held in the same day, a Board member will receive $40.00. If a commissioner is not a member of a committee, a Board member attendance must be authorized by the chair to be compensated. Also, compensation for attending any social event, on behalf of the Board, must have prior approval by the Finance Committee.

3. BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 The chair will call the members to order, ask for a roll call, and begin and conduct the meetings of the County Board. It will be his/her responsibility to preserve order and enforce the rules and regulations of the Board.

3.2 The chair of the Board is authorized to appoint any member of the Board to any meeting, convention, or function, deemed important for the conduct of County business.

3.3 The vice-chair of the Board shall assume all the duties and obligations of the chair

in chair's absence. Upon the death of a Board chair, a new chair shall be elected

at the next bimonthly regular or special meeting.

3.4 Each year, following the election of the Board chair, the chair shall appoint commissioners to standing committees listed under Rule 3.5 for the calendar year.

3.5 The first person listed on the roster of each committee shall be the committee chair. In the absence of the committee chair, the person next listed shall assume the chair.

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Finance:

Revolving Loan Fund

Finance (Audit and Audit Alternates): Required by Law

Audit/Budget Sub-Committee

Taxation Committee

County Administration:

Personnel

Building and Capital Improvements

Remonumentation

Public Safety:

Law Enforcement

Community Corrections

Camp Ottawa

E-911

Safety

Economic Development:

EDC Board

Chamber of Commerce

WUPPDR

Fairboard

Manpower

Planning Commission

RC&D

Brownfield Redevelopment

Parks and Recreation Committee

Liaison for Pentoga Park

Liaison for Youth Camp

Liaison for Trails

Senior Citizen Services:

DICSA Governing

UPCAP Board of Directors

Local Authority on Aging

Health and Human Services:

Public Health

Department of Human Services

Substance Abuse

Veterans

Collaborative Board

MCAC:

MCAC Board of Directors

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3.6 The finance chair will insure that the annual county budget is being adhered to and will provide periodic reports to the Board on the current status of County funds. It will be the finance chair's responsibility to see that the accounts payable are reviewed weekly and will make a recommendation to the rest of the Board to approve the accounts payable at each bimonthly regular meeting.

3.7 Each committee shall thoroughly investigate any matter referred to it by the Board or

Board chair and shall report its findings to the Board without undue delay.

4. MEETINGS

4.1.1 Meetings of the County Board of Commissioners shall comply with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.

4.1.2 The organizational meeting shall be the first meeting in each calendar year. At such meeting, the County clerk shall preside. As the first item of business the County clerk

shall administer the oath of office to the commissioners if the oath has not previously

been administered.

4.1.3 The second item of business shall be the election of the chairperson of the Board and the

vice-chairperson. The clerk shall call for nominations for the office of chairperson and

when nominations are closed by majority vote or no other nominations are forthcoming,

the clerk shall order the roll of commissioners to be called. The election of the chair-

person may be by written ballot if agreed by majority vote. When one nominee receives a majority of the votes of the members elected and serving, that nominee shall be declared chairperson. If the commissioners present shall not cast a majority for one nominee, the county clerk shall continue to preside until a majority of commissioners elects one of its members to be chairperson. The board of commissioners may proceed onto other agenda items as they shall decide.

The newly elected chairperson shall assume the chair and proceed with the election to the office of vice-chairperson by roll call vote.

4.1.4 The chairperson shall then appoint a finance chair.

4.1.5 Commissioners shall declare any conflicts of interest, if known at the time, at the organizational meeting. Subsequent declarations of interest shall be stated at the time such conflicts arise.

4.2 Bimonthly Regular Meetings of the County Board shall be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, unless a conflict occurs where a majority cannot be present to represent a quorum. Two meetings per year are set by Michigan Statute. Those being the Tuesday following the second Monday in April and the second Tuesday in October.

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4.3.1 Special Meetings: The Board of Commissioners shall meet in a special session upon the written petition to the Board's executive assistant or executive secretary and signed by one-third or more of the members. The petition for a special meeting shall specify the

time, date, place, and purpose of the meeting and shall require 10 days advance notice.

4.3.2 As an alternate means of calling meetings other than the bimonthly regular scheduled

meetings, the chair of the Board of Commissioners, with proper notice as provided in

Rule 5.3, may convene a special meeting of the Board.

4.4 Emergency meetings of the Board of Commissioners may be held only with the approval

of two-thirds of the members of the Board and only if delay would threaten severe and

imminent danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the public. A meeting is defined as

an emergency meeting only if it must be held before public notice as provided in Rule 5.3 can be given.

4.5.1 Committee meetings of the Board of Commissioners will be held at the discretion of the committee chair. The County Board chair shall be notified of all committee meetings.

4.5.2 A majority of the members of a committee shall constitute a quorum. Any committee

consisting of a majority of the Board shall comply with the provisions of the Open

Meetings Act and such notices will be posted on the Courthouse bulletin board.

Each committee that has a quorum shall maintain a written record of its meeting and shall provide such record to the County clerk, if the clerk and/or the clerk's representative are not available to take the minutes. The record of each committee meeting shall include at least the following: the date and place of the meeting, members attending, and the vote of each on any action relating to an ordinance, resolution, appointment, or election of an officer that the committee has approved. Committee votes on other matters must be included as part of the meeting record upon the demand of one- third of the members. Those committee minutes shall be recorded in the County Board's minute book.

Such meeting record shall constitute a public record in the meaning of the Freedom of

Information Act, and shall be made available to any person as required by law.

It is the responsibility of each committee to make recommendations to the Board of

Commissioners and to report matters considered and rejected as well as those considered

and recommended.

4.6 Whenever the Board shall meet in "working meetings" the Board shall meet as a committee of the whole and the chair, vice-chair, or another member shall preside.

Meetings of the committee of the whole shall conform to the requirements of the Open

Meetings Act with respect to public notice except when the Board shall devolve into a

committee of the whole as one of its regular meetings.

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Resolutions, ordinances, and other matters referred to the committee, unless otherwise

ordered by the committee, may be read aloud by the clerk and then considered and acted

upon by sections. Before an amendment is adopted it shall be fully written and presented to the committee. Whenever the committee of the whole has completed its deliberations,

a member shall move that the committee report to the Board of Commissioners. Motions

recommending action by the Board of Commissioners shall take precedence in the same

order as related motions in the meetings of the Board of Commissioners.

4.7 Meetings of the Board of Commissioners shall be held in the Board meeting room of the Board of Commissioners in the Iron County Courthouse unless notice of the meeting states a different location. Whenever the Board of Commissioners meeting room shall appear inadequate for members of the public to attend, the chair may change the meeting location to a larger facility in the courthouse. A notice of such change shall be

prominently posted on the door of the Commissioners meeting room. The County Board executive assistant or executive secretary shall also give notice of the change in the meeting place in a newspaper and radio, if time permits.

4.8.1 The regular meetings of each month shall begin at 1:30 p.m. unless notice of time change is properly posted. If the Board should have an evening meeting, the Board shall not begin considering any matter on the agenda not yet under consideration by 9:00 p.m., except upon the unanimous consent of the members present. Matters on the agenda and not yet acted upon at the time of adjournment will be placed on the agenda of the next bimonthly regular meeting or special meeting.

4.8.2 A change in the bimonthly regular meeting schedule shall not be made except upon the

approval of a majority of the members. In the event the Board cannot meet due to a lack

of quorum, the Board may change the meeting date and time to another provided that

proper notification is made to the members and public.

5. PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETINGS

The County Board executive assistant or executive secretary shall provide the proper

notice for all meetings of the Board of Commissioners. Such notice shall include, but

not necessarily be limited to, the following:

5.1 The County Board executive assistant or executive secretary shall post a notice of the

bimonthly regular meetings within 10 days after the first meeting of the County Board

in each calendar year indicating the date, time, and place of the Board's regularly

scheduled bimonthly meetings.

5.2 Whenever the Board shall change its bimonthly regular schedule of meetings, the County

Board executive assistance or executive secretary shall post a notice of the change within

three days following the meeting in which the change was made.

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5.3 If the Board shall schedule a special meeting under Rule 4.3 or an emergency meeting

under Rule 4.4 the County Board executive assistant or executive secretary shall post a

notice of such meeting immediately and assure the notification of such meeting to

each commissioner by telephone, personal delivery, facsimile transmission, or mail. No

meeting, except emergency meetings, shall be held until the notice shall have been posted at least 18 hours.

5.4 The County Board executive assistant or executive secretary shall notify, without charge,

any newspaper or radio or television station of the Board's meeting schedule, schedule

changes, or special or emergency meetings. The County Board executive assistant or

executive secretary shall also notify other individuals or organizations of regular bi-

monthly meetings, changes in the schedule, or special and emergency meetings, but

only upon their written request and agreement to pay the County for printing and postage

expenses. All such notices shall be mailed by first class mail.

5.5 The Finance Committee of the Iron County Board of Commissioners will meet weekly to review and release the accounts payable for the month.

5.6 Committee meetings of the Iron County Board of Commissioners shall be posted on the

bulletin board in the main lobby of the Courthouse.

6. QUORUM AND ATTENDANCE

6.1 A majority of Commissioners of the Board (3), elected and serving, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of ordinary business of the Board.

6.2 Members of the County Board may absent himself or herself with cause, but as a matter

of courtesy, must inform the chair or administrators office of his/her absence.

7. AGENDA FOR BIMONTHLY REGULAR MEETINGS

In the absence of a county administrator, the executive assistant or executive secretary, after first reviewing pending matters and requests, shall prepare a draft of the agenda of

business for all regularly scheduled commission meetings. The chair of the Board shall

review and add or delete issues as he/she considers proper. Any commissioner, or chair

of a committee, Board, or other commission of the County, desiring to place a matter on

the agenda shall notify the County Board office of such item by Noon on Wednesday

preceding the next bimonthly regular meeting of the Board. Items not received by the

County Board office by the stated deadline may not be considered. Non timely items will be at the discretion of the chair to include such item.

7.1 Agenda for Special Meetings

Whenever the Board is called into session pursuant to Rule 4.3, the agenda shall be

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purpose of the meeting shall be included in the notice of the meeting and no other matter

shall be considered except when all members are present and a majority concurs. Agenda for special meetings pursuant to Rule 4.3 shall be provided along with the notice of the meeting to the Commissioners, if time permits. At other times, the chair shall declare the agenda upon the approval of a majority of the members present.

7.2 Distribution of Agenda and Materials

Upon the completion of the agenda, the County Board executive assistant or executive

secretary shall immediately distribute copies of the agenda together with copies of

reports, explanations, etc., that relate to the matters of business on the agenda.

Commissioners shall be entitled to receive such materials not later than the Saturday

preceding the next regular meeting, unless special circumstances occur.

7.3.1. Order of Business

The order of business for the first bimonthly regular meeting shall be arranged in

the following order:

a. Call to Order

b. Pledge of Allegiance

c. Roll Call

d. Approval of the Agenda

e. Brief Public Comment for Agenda Items Only (3 minutes each/20 minutes maximum)

f. Commissioner Reports

g. Old Business

h. New Business

i. Announcements

J. Public Comment

k. Adjournment

7.3.2. The order of business for the second bimonthly regular meeting shall be arranged in

the following order:

a. Call to Order

b. Pledge of Allegiance

c. Roll Call

d. Approval of the Minutes

e. Approval of the Agenda

f. Brief Public Comment for Agenda Items Only (3 minutes each/20 minutes maximum)

g. Commissioner Reports

h. Reports of Department Heads and Board Representatives

i. Old Business

j. New Business

k. Resolutions Iron County Board Rules of Order

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l. Letters and Reports of County Officials

m. Announcements

n. Public Comment

n. Adjournment

CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

8.1 The person elected chair in the first meeting each year of the Board of Commissioners

shall preside at all bimonthly regular, emergency, and special meetings of the Board.

In the absence of the chair, the person elected vice-chair shall preside. If neither are in attendance the Finance Chair shall preside. Committee meetings will be chaired by the chair of the committee.

8.2 Board members wishing to speak shall first seek recognition of the chair and each

person who speaks shall address the chair. Other persons at the meeting shall not speak

unless recognized by the chair.

8.3 The chair shall call to order any person who is being disorderly by speaking or otherwise

disrupting the proceedings, by failing to show relevancy to the discussion, by speaking

longer than the allotted time, or by speaking vulgarities. Such person shall thereupon be

seated until the chair shall have determined whether the person is in order. If a person so

engaged in presentation to speak further at the same meeting except upon special leave

by the Board of Commissioners. If the person shall continue to be disorderly and to

disrupt the meeting, the chair may order the Sheriff's Office to remove from a

public meeting for an actual breach of the peace committed at the meeting.

9. RECORD OF MEETINGS

9.1 Minutes and Official Records

The County clerk shall be the clerk of the Board and shall be responsible for maintaining

the official record and minutes of each meeting of the Board. The clerk may assign a member of his/her office to take the minutes if he/she is unavailable. The minutes shall include all the actions and decisions of the Board with respect to substantive (non-procedural) motions. The minutes shall include the names of the mover and seconder and the vote of the Commissioners. The record shall also state whether the vote was by voice or by roll all; when by roll call, the record shall how each member voted. The clerk shall maintain in the office of the clerk copies of all ordinances acted upon the Board. The official minutes may refer to resolutions and other matters by a descriptive title of the resolution or other matters. Resolution and other matters routinely are kept on record in the County Board office.

9.2 Record of Discussion

The clerk shall not be responsible for maintaining a written record or summary written

record of the discussion or comments of the Board members nor of the comments made

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by members of the public. The clerk, if requested and the equipment is made available,

shall be responsible for making an electronic tape recording of each meeting of the Board

of Commissioners. Each such recording shall be maintained in the office of the clerk for

a period of six months following the date of the meeting. Thereafter, the recording may be erased unless the recording shall be pertinent to any legal proceeding then underway,

pending or reasonably anticipated.

9.3 Request for Remarks to be Included

Any commissioner may have his or her comments printed verbatim as part of the record

upon the concurrence of a majority of the other members. Such comments to be included in the record shall be provided in writing by the member or transcribed exactly by the clerk from the electronic tape recording, if such a recording is a available. This practice should be used on a limited basis.

9.4 Public Access to Meeting Records

The clerk shall make available to members of the public the records and minutes of the

Board meetings in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Board minutes,

prepared but not approved by the Board, shall be available for public inspection not more

than eight business days following the meeting. Minutes approved by the Board shall

be available within five business days of the meeting at which they were approved. The

clerk shall also promptly provide, when formally requested, the first five (5) pages at no charge and picked up at the County Clerk's Office. After the first five pages, the photocopy charge would be the official rate established by the County or $.25 per page. If mailed, a postage charge as well as copy charge for all copies would apply. Note: This distribution would not affect intergovernmental assistance to County Offices or County employees.

9.5 Publication of Minutes

Immediately following each meeting, the clerk shall have four options in which to choose to publish the minutes. They are: (1) publish a report of the meeting in a well- established newspaper in the County, (2) publish a synopsis as soon as possible after each meeting in a newspaper, (3) advertise in a newspaper that a report is available from the clerk by mail without charge, or (4) post on the County website.

[MCLA 46.9]

10. EXECUTIVE MEETINGS

The vote to hold an executive meeting shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting

at which the decision was made.

10.1 The Board of Commissioners may meet in executive session, closed to the members of

the public, upon the motion of any member and roll call approval by two-thirds of the

members for the following purposes:

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• To consider the purchase or lease of real property, until an option to purchase or lease that property is obtained.



• To consult with its attorney regarding trial or settlement strategy in connection with specific pending litigation, but only when an open meeting would have a detrimental financial effect on the litigating or settlement position of the County Board.



• To meet with an attorney to consider the attorney's written opinion.



• To review the specific content of an application for employment to a County position and the applicant requests that the application remain confidential. Whenever the Board meets to interview an applicant, it shall be in open session.

10.2 Other Reasons

The Board may also meet in executive session for the following reasons without the

requirement of a two-thirds vote:

• To consider the dismissal, suspension, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, or to consider a periodic personnel evaluation of a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual agent if the named person requests a closed hearing. If the person rescinds his/her request for a closed hearing the matter at issue shall thereafter be considered only in open public meeting.



• To consider strategy connected with the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement.

10.3 Minutes, Executive Meetings

For each executive meeting, the clerk shall make a separate record of the topics

discussed. This record shall not be disclosed to the public except upon the order of a

court. The clerk may destroy the minutes after one year and one day have passed after

the meeting at which the Board approved the minutes of the meeting at which the Board

voted to hold the executive session.

11. MOTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS

11.1 Statement by Chair, Motions, and Resolutions

No motion or resolution shall be adopted until the motion is stated by the presiding officer. All requested motions, except procedural motions and resolutions, may be

repeated for clarification upon the request of any commissioner. If necessary, a

request for a recess for the purpose of writing out a motion or resolution shall be

entertained.

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11.2 Nondebatable Motions

The motions to fix the time of the next meeting, adjourn, recess, point of privilege, call

for orders of the day, to table, vote immediately, limit or extend debate shall be ordered

and voted upon without debate.

11.3 Motion to Reconsider

The motion to reconsider shall be in order on any question the Board has decided, but no

question shall be reconsidered more than once. The motion to reconsider shall be in

order on the same day as the vote to be reconsidered was taken and in the next bimonthly

regular meeting following. The motion to reconsider shall be made only by a member

who voted with the prevailing side. A motion to reconsider a motion to amend shall not

be in order if the main question has been voted upon. If the Board has adopted a motion

to reconsider, however, motions to amend shall be in order.

11.4 Motion to Clear the Floor

This motion may be made by the chair or a member at any time procedural matters have

been sufficiently confused. If the motion to clear the floor has been adopted, it shall

clear the floor of all motions as though they have been withdrawn. The motion shall

not be subject to debate nor, if adopted, to reconsideration.

11.5 Temporary Suspension of the Rules

These rules may be suspended temporarily at any time by vote of two-thirds of the

members elected and serving to achieve any legal objective of the Board in a legal

manner.

11.6 Appeal Rulings of the Chair

Any commission may appeal the ruling of the chair. On all appeals receiving a second,

the question shall be, "Shall the decision of the chair stand as the decision of the County

Board?"

12. VOTING

12.1 Whenever a question is put by the chair, every commissioner present shall vote on the

question. No member present shall abstain from voting, "yes" or "no" unless excused by

a majority of those present.

12.2 The names and votes of Commissioners shall be recorded when done on a roll call vote

and shall be recorded on Board actions to adopt final measures such as ordinances

resolutions, appointment or election of officers, etc. The election of the Board chair

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may be by written ballot. Upon the demand of one-fifth of the Commissioners, a roll call vote shall be taken on other motions and actions. Roll call votes will be taken on a rotating name basis and not necessarily in alphabetical order.

12.3 Procedural and other questions arising at a meeting of the Commissioners, except for

those decisions required by statute to have a higher majority, shall be decided by a

majority of the members present. A majority of the members elected and serving,

however, shall be required for final passage or adoption of a measure, resolution, or the

allowance of a claim.

13. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The legal counsel to the Board or other person so designated by the Board at the Organizational Meeting shall serve as the Board's parliamentarian and shall advise the presiding officer regarding rules of procedure.

14. INTRODUCTION AND ADOPTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE RESOLUTIONS

14.1 Definition

Any action regarding the operation or administration of a department of the County

government or containing policies of the Board of Commissioners applicable to one or

more departments of the County, and not adopted as an ordinance, shall be declared

administrative policy.

14.2 Introduction

Any commissioner may introduce an administrative resolution at any bimonthly regular

meeting or special meeting of the Board of Commissioners in the regular order of

business.

14.3 Order for Consideration

The regular order for consideration of proposed administrative resolutions shall be:

• Introduction, first reading by title, and reference to the appropriate committee, as determined by the Board chair.



• Report by the committee considering the proposal and placement on the agenda under new business - adoption of resolutions.

• Final consideration and vote.

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14.4 Committee Review

The chair of the Board of Commissioners shall refer all proposed administrative resol-

utions to an appropriate committee of the Board. The committee shall review the

proposal and invite affected departments of the County to comment and offer explan-

ations. The committee shall give their recommendation for approval or non approval.

14.5 Adoption

The Board of Commissioners may adopt the committee recommendation or refer the

report to the committee of the whole where further consideration can be given.

A majority of the Commissioners elected and serving shall be required for adoption,

unless a statute requires a larger number of votes, to adopt the policy. The vote shall

be taken by roll call.

14.6 Notification

Upon the final adoption of an administrative resolution, the County Board will designate

an appropriate official to notify each County department head of the Board action. Such

notification can be by title or summary. The clerk shall make available a copy of the

full administrative resolution.

14.7 Record of Administrative Resolutions

The administrator's office shall keep a copy of each administrative resolution of the Board in his/her file. The record of each administrative resolution shall provide the date of adoption, the record vote of each commissioner, and any amendments thereto adopted by the Board.

15. A calendar of bimonthly regular meetings, subject to change, are attached and labeled

as: Attachment 1.

16. A complete list of the various committee appointments made by the Iron County Board

of Commissioners is attached and labeled as: Attachment 2.

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