No. 1364 RESOLUTION  Al RESOLUTION OF THE BOROUGH OF HANOVER ADOPTING RULES  REGARDING PUBLIC MEETINGS  WHEREAS, thej primary purpose of Borough Council meetings, Committee meetings, Council Workshop meetings is to afford elected officials the opportunity to WHEREAS, Borough Council is committed to the democratic process, individual rights of expression, robust debate, and respect of those with opposing WHEREAS, Borough Council recognizes that our society is burdened by a trend of increasing incivility and a growing intolerance towards those with different views; WHEREAS, specific examples of these general societal trends havel been evident ati recent Borough Council meetings which has the effect of stifling participation, threatening the quality of decision-making on the part of Council, and shifting the  conduct Borough business set forth in the Agenda; and  viewpoints; and  and  focus of the meetings away from its primary purpose; and  WHEREAS, Borough Council desires to be aj positive model of local government, to seek excellence in public administration, and tol hold ourselves to the WHEREAS, thej purpose of the following Rules of Decorum is to assure an orderly framework within which the business of thel Borough can be conducted by setting basic ground rules for public participation, encouraging Council and the public to act toward each other with charity and respect, and providing a framework for  highest personal standards; and  enforcing the rules wes set for ourselves; and  WHEREAS, the authority for establishment of these rules is derived from the Borough Code, 81 Pa. C.S.A. Section 101, et seq. and the Sunshine Act, 65P.S. 271 et seq.  and all amendments thereto; and Hanover as follows: RUIESOFCONDUCT  NOW, THEREFORE, BE ANDI IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED by the Borough of  1  Civilityand Decorum: Borough officials and members of thej public are expected to conduct themselves with civility and to accord each other a measure of dignity and respect. Shouting, personal insults, attacks, or any conduct that disrupts Att the discretion of Councl/Committee, disruptive individuals shalll be subject to removal from the meeting unless they agree toi maintain civility and Editorial Note: This should be ai rarity, ifever. Any decision to remove someone should be made by the Council as a whole to ensure that a decision is not made in haste or is content based. A decision should be based only on ai repeated breach oft the rules. Prior to removal, aj person should be reminded of the rules, Ifthe disruption continues, Council can  the flow of1 business is considered tol be out of order.  decorum.    recess a meeting, for a cooling off period. Ifafter the recess, the disruption continues, thena  person can be removed.  All persons attendingi public meetings should strive to:  Treat everyone courteously Listen to others respectfully every topic needlessly  Exercise self-control, including the perceived need to address Exercise brevity, considering the rights of all others to be heard within the reasonable time constraints of the meeting Give open-minded consideration to all viewpoints Focus oni issues and avoid personalizing debate Embracing respectful disagreements and dissent as democratic rights inherent in public service and public participation.  Bea aware of non-verbal expressions  General Procedure: Iti is thej policy of Borough not tol become involved in entanglements over' " parliamentary procedure" ini its] public meetings. Itisi the intent of the Borough to act consistently with the Pennsylvania Borough Code and any applicable Borough Ordinance or other legal requirement. This being said, in general, Roberts' Rules of Order shall apply to the conduct of public meetings Authority of the Chair: The Chair shall act as a facilitator, assisting members to focus on the agenda, discussions, and deliberations. The Chair shall be responsible for maintaining the decorum at the public meetings and uniformly  subject to the authority oft the Chair.  enforcing the rules expressed in this Resolution.  Limit Deliberations: Members will limit their comments to the subject matter, item, or motion being currently considered by Councl/Committee, subject to the Obtaining thel Floor: Members wishing to speak must first obtain the floor by  civility and decorum rules expressed in this Resolution.  being recognized by the Chair. EUBICFALICPAION  Every public meeting shall provide opportunity for residents and taxpayers Borough Council adopts, under Section 710 of the! Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, the following rules for public comment and participation at public Borough meetings: Public comment willl bes scheduled at least once on any agendas, at the Residents and taxpayers oft the Borough have the right to comment on  tol bel heard. The following rules shall apply:  1. any matter. 2.  beginning of meetings, prior to Councll/Committee deliberating or taking official action on matters that are before or of concern to thel Borough during the public comment portion of all Borough public meetings, subject toat three (3) minute time limit. The Chair may allocate time among those wishing to speak in order to manage meeting time. meeting briefly indicating the nature of the public comment they will be provide. Councl/Commite: must state their name and addresses for the record.  3. 4.  Residents and taxpayers are asked to sign a register at thel beginning of each  Residents and taxpayers of thel Borough wishing to address    5. Att the discretion oft the Chair, members oft thej public who are not residents or 6. There shalll be noi interruptions when a member of the public has been  taxpayers may be recognized to speak. granted the floor by the Chair.  7.  Atl Borough Council: meetings, thel President of Council shall be the  spokesperson for Council and will generally refer citizen concerns to thel Borough Manager 8. The Chair has the discretion to rule out of order comments that appear 9. Ifa resident needs a reasonable accommodation to attend a meeting, they should contact the Borough Secretary no later than three days in advance so the Borough 10. If, int thej judgment of Councl/Committee, the period for public comment is unusually Iong, the atmosphere has become unruly, or the comments become repetitive, Councl/Commitee may move to close public comment or defer all or portions oft the public comment toa a subsequent regular meeting or to a work session or an advertised  for research by staff and reporting back to Council. disruptive, vulgar, defamatory, or redundant.  can make thea accommodation. for them to attend the meeting.  special meeting tol be held in advance of the next regular meeting.  RECORDING AND STREAMING public meetings by members of thej public:  Borough Council adopts the following rules for recording and streaming of its  1. 2.  Those persons present at ai meeting and intending to record/stream the  meeting shall notify the Chair that they have an active audio or visual recording/streaming device. The Chair shall notify the public that the meeting is being recorded/streamed.  Recording/streaming devices shall be conspicuously placed int the meeting 3. Such recordling/streaming devices shall be operated sO as not toi interrupt or disrupt the activities of the participants of the meeting or the ability of the public to be  room, ins sucha a position to reasonably record the entire: meeting.  seated or to observe. a: meeting.  4.  Alli ecordling/streaming devices shall bej powered by their own source,  preferably handheld, and not mounted to chairs, tables or any objects permanently housed int the meeting room. If the recording device isi mounted on a tripod or stand iti must be meeting, and after adjournment is prohibited. Noj person shall have the right toi make public comment without being recorded/streamed ifi recording devices are present.  placed in a designated rear corner of thej public seating area.  5.  Recording/streaming: prior to Call to Order, during any recess of the public  RULES RELATING TOMOTIONS AND VOTING matters are approved by a simple motion.  Motions, Resolutions & Ordinances: A motion is the normal means by which a matteri is brought before Councl/Committee for consideration. Most routine At Council meetings, Resolutions need tol be approved by a simple majority vote after ai motion. Ordinances are approved by roll call vote after aj proper  motion.    Ordinances, such as legislative actions, shall be submitted to the Mayor for A motion requires a second, or sponsorship, by a second member before it cani receive consideration at a meeting. Ifa motion is seconded, the motion moves to discussion and then vote. Ifa motion is not seconded, iti is lost and no further action ist taken on the matter. The Chair then proceeds with the next item on the agenda. The first rule of parliamentary order is that only one matter of business can be considered at a time. Thati is, when one "main motion" has been properly introduced and seconded, no other main motion can be presented until the first has been disposed of. In the usual course of business, the motion is disposed of when it is either passed or defeated. However, a number of other things canl happen to the  signature.  motion, including:  The motion can be amended. The motion can betabled.  The motion can be referred to a committee for furtherconsideration.  Action can bej postponed until a definite date.  Voting: Voting is done in one of two ways- by expressing either favor or opposition or by roll call vote. In any instance where the result of expressing favor or opposition seems other than unanimous, or in the event of one or more abstentions, the Chair shall call for ai roll call vote. Any member of Councl/Committee may demand a roll call vote on any question before  Counci/Committee.  Conflict of Interest: In the case that a member believes that he/she hasa conflict of interest in the matter being decided, he/she is required by law to abstain from voting and to soi inform Councl/Commite: orally and in writing to the Borough Secretary of the nature of the conflict. If Council would be unable to take any action on a matter because the number of members required to abstain from voting makes the majority or other legally required vote of approval unattainable, then such members shall be permitted to vote if said disclosures are made. Abstention: All members of Councl/Committee are: required to vote in favor or in opposition, unless they arei required to abstain on grounds of a conflict MayorsTie-Breaking Authority: At Borough Council meetings, the authority of the Mayor to cast the deciding vote applies whenever, as a result of a tie vote,  of interest.  Council is unable to:  enact or pass an Ordinance, Resolution, or motion; declare or fill a vacancy on Council or in any other Borough office;or take any action on any matter lawfully brought beforeit.  MAYOR  While the Borough Codej provides limited statutory powers for the Office of Mayor, he/she is the ceremonial head of Borough government andi is in a position to exercisel leadership. The Mayor has the right to attend all Council meetings andi is permitted to take parti in discussions, and may vote in in the case ofa tie vote as set forth above. Thel Mayor presides over Council only twice during each term of office- -at the reorganizational meeting of Council in even-numbered years.    Ift the mayor is absent or incapacitated or there is a vacancy ini the office, the duties of the office shall be discharged by thel President of Council or, in the absence or incapacity of thel President of Council ori ift therei is a vacancy ini the office, by the Vice President of The President or Vice President of Council while acting as Mayor shall have power to vetoa aj proposed ordinance ort the annual tax resolution under section 1302(a) (relating to taxl levy) or tol break a tie but shall not have power to vote as a member of Council.  Council.  NONCISERVANCEOIRUIS  These rules, wholly ori in part, may be amended or repealed by majority vote in any regularly scheduled meeting of Borough Council. Rules adopted to expedite and facilitate the transition of thel business of Councl/Committe: in an orderly fashion shall be deemed tol be procedural only, and the failure to strictly observe any such rules shall not affect thej jurisdiction of or invalidate any action taken by  Coundi/Committee.  DULY ADOPTED this 22nd day of March 2023, by the Borough of  Hanover in lawful session duly assembled.  THE BOROUGH OFHANOVER  ATTEST:  Council (Vice)-President  -PIKI  Approved this 22nd day of March, A.D.,2023. B46  Mayor  5