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Broken Bow council adopts ordinance letting mayor be counted for quorum when needed
Summary
The Broken Bow City Council on Feb. 9, 2021, adopted Ordinance No. 1242 to harmonize local quorum rules with Nebraska statute 17-105, allowing the mayor to be deemed a council member for quorum purposes in limited circumstances; the measure passed 3-0.
The Broken Bow City Council voted Feb. 9, 2021, to adopt Ordinance No. 1242, a change to local rules that allows the mayor to be deemed a member of the council for purposes of establishing a quorum when the mayor's presence is necessary, the council said.
The ordinance, approved after a brief public hearing and by unanimous roll-call votes of the three councilmembers present, is intended to harmonize the city's quorum rule with Nebraska statute 17-105, City Attorney Jason White said. "This Ordinance complies with Nebraska State Statue 17-105 which allows the mayor to be deemed a member of the city council for purposes of establishing quorum when the mayor's presence is necessary to establish the quorum," White said during the hearing.
Mayor Rod Sonnichsen called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Broken Bow Municipal Auditorium. Councilmembers Jacob Holcomb, David Schmidt and Larry Miller were present; Chris Myers was absent. The council approved its consent agenda, including the Jan. 28, 2021 minutes and bills to date, which the minutes list as totaling $61,224.88.
At 6:02 p.m. the council opened a public hearing on Ordinance No. 1242. After White explained the ordinance's effect — and clarified that while the mayor may vote to break a tie, the mayor does not get to cast two votes — the council closed the hearing at 6:05 p.m. by motion. Councilmember Holcomb moved to suspend the statutory rule requiring reading on three different days; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote. Holcomb then moved for final passage of Ordinance No. 1242, Schmidt seconded, and the ordinance passed with Miller, Holcomb and Schmidt voting aye and no nays. The mayor declared the ordinance adopted.
The council adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
The minutes record motions and roll-call tallies for the consent agenda, the public hearing actions, the suspension of the reading rule and the ordinance's final passage. The minutes do not specify an effective date for the ordinance.
