2000-047 ORDINANCE NO ~000-0¢~
SIONS, AND COMMITTEES" OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF
DENTON ESTABLISHING AN ATTENDANCE POLICY AND BROADENING THE EX-
CUSED ABSENCE REQUIREMENTS, PROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE, PROVIDING A
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE
W~-IEREAS, the City Council has deemed it necessary to revise the rules for attendance
of the members of the City's boards, commissions, and committees m order to provide for the
orderly conduct of meetings and hearings, and
WHEREAS, the City Council conveys to the citizens that if they accept the appointment
for public service that they do so with the knowledge that such service requires them to meet the
attendance requirements and that such service reqmres personal sacrifices, and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that it is a breach of a board, commission, or
committee member's duty to the public and to those board, commission, and committee mem-
bers who ,fmthfully and promptly comply with the attendance policy to be inconvenienced by
members who are habitually tardy or absent, NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON HEREBY ORDAINS
SI~CTION 1 That Article III "Boards, Commissions, and Committees" of the Code of
Or&nancqs of the Cxty of Denton is hereby amended by amending subsection (c) "Absences" of
Section 2~83 to read as follows
Sec 2-83 General rules
(c) Absences Every board, commission, and committee member shall attend all regu-
larly called and scheduled meetings of the board, commission, or committee of which he or
she is a member The chmrperson shall announce, for the record, the names of members ab-
sent and determine if the absence is excused or unexcused Members who cannot attend
the meeting should contact the chairperson or an appropriate staff hmson concerning his or
her absence prior to the meetmg The unexcused absence of any board, commission, or commit-
tee member from more than three (3) regularly called and scheduled meetings of the board,
commissiOn, or committee of which he or she is a member in any one (1) year or lack of at-
tendance at fifty (50) percent of the number of regular meetings in a year, unless such absence is
excused, shall be considered "cause," as that term is used in section 14 16 of the Charter, for re-
moval of ~he member by the City Council from such board, commission, or committee An ex-
cused absence shall include personal or family illness, death of a family member, jury duty,
service in, the armed fomes, testifying before the legislature, attending a seminar involving mu-
mmpal matters of importance to the member's duties, absence necessary for the member's busi-
ness or employment, and any related emergencies or other matters which the board, commission,
or committee finds qualify as an excused absence Attendance reports will be provided by
boards, commissions, and committees to the Clty Council on a quarterly bas~s for their review
wew Cop~es of flus orchnance shall be forwarded to members of all of the standmg boards,
commissions, and committees and to new members as they are appointed
S~CTION 2 That save and except as amended hereby, all the remmmng sections, sub-
sections, sentences, clauses, and phrases of Section 2-83 and Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordi-
nances of the C~ty of Denton shall remmn ~n full fome and effect
SECTION 3 That ~f any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or
word ~n ti'ns ordinance, or apphcat~on thereof to any person or mrcumstance ~s held ~nvalld by
any court of competent junsd~ct~on, such holding shall not affect the vahd~ty of the remannng
portions of flus ordinance, and the C~ty Council of the C~ty of Denton, Texas hereby declares it
would have enacted such remmnmg porhons despite any such vahfluy
SECTION 4 That flus ordinance shall become effective ~mmedmtely upon ~ts passage
and approval
d o, ,2000
fit
JACK~/LER, MAYOR
ATTEST '
JENNIFER WALTERS, CITY SECRETARY
HERBERT L PROUTY, CITY ~.TTORNEY
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