The following rules of procedure have been adopted by the board at the annual organization meeting:
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Board members need not rise to gain the recognition of the chair.
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All motions will be made as a positive action.
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A motion will be adopted or carried if it receives an affirmative vote from more than half of the votes cast. Only “yes” and “no” votes are counted in this calculation. It should be noted that some motions require larger numbers of affirmative votes, such as to move into a closed session.
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All motions shall receive a second prior to opening the issue for discussion of the board. If a motion does not receive a second, the chair may declare the motion dead for lack of a second.
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The chair may decide the order in which board members will be recognized to address an issue. An attempt should be made to alternate between pro and con positions.
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The chair shall rule on all motions that come before the board.
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The chair may rule on points of order brought before the board.
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The chair shall have complete authority to recognize any member of the audience regarding a request to participate in the board meeting. Members of the public who wish to participate shall follow the procedures outlined in Policy No. 213.1R1.
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The chair has the authority to declare a recess at any time for the purpose of restoring decorum to the meeting.
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The order in which names will be called for roll call votes will be as follows:
- All board members will be listed in alphabetical order by last name.
- All roll call votes will be called in alphabetical order, beginning at various positions on the list.
- The first roll call vote will begin at the top of the list and proceed down. The second roll call vote will begin with the second name and proceed down the list, with the last name called to be the first person called on the previous vote.
- A person’s absence or presence will have not effect on the rotation.
- The board president’s name is placed in the rotation and receives no preferential treatment due to elected position.
- The board secretary will maintain the record of rotation for roll call votes. The sequence will continue from meeting to meeting.
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The chair has the same authority and responsibility as each board member to vote on all issues.
LEGAL REFERENCES: Iowa Code Section 21.7.
