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Rules and Orders of the Traffic Commission
Table of Contents
Meetings, Quorums, Proceedings, Etc.
Rule 1 – Meeting dates and time
Rule 2 – Quorum
Rule 3 – Calling Meeting to order; Absence of Chair; Duties of Chair
Rule 4 – Chair Relinquishing Chair
Rule 5 – Roll call votes
Rule 6 – Order of Motions
Rule 7 – Motions; Withdrawals
Rule 8 – Motion and procedure during debate
Rights and Duties of Members
Rule 9 – Addressing the Chair
Rule 10 – Speaking Decorum
Rule 11- Reconsideration
Rule 12 – Reconsideration of certain motions not permitted
Order of the Day
Rule 13 – Order of business at regular meeting
Rule 14 – Preparation of Order of the Day
Rule 15 – Form of items filed with the Traffic Commission
Rule 16 – Parliamentary Procedure
Rule 17 – Alterations, Repeal or Suspension of Rules and Orders
Rule 18 – Anonymous Communications
Rule 19 – Matters Requiring Two Meetings Prior to Adoption
Rule 20 – Public Hearings
Rules and Orders of the Traffic Commission
Meetings, Quorums, Proceeding, Etc.
Rule 1. Meeting dates and time
Regular meetings of the Woburn Traffic Commission shall be held on the third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. Special Meetings are at the call of the Chair or by any three members. Notice of meetings shall be made by electronic mail sent to each member and posted in accordance with applicable law. (amended 7/11/2008; amended 5/9/2019; amended 7/16/2020; amended 10/21/2021)
Rule 2. Quorum
At all meetings of the Commission a majority shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Rule 3. Calling meeting to order; Absence of Chair; Duties of Chair
The Chair shall open the meeting at the hour to which the Commission has adjourned or has been called together and shall call the members to order. The Clerk shall call the roll and on the establishment of a quorum, the Commission shall proceed to business. In the absence of the Chair, the Clerk shall call the Commission to order and preside until the Chair pro tempore has been chosen by roll call, and a plurality of votes shall elect.
The Chair shall preserve order; may speak on points of order in preference to other members; and shall decide all questions or order, subject to an appeal to the Commission, by a motion regularly seconded, and no other business shall be in order until the question on the appeal shall have been decided.
The Chair shall declare all votes; but if any member doubts a vote the Chair, without further debate, shall require the members voting in the affirmative and in the negative, respectively, to raise their hands until they are counted.
Rule 4. Chair relinquishing the Chair
The Chair may call any member to the chair, but such substitution shall not continue longer than one meeting.
When a subject is under debate, the Chair may state facts, give his opinion on questions of order or wisdom of procedure, and participate in any debate or discussion without leaving his place; if the Chair elects to vacate the Chair to take part in any debate or discussion or for any other reason, he shall leave the chair, appointing some other member to preside until he resumes the chair.
Rule 5. Roll call votes
A vote shall be taken by a call of the roll, when any one member requests.
Rule 6. Order of motions
The Chair shall put all questions in the order in which they are moved unless the subsequent motion shall be previous in its nature; except that in naming sums and fixing time, the smallest sum and the longest time shall be put first.
Rule 7. Motions; Withdrawal
After a motion is stated or read by the Chair, it shall be in the possession of the Commission and may be disposed of by vote; but the mover may withdraw it at any time before a decision or amendment.
A question containing two or more items capable of division shall be divided whenever any member so requests.
Rule 8. Motion and procedure during debate
The Chair shall consider a motion to adjourn as always in order, except upon an immediate repetition. When a question is under debate he shall receive no motion but to adjourn; to postpone indefinitely; to lay on the table, the previous question; to postpone to a day certain; to commit; or to amend; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they stand arranged, and the first three shall be decided without debate.
No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of an amendment.
The Chair shall put the previous question in the following form: “Shall the Main Question Be Now Put?” and all debate upon the main question shall be suspended until the previous question shall be decided. The effect of a negative decision upon the previous question shall be to leave the main question under debate.
On the previous questions, not exceeding five minutes shall be allowed for debate and that only to give reason why the main question should not be put; and no member shall speak more than two minutes.
Rights and Duties of Members
Rule 9. Addressing the Chair
Every member when about to speak shall address the Chair; shall confine himself to the questions under debate, and avoid personalities.
Rule 10. Speaking decorum
No member shall be interrupted while speaking, but by a call to order, or for the correction of a mistake; nor shall any conversation be allowed among the members while a question is being stated, while a member is speaking or a paper is being read.
Rule 11. Reconsideration
When a vote has passed it shall be in order for any member of the prevailing side to move for reconsideration at the same meeting, or by giving written notice to the Clerk no later than 4:30 P.M. on the second business day after adjournment, of the member’s intention to move reconsideration at the next regular meeting; in which latter case the Clerk shall retain possession of the papers until said meeting; and when a vote for reconsideration is decided that vote shall not be reconsidered.
Rule 12. Reconsideration of certain motions not permitted
No vote on either of the following motions shall be reconsidered, viz: to adjourn, to lay on the table; to take from the table; the previous question.
No motion shall be twice reconsidered.
Order of the Day
Rule 13. Order of business at regular meeting
At every meeting of the Traffic Commission the order of business shall be as follows:
And the above order shall not be departed from, except by vote of the majority of all the members present; and all questions relating thereto shall be decided without debate. (amended 11/1/2017)
Rule 14. Preparation of Order of the Day
The Clerk shall prepare for use of the Traffic Commission at each meeting a docket of all items including those filed by the Commissioners, which are filed in the Office of the City Clerk by at least 1:00 p.m. the Monday before the Traffic Commission Meeting. The same shall be termed the “Agenda of the Traffic Commission”. No other matters shall be taken up at the Meeting. This shall not prohibit the filing of new matter at the Traffic Commission meeting provided that it is only for the purposes of initial consideration, however no final action shall be permitted on such matter and such matter may be referred to the next regular meeting of the Traffic Commission or may be referred to a subcommittee made up of members of the Traffic Commission appointed by the chair for the purposes of reviewing the matter and reporting to the full Traffic Commission at its next regular meeting.
Rule 15. Form of items filed with the Traffic Commission
All reports and other matters submitted to the Traffic Commission shall be written or printed, and no endorsement of any kind shall be made on them excepting by the City Clerk or the Chair. The Clerk may promulgate a form or forms of petition to be used for requesting action by the Traffic Commission on a matter of interest to the petitioner. Any cost of advertising for action by the Traffic Commission shall be borne by the petitioner.
Rule 16. Parliamentary Procedure
The rules of Parliamentary Practice comprised in Roberts Rules and the Principles of Parliamentary Law set forth therein shall be authorities on all questions of debate under parliamentary usage, whenever the same does not conflict with the rules of the Traffic Commission.
Rule 17. Alterations, Repeal or Suspension of Rules and Orders.
None of the foregoing Rules shall be suspended, altered or repealed, unless by a vote of two-thirds of all the members of the Traffic Commission.
Rule 18. Anonymous Communications
Unsigned communications shall not be introduced in the Traffic Commission.
Rule 19. Matters Requiring Two Meetings Prior to Adoption
All matters presented to the Traffic Commission shall be considered at the next regular or special meeting of the Traffic Commission, unless the notice of the special meeting specifically limits the purpose for which the meeting is being called in which case the matter shall be held to the next regular meeting of the Traffic Commission. No matter which alters or amends the Traffic Regulations of the City of Woburn then and there in effect shall be passed in one meeting and there shall be at least seven days before the first meeting and the second meeting.
Rule 20. Public Hearings
Whenever a petitioner has requested or the Traffic Commission has determined the necessity for a public hearing notice shall be made as follows: 1.) By posting on the official bulletin board of the city of Woburn at least seven (7) days prior to the public hearing, 2.) by publication one time at least seven (7) days and no greater than thirty (30) days prior to the public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, and 3.) By first class mail postage prepaid to residences abutting along the street to be affected or along the particular streets named by majority vote of the Traffic Commission as determined by the census data on the Central Voter Registry maintained in the office of the City Clerk so long as such system is active and available; or 4. By such other manner as the Traffic Commission shall be determine by majority vote to be suitable publication in a particular matter.