Last week the Lloyd Town Board approved 14 Rules of Order concerning the town board. Most were fairly routine, such as the supervisor opening and presiding over all Town Board meetings and Public Hearings. In addition, the rules spell out how and when members of the public shall address the board and that no one from the public, “shall engage in any demonstration, booing, hand clapping, or otherwise disrupt the formality of the town board meetings.” The rules also state that when a member of the public is called upon to speak, they should address their remarks to the board and not to anyone else at the meeting.

Supervisor Dave Plavchak said he modeled this resolution on Rules of Order from the Association of Towns and sent it earlier to his board members so they could become familiar with it.

Councilman Mike Guerriero questioned one provision that states the Supervisor may offer or second a resolution or motion and need not relinquish the chair for such purpose.

“My interpretation there is that the Supervisor would have the authority to motion or second a resolution and normally we haven’t done that, it’s always been the members of the [town] board to make a motion or second and that would give more authority to a Supervisor,” He added that the Supervisor would be able to move the resolution forward.

Plavchak said this is correct on moving a resolution forward, “but I don’t know that it gives more authority because the [board members] votes are all equal.

Guerriero insisted that it does.

“You submit the resolution and then it gives you little more authority to move it forward,” he said.

Councilman John Fraino said he did not believe that this gives the Supervisor more authority.

“You’re able to vote on it. So you have your input to say yes or no, so I don’t fully understand why it would be more authority,” he said.

Plavchak asked town attorney Sean Murphy to weigh in on the matter.

“I didn’t realize it was a policy that you [Supervisor] never could [but] generally you could make a motion or you could second it,” he said. “Ultimately the power’s to vote and that still has to be carried by a majority [of the board]. You can either move the motion or you can second it.”

Plavchak said, “I always thought you could do it too. When we read the rules from the Association of Towns they include it in theirs.”

Murphy added, “I guess it’s always been a policy but you just don’t do it, but I mean you always had the authority to do it.”

Councilman Lenny Auchmoody noted that, “It’s definitely been done in the past.” Councilman Guerriero countered that assertion, saying, “Not when I’ve been here and I’ve been here 12 years.”

The Rules of Order resolution passed 4-1; Supervisor Dave Plavchak, Councilmen John Fraino, Lenny Auchmoody and Councilwoman Tiffany Rizzo voted yes and Councilman Mike Guerriero voted no.