Boards & Committees
About the Board
The Township exercises its authority and acts through the Township Board of Trustees. It is the governing body for Southfield Township. It makes public policy decisions for the Township and has legislative authority to carry forward these decisions.
The Board of Trustees consists of seven members: a Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer and four Trustees. All of the members are elected to 4-year terms. The Supervisor, Clerk and Treasurer are the administrative officers with statutory responsibilities listed elsewhere on this website, and with the added responsibility of daily implementation of the duties and policies of the township and being available to meet with residents of the community.
The Board of Trustees generally meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Township Hall, located at 18550 W. 13 Mile Road. The Board, as a public body, must do business in a public meeting held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. A quorum of the Board cannot make a decision outside of a public meeting. They cannot even deliberate toward a decision outside of a public meeting.
Members
Supervisor
Janet Mooney
- supervisor@southfieldtownshipmi.gov
Clerk
Eileen Harryvan
- clerk@southfieldtownshipmi.gov
Treasurer
Kim Chalifoux
- treasurer@southfieldtownshipmi.gov
Trustee
Vince Borowski
Trustee
Paul Newitt
Trustee
Michael C. Fayz
Trustee
John Clark
Rules of Order
The Board of Trustees conducts the business of the Township of Southfield and acts as the legislative body for the Township. This is the primary function of the Board of Trustees.
Authority
These rules are adopted by the Board of Trustees of Southfield Township pursuant to Section 42.7(6) of the Compiled Laws of Michigan, as amended. The Board of Trustees consists of seven members, i.e., a Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer, and four Trustees.
Meetings
Regular Meetings. The Township is required by statute to hold a regular meeting at least once every 3 months (MCL 41. 72a). Our regularly scheduled meetings are held on the evening of the second Tuesday of each month at the Township Hall, located at 18550 W. 13 Mile Rd., Beverly Hills, Michigan. The dates and times of those meetings are published on the website for the Township (www.southfieldtownship.gov), as well as on the board attached to the Township Hall and are subject to change upon a majority vote of the Board.
Special Sessions. The Board may meet in special session upon notification provided to the Clerk by the Supervisor. The notification for a special session shall specify the date, time, place and purpose of the meeting and notice shall be given at least 18 hours before the special session (MCL 15.265) and shall be published on the township website.
Emergency Meetings. Emergency meetings of the Board of Trustees may be held only with the approval of two-thirds of the members of the Board that are present. It may be called only if delay would threaten severe and imminent danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the public and where a meeting can have an impact on the emergency.
Open Meetings Act. The business of the Board of Trustees shall be open to the public and conducted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act (MCL 15.261 to 15.275, as amended).
Quorum. A majority of the Board of Trustees, elected and appointed, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of ordinary business of the Board. A quorum for holding a meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be four members, and a majority vote of those present shall be necessary to approve any business of the Board.
Agenda for Regular Meetings
After first reviewing pending matters and requests, the Supervisor shall prepare a draft of the agenda of business for all regularly scheduled meetings. The Supervisor shall review and add items as he/she considers proper. Any Board member desiring to place a matter on the agenda, shall notify the Supervisor of such item before 4:00 pm on the Wednesday before the regularly scheduled meeting. Later requests shall be added to the agenda at the discretion of the chairperson for the meeting. Any unopposed agenda changes or additions may be by voice vote consent.
Agenda for special sessions. Whenever the Board is called into special session, the agenda shall be included in the notice of the meeting and no other matter shall be considered except when all members are present and a majority concurs.
Distribution of agenda materials. Upon completion of the agenda, the Clerk shall distribute copies of the agenda to the Board members, with copies of reports, explanations, pertinent information, etc. (board packets) which relate to the business on the agenda. Trustees shall be entitled to receive such materials no later than the Friday prior to the date of the meeting. The agenda shall also be posted on the township website by 5:00 pm on the Friday prior to the date of the meeting.
Members of the public may request of the Clerk that the agenda and supportive materials be provided to them.
Order of Business. The agenda may be arranged in the following order:
- Call to Order
- Roll Call
- Public comments on matters not contained on the published agenda
- Approval of consent and business agendas
- Discussion on agenda items, including scheduled public hearings, and on motions or resolutions in support of individual items
- Additional comments from the public in attendance
- Comments/reports from Board members
- Adjournment
Public Comment. During public comment periods, an opportunity shall be afforded to any member of the general public in attendance to deliver comments to the Board. These comments will be limited to a maximum of three minutes, unless extended by the chairperson. Public speakers may not allocate or “donate” their allotted time to another person. Comments should be directed to the Board and, unless authorized by the chairperson, Board members may not respond to speakers. No verbal personal attacks will be allowed regarding matters unrelated to public duties. This is not a time for questions and answers from Board members, but is a “comment” time for the public in attendance. Discussions within the audience during the public comment section of the agenda are expressly forbidden unless solicited by the chairperson.
Conduct of Meetings
Chairperson. The Township Supervisor shall be the chairperson and shall preside at all meetings of the Board. In the absence of the Supervisor, the Township Board, under the direction of the Township Clerk, shall elect by voice vote a member of the Township Board in attendance as the chairperson.
Forms of Address. Board members wishing to speak shall first obtain the approval of the chairperson and each person who speaks shall address the chairperson. Other persons at the meeting shall not speak unless recognized by the chairperson.
Disorderly conduct. The chairperson shall call to order any person who is being disorderly by speaking or otherwise disrupting the proceedings, by failing to be germane, by speaking longer than the allotted time, or by speaking vulgarities. Such person shall thereupon be seated until the chairperson shall have detennined whether the person is in order. If a person so engaged in presentation shall be ruled out of order, he or she shall not be permitted to speak fu1ther at the same meeting except upon the special leave of the Board. If the person shall continue to be disorderly and to disrupt the meeting, the chairperson may order the removal of the person from the meeting. No person shall be removed from a public meeting except for an actual breach of the peace conm1itted at the meeting.
Board members may not engage in any type of argumentative discourse with members of the audience, at any time, for any reason.
Record of Meetings
Minutes and official records. The Township Clerk shall be the clerk of the Board and shall be responsible for maintaining the official record and minutes of each meeting of the Board. The minutes shall include all the actions and decisions of the Board with respect to all motions and resolutions. The minutes shall include the names of the individuals that moved and seconded the vote of the members of the Board. The record shall also state whether the vote was by voice vote or by roll call; when by roll call, the record shall show how each member voted. The clerk shall maintain, in the office of the Clerk, copies of each resolution and ordinance or other matter acted upon by the Board. The official minutes, however, shall be entered only after review by the members present at the meeting and approved by those members.
Recorded proceedings of meetings shall be maintained pursuant to the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.
Record of Discussion. The clerk of the Board shall be responsible for maintaining a written record or summary of the discussion or comments of the Board members or the comments made by members of the publ.ic. A Board member may have his or her comments printed as part of the, record by requesting, and receiving, consent of the Board.
Public access to meeting records. The clerk shall make available to members of the public, the records and minutes of the Board meetings in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Board minutes, prepared but not approved by the Board, shall be available for public inspection no more than eight business days following the meeting. Minutes approved by the Board shall be available within five business days of the meeting at which they were approved (MCLI 5.269)
Closed Sessions
A. The vote to hold a closed session shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at which the decision was made. The Board may meet to receive information or to deliberate on specified matter, but decisions can only be made during an open session.
B. The Board may meet in closed session, closed to members of the public, upon the motion of any member and roll call approval by a simple majority of the members for the following purposes:
i. To consider the dismissal, suspension, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, or to consider a periodic personnel evaluation of, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, if the named person requests a closed hearing.
ii. For strategy and negotiation sessions connected with the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement if either negotiating party requests a closed hearing.
A two-thirds roll call vote of members present is required to call a closed session for the following reasons:
i. To consider the purchase or lease of real property up to the time an option
ii. To consult with its attorney regarding trial or settlement strategy in connection with specific pending litigation, but only if an open meeting would have a detrimental financial effect on the litigating or settlement position of the public body.
iii. To review and consider the contents of an application for employment or appointment to a public office if the candidate requests that the application remain confidential.
iv. To consider material exempt from discussion or disclosure by state or federal statute.
v. To meet with an attorney to consider the attorney’s written opinion.
C. A separate set of minutes must be kept for a closed session. The minutes must record the purpose for the closed session and the vote taken to enter into closed session. The minutes must also indicate the time a closed session is entered into and is closed, and who is present for the closed session. The minutes of a closed session are privileged, not available to the public, and may only be disclosed to another person outside of the closed session under court order (MCL 15.267).
Closed Sessions
Statement by Chairperson. Motions and Resolutions. No motion or resolution shall be voted on until the chairperson states the motion. All motions, except procedural motions and resolutions, may be required to be in writing upon the demand of any Board member.
Point of Order. The purpose of a point of order is to connect a breach in the rules when the chairperson does not correct it. It does not need a second, can interrupt a speaker, is not debatable, and is decided by the chairperson. Debate and/or talking shall cease immediately when a point of order is raised, so that the chairperson can rule.
Temporary suspension of the rules. These rules may be suspended temporarily at any time by vote of two-thirds of the members present to achieve any legal objective of the Board in a legal manner.
Appeal of rulings of the chairperson. Any Board member may appeal the ruling of the chairperson. On all appeals receiving a second, the question shall be “Shall the decision of the chairperson stand as the decision of the Board of Trustees?”
Voting
Abstaining from voting: Every member of the Board of Trustees has a duty to vote on all matters that come before the Board. There are situations in which a Board member must abstain from voting ( e.g., when a conflict of interest arises, such as the member having a financial or personal interest in the matter before the Board, or in a situation when the law requires it, such as the prohibition on a resigning member voting on his or her successor). Unanimous consent of the remaining Board members is required before abstention shall be allowed.
Roll call votes: The names and votes of Board members shall be recorded on board actions to adopt final measures such as resolutions, motions, budgets, appointments, adoption of ordinances, and the like. All matters that require consideration of the payment or receipt of money shall require a roll call vote, recorded on a rotating basis. Other matters may be considered on voice vote only. A request to change one’s vote requires the unanimous consent of the remaining Board members.
Votes required: Except for those decisions required by statute to have a higher majority (such as a two-thirds majority to go into closed session to consult an attorney), matters shall be decided by, a majority of the members present.
Board’s Orders and Records. Every Order, Resolution, Agreement and determination of the Board shall be recorded in the records of the Board, and signed by the chairperson and Clerk of the Board.
Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall govern all questions of procedure not otherwise provided by these rules or by state or federal law. The office of the Clerk shall serve as the Board’s parliamentarian and shall advise the chairperson regarding rules of procedure. If a conflict arises between these rules and Robert’s Rules of Order, these rules take precedence.
Adoption & Amendment of Board Rules
These rules, having been adopted by not less than a majority of all members of the Board of Trustees of Southfield Township elected and serving, may be amended or rescinded by a majority vote of all Board members elected and serving. They shall remain in effect until amended or rescinded. Any proposed amendment to these rules, properly presented to the Board of Trustees, shall take immediate effect when adopted, unless the Board, at the time of adoption, stipulates otherwise. These rules shall also be reviewed at the beginning of each calendar year.
RULES ORIGINALLY ADOPTED: June 13, 2023
Meetings
Dates & Times
The Board of Trustees meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 7:00PM at the Township Hall.
The Township does not meet in the following months: February, May, August or November unless a special meeting is necessary.