Board of Supervisors

County Board Administration

Responsibilities of the County Board

The County is Board is made up of 16 elected officials to transact and conduct business on behalf of the County.

Meeting Schedule

The County Board meets the third Tuesday of the month or by the Call of the Chair. Please see the calendar for all meeting dates and locations.

Rules of the Lafayette County Board

RULE 1: Election of County Board Officers

This body, as legally constituted, shall be known as the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. At the statutory meeting held on the Third Tuesday of April, each even numbered year, the Board shall organize by the nominations from the floor, candidates for chairperson, then upon closing of nominations, by election of a Chairperson by a secret ballot vote. In order to be elected to an office, a person must have a majority vote of the members present. If no one has a majority vote of the members present, then a second ballot must be cast to choose from the top two vote getters to determine the Chairperson. If after three (3) consecutive tie votes, a coin toss by the County Clerk will determine the outcome. Upon selection of the Chairperson, the same procedure would apply to the selection of the First Vice-Chairperson and then for a Second Vice-Chairperson. As soon as practical thereafter, the Committees of the Board, as per rule providing therefore, along with Committee Chairpersons shall be appointed by the Chairperson. The Chair shall call the meeting to order at the appointed time and if a majority or quorum is presented upon, roll call shall proceed with the order of business as per rule therefore. The Chair shall decide all questions or order subject to appeal; the Chair shall preserve order and enforce the rules; the Chair shall vote upon all questions taken by the Yeas and Nays, except appeals from his own decision and shall otherwise promptly perform all duties of the office. The Chairperson is automatically a voting member of every Committee, Commission or Board (except the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors) for purposes of a quorum of Committee, Commission or Board, except as hereinafter provided. In the event of the anticipated absence of any Supervisor, member of any Committee, Commission or Board for a meeting other than a County Board meeting, the County Board Chairman may designate any County Board Supervisor to replace the absent Committee, Commission or Board member for purposes of participation and voting. If the County Board Chair does not act or is not available, the Vice-Chair or Second Vice-Chair of the County Board may designate any County Supervisor to participate and vote in the absent member’s place.

RULE 2: Order of Business

After the journal of the previous meeting of the session has been read and corrected, if necessary, the order of business shall be called in the following order:

1. Petitions, Communications, and Accompanying Documents.
2. Department and Special interest reports.
3. Resolutions.
4. Reports of Standing Committees.
5. Reports of Special Committees.
6. Miscellaneous Business.

RULE 2A: Resolutions

Resolutions presented to the County Board, after consideration by the appropriate governing committee or committees, shall be acted upon by the Board. If the resolution is a major policy change or is an ordinance, there shall be a first reading and a second reading at successive County Board Meetings. Readings shall be read by title at successive meetings of the County Board, with complete text available for public examination in the Office of the County Clerk between the first and second reading. All other resolutions presented to the board, including the annual budget, shall be considered for adoption at the first reading.

RULE 3: COMMITTEES, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors shall establish three committee structures--namely, Standing, Elected and Appointed. The committee Chair and/or the County Board Chair, in concurrence, may appoint subcommittees as deemed necessary. Any subcommittee may be comprised of committee members and/or other persons designated by the committee and/or County Board Chair. All lay members' appointed terms shall serve concurrently with those of the County Board, except as otherwise stated in the Wisconsin State Statutes.

RULE 3A: Standing Committees

The following Standing Committees shall be appointed:

Ag/Extension/Environmental Committee (5 County Bd. members)

Audit Committee (3 County Bd. members)

Board of Health (4 County Board members and 3 lay persons)

Building & Insurance Committee (5 Cty. Bd members)

Commission on Aging Advisory (3 County Bd. Members, 4 Lay persons) By WI Statute 3 year staggered terms

Ec. Dev. (4/5 Cty. Board members & 1 lay member)

Emergency Government (by Statute Board Chairperson is Chairman of Emergency Government & 4 County Board members)

Executive, Rules and Legislation Committee (5 County Board members)

Fair Board (5 County Board members)

Finance Committee (5 County Board members)

GIS/IT Committee (4 Cty Bd members,1 Lay Member)

Grievance Committee (3 County Board members)

Hospital Committee (5 County Board Members & Hospital Chief of Staff & 3 Lay members)

Human Resources Committee (5 Cty Bd members)

Human Services (5 County Board members, 3 lay members) By WI Statute 3 year staggered terms

Laf Cty EMS (4 County Board members/3 lay persons)

Lafayette County Trails Committee (3 Cty Bd members)

Land Conservation Committee (4 County Board members, 2 Lay persons, 1 CFSA)

Law Enforcement (4 County Board members)

Library Committee (1 County Board member)

Manor (4 County Board members, 2 Lay persons)

Memorial Hospital Compensation Oversight Committee (Cty Bd Chair, First Vice Chair and 3 Cty Bd members not on the Hospital Committee)

Planning and Zoning Committee (5 Cty Bd members)

Tri County Trail Committee & Rail, Transit (4 County Board members)

Veterans Service Committee (3 Cty Board members)

RULE 3B: Elected Committee:

The following committee shall be elected by the County Board.

Highway Committee (4 County Board members) for a two (2) year term beginning as soon as elected (Reference Chapter 59).

RULE 3C: Appointed Committees:

Board of Adjustment (5 lay persons)

Community Action Committee (2 County Board members)

County EMS (1 County Board member)

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (1 County Board member Res. 15-19)

Highway Safety (1 County Board member)

Housing Authority (2 County Board members, 3 lay persons)

Land Information Council (Not less than 8 members)

Land Division Subcommittee (1 Cty Board & 5 members)

RULE 3D: Appointments to Other Committees

Hidden Valley (1 County Board member, 1 lay person)

Hodan Center (1County Board member)

Lafayette Dev. Corporation (1 County Board member)

Long Term Support (2 County Board members)

Regional Planning Committee (1 County Board member and 2 lay persons) 3 year terms

Resource Conservation & Dev. (2 Cty. Board members)

Sara (per statutes)

Seniors United for Nutrition (SUN) (3 Cty Bd members)

Workforce Development (County Board member)

RULE 3E: Meeting Attendance

The Committee Chair shall provide an agenda to all committee members and shall maintain a list of all members attending a given meeting or who have an excused absence. If a member of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors or a member of the Committees, Boards and Commissions, as designated under Rule 3, has three (3) or more unexcused absences from regularly scheduled meetings in a six month period, the committee chair shall report said absences to the Executive, Rules & Legislative Committee who shall review said member's attendance record. The Executive, Rules & Legislative Committee shall take such action as it deems appropriate with the consent of the Chairperson of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors and, if required, with the consent of the Board of Supervisors.

RULE 3F: Closed Meeting Attendance

All elected members of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors may attend any meeting of any committee of the board, whether a standing member of that committee or not and whether the meeting is open or closed. Except as otherwise provided for by Lafayette County Board rule, a member attending the meeting of a committee of which that Supervisor is not a member shall be considered a guest and is not entitled to speak or vote on any issue before the committee.

Any committee of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors may vote to exclude from a closed session meeting any Supervisor, whether a member of that committee or not, where that Supervisor has a conflict of interest of a business, financial, personal or family nature. It must be remembered that the county’s interest in ethical government dictates that, for purposes of this rule, a conflict is to be broadly construed and may be interpreted to include situations where even an appearance of a conflict exists. The vote of a committee to exclude a Supervisor shall occur prior to that committee entering a closed session and shall be decided by a simple majority of the committee members present.

RULE 4: Standing Committee Agendas

Every subject matter properly belonging to any Standing Committee shall be referred without motion to its appropriate committee unless otherwise directed and all committees shall duly and fully consider the subject referred to it and report in writing the results of their deliberations to the open Board.

RULE 5: Resolution Endorsement

Every committee introducing a written resolution shall endorse the same with the names of all committee members. Any resolution which is to be taken up before the County Board shall be provided to the County Clerk's Office no later than three (3) business days preceding the meeting.

RULE 6: Roll Call Voting at County Board

Any member may call for a division of yeas and nays upon any question before the Board for determination and the vote shall be recorded by the Clerk. Also, every vote taken in regard to levying taxes, appropriating money, dividing or altering the boundaries of any town or city or village shall be taken by the yeas and nays and be entered in the journal.

RULE 7: Voting at County Board

Every member present shall vote when a question is put, unless the County Board Chairperson shall, for special cause, excuse him/her.

RULE 7A: Special Voting Procedures

The County Board Chair shall announce any special voting procedures before any vote is taken by the County Board.

RULE 8: Resolution Withdrawal

Any motion or resolution may be withdrawn before amendment or decision.

RULE 9: Motions

Any member who has the floor cannot be interrupted by any motion except to enter a motion to reconsider or to object to the introduction of a motion.

RULE 10: Reconsidered Motions

The reconsideration of any motion by a resolution may be called for on the same or succeeding day of the session.

RULE 11: Tie Votes

In case of a tie vote upon any question, it shall be adjudged lost, and any member may move for the reconsideration of any question which has before received a tie vote.

RULE 12: Motion to Lay on the Table

A motion to adjourn, to lay on the table, for a previous question and limiting debate shall in every instance be decided without discussion.

RULE 13: Suspended Rules

These rules may be suspended, altered, or amended by a two-thirds vote of all members and upon all questions not especially provided for the foregoing rules. Robert's Rules of Order shall be deemed the authority and shall govern the action of the Board.

RULE 14: Elective Offices by Ballot

All elective offices shall be filled by ballot. The Formal ballot on any election shall be considered the final vote where a winner can be identified as receiving the majority of the votes of those county board members present.

RULE 15: Recommendations by Committee

All resolutions, ordinances, petitions, and recommendations not presented by regular County Board Committees shall be referred to the proper committees before final action is taken unless the rules are suspended.

RULE 16: Public Comment at County Board Meetings

At all public County Board meetings, any person other than a supervisor, which person wishes to speak to the County Board, must first secure permission and an acknowledgement from their supervisor that that person wishes to speak to the County Board. Their supervisor shall then obtain permission and acknowledgement from the County Board Chairperson that that requesting person will be allowed to speak to the County Board. In the notice to the County Board Chairperson, the supervisor should state the individual’s name and address for the record, as well as the topic to which that person wishes to speak.

RULE 17: Committee Chair Voting

At any committee meeting, the committee chair may second any motion that comes before the committee, board or commission as a part of the regular business. The committee chair may also vote on all matters that come before the committee, board, or commission.

RULE 18: Approved Agenda, Minutes and Supporting Documents

Approved agenda, minutes and supporting documents of all Committee meetings held under 3A, 3B and 3C of the Rules of the Lafayette County Board, shall be delivered electronically, to the County Clerk within three (3) days of the committee meeting. Approved minutes from all committee meetings held under Rule 3A, 3B and 3C of the Rules of the Lafayette County Board, shall be posted to the Lafayette County Website, within three (3) days of approval of said minutes by each Department. County Board Supervisors who require paper copies of the committee minutes should notify the County Clerk.

RULE 19: Advocacy

County board supervisors shall represent the official policies or positions of the Board of Supervisors, boards, commissions or committees to the best of their ability when designated as delegates for this purpose. When presenting their individual opinions and positions or otherwise speaking without the express direction or authorization of their body, county board supervisors shall explicitly state they do not represent their body or Lafayette County, nor will they allow the inference that they do.

RULE 20: County Clerk’s Use of Audio Recording of County Board and Committee Meetings for Later Use in Drafting Official Minutes

If the County Clerk (herein “Clerk” may also refer to an employee designated by the Clerk) so desires, he or she may utilize an audio recording device to capture the discussions, actions, and contents of a County Board or Committee meeting for the sole purpose of utilizing such recording to refresh their recollection when later drafting official Minutes of the recorded Board or Committee meeting. Provided such recording is used solely for the aforementioned purpose, and provided it is maintained solely by the Clerk between the time such recording is made and the official Minutes are ratified by the County Board or Committee to which such Minutes pertain, such recording constitutes a note under Wisconsin’s Public Records Law and, therefore, does not constitute an official County record.

Because such recording does not constitute an official County record under the Public Records Law, the Clerk is authorized to and should delete, discard of, or otherwise destroy such recording upon the County Board’s or applicable Committee’s ratification of the official Minutes that were drafted by the Clerk in relation to such recording. Likewise, because such recording does not constitute an official County record under the Public Records Law, such recording is not subject to disclosure under the Public Records Law.

Any persons, including elected officials, may record any public meeting and maintain that recording for their own personal use.

RULE 21: Public Comment for Committee Meetings

Any persons/member of the public who attends a meeting of a Lafayette County Committee may address members of the Board at the portion of the agenda listed as “Public Comment”. Sign-up may be required prior to the meeting start in order to be recognized by the chair to speak. Members of the public must be present to speak. Guidelines for public comment include the following: a) The topic may pertain to any item they wish to present with the exception of political candidate endorsement. b) The individuals identify themselves and, if representing a group, identify that group. c) State clearly and concisely the issue, limiting comments to a maximum of THREE (3) MINUTES.

Written material may be provided. It is not necessary to read an entire document. d) Limit group representation by appointing a speaker(s) to present an issue.

The clerk will be responsible for keeping time and alerting the chair when the Three (3) Minutes is up. Each member of the public may only speak once during public comment. If more than TEN (10) individuals will be speaking on the same topic during public comment, they may elect to designate one to three individuals to speak on their behalf for a maximum of THIRTY (30) minutes. Public comment is encompassing of every person present at the meeting, including elected officials. All other items on the agenda will be discussed by members of the floor or anyone that is recognized to speak by the chairperson.

RULE 22: No Gifts/Donations from any person or Non-governmental entity to Laf. Cty

No donation of any monetary or in-kind value shall be accepted by Lafayette County from any person or non-governmental entity attempting to seemingly interfere with needed, free and open debate of matters before the county board or for any referenda questions to be considered by the County Board.