Meeting Procedures

Meetings

Click here for meeting information, including agendas, minutes, and videos. 

All meetings of the council are open to the public; however, some portions may be held in closed session, pursuant to specific state laws written to protect the interest of the public. At its organizational meeting in December, the council adopts a calendar of regular meetings that adjusts the schedule for holidays. 

Live Streaming
Meetings are being live streamed and may be viewed online while meetings are in progress. Click here to view the meeting you wish to live stream or view footage from previous meetings. 

Town Council Meeting Procedures

Meetings of the Holly Springs Town Council should be likened to a business meeting of a large corporation which has as a bottom line, not profits, but the public service and preservation of a public trust. While the Holly Springs Town Council strives to foster a non-intimidating and welcoming atmosphere for the public audience, it also strives to maintain a sense of business and meeting decorum in which it can work effectively for the good of the Town as a whole.

Presiding Officer

Under the charter, the mayor is the presiding officer, and in the absence of the mayor, the mayor pro tempore. Neither general statutes nor the charter provide for a presiding officer in the absence of both the mayor and the mayor pro tempore. Local custom, however, would permit the council to select a chair pro tempore from the quorum of four remaining members present for this purpose.

The Town of Holly Springs Charter states that the mayor shall have the right to vote only when there is an equal division on any question or matter before the council.

Staff Presentation

Prior to discussion of each item on the agenda, the presiding officer may call upon the town manager or such other appropriate person for the purpose of background presentation of the business to be discussed. Such presentation is not necessary for action to be taken, however. Presentations generally are given for the benefit of the audience, since key points and full explanation of each item is included in agenda packets.

Discussion

It is adopted procedure of the Holly Springs Town Council that discussion on an item may be held at any point during the item. Council members are free to ask questions or provide comments at any time, however, it is most appropriate to await the mayor’s invitation to speak. The practice of the council has been to discuss an item on the agenda prior to a motions being made. Persons other than the mayor and council members may enter into discussion on a matter only by ruling of the chair. As with all rulings by the chair, this decision may be overridden by a majority of the council.

Public Comment Period

The Council strongly discourages public comment regarding a matter which recently has been, or which soon will be, before the council as a public hearing item. Public comment time is not intended to substitute for public hearings.

Those wishing to submit public comment may do so in person or in writing. 

In Writing: Click here to submit a public comment using our online form. Comments also may be emailed to the Town Clerk at linda.mckinney@hollyspringsnc.gov or dropped in the payment box in the parking lot of Town Hall, with “Public Comment” written on the envelope. We request that written comments be delivered by 5 p.m. on the Monday before a meeting for them to be delivered to the Town Council prior to the meeting. A summary of the comments will be read by the clerk during the meeting. Verbatim comments will be included with the minutes.

In Person: Anyone wishing to address the Council in person should sign up with the town clerk at the beginning of the meeting to be recognized during public comment. Speakers will be asked to limit comments to three minutes each. If several citizens are registered to speak on the same topic, the mayor or other presiding officer for the meeting will ask that citizens with similar concerns designate a single spokesman to convey those concerns, or the mayor will ask that citizens who have heard their concerns expressed by previous speakers simply abstain from repeating the same issues. 

Public comments generally are not acted upon at the time they are presented. After hearing comments, the Council may dispose of the matter as follows (receiving the comment does not imply approval, agreement, or consent):

  • Consideration at the current or a future regular meeting of the Council; or
  • Referral to staff, another board or committee for study and report; or
  • Referral to the Town Manager for investigation and report; or
  • Simply received and acknowledged by the council