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Appendix
HOWARD COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT
Big Spring, Texas
Policy Governing Meetings of the Board of Trustees
Updated February 23, 2026
I. Regular Meetings
A. Regular meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Howard County Junior College District shall be held in the Board room at Howard College on the fourth Monday of each month at 12:30 p.m., unless otherwise provided by the Board of Trustees.
B. An agenda shall be prepared under the direction of the President according to state law.
C. Written notice of the date, hour, place, and subject of each meeting of the Board shall be given as prescribed by law. Notice will be given as follows:
1. A copy of the agenda for the meeting will be delivered to the County Clerk of Howard County, posted in the glass case by the central administration building, posted on the College website, and communicated to any news media requesting such notice and consenting to pay any and all expenses incurred by the college in providing special notice.
2. Notice shall be posted, delivered, or given at least three full business days prior to the day of the meeting.
3. Members of the Board shall be given notice of regular or special meetings at least three full business days prior to the day of the meeting by the President or by a designated person.
D. All meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be opened in public as prescribed by law.
E. All meetings shall be conducted according to state law.
II. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called by the Chairman of the Board or by four members of the Board or by the President of the college when approved by the Chairman of the Board. All members of the Board shall be notified of the place, date, and time of special meetings, as well as the item or items of business to be considered at least three days prior to the meeting, except in cases of emergency. In instances when the Board member is not notified by telephone or personal contact, a letter addressed to the Board member’s mailing address shall be construed as official notification.
III. Emergency Meetings
An emergency is considered to exist when the items or item of business to be transacted cannot be satisfactorily handled at a meeting where three days notification is possible. Individual Board members will be notified personally by telephone or by letter of emergency special meetings and be informed of the specific date, time, place of the meeting, and the item or items of business to be considered.
Notice of all emergency meetings shall include the date, hour, place, and subject of the meeting and will express the nature of the emergency or urgent public necessity which requires an emergency meeting. Such notice will be posted at least two hours before the meeting is convened. The presiding officer or member calling such meeting shall notify all news media which have previously requested such notice.
IV. Recessed Meetings
Recessed Meetings may be held as the business of the Board of Trustees requires. At the time of recess, the time, date, and place of the continuation of the meeting shall be determined and announced.
V. Closed Sessions or Executive Sessions
A. Closed or executive sessions will not be held unless the Board of Trustees has first been convened in open meeting for which notice has been given. If, during the open meeting, a closed or executive session is necessary, the presiding officer of the Board shall announce that a closed or executive session will be held and identify the section or sections under Government Code Section 551.071, 551.072, 551.073, 551.074, 551.076, 551.081068107 which authorizes the holding of such closed or executive session, including but not limited to:
- 551.071 Consultation with Attorney - To conduct a private consultation with an attorney about pending litigation or a settlement offer or on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the Board under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with the requirement for open meetings.
- 551.072 Deliberation Regarding Real Property - To deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property, if deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the college in negotiations with a third person.
- 551.073 Deliberation Regarding Prospective Gift - To deliberate a negotiated contract for a prospective gift or donation if deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental
- effect on the position of the college in negotiations with a third person.
- 551.074 Personnel Matters - To deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, disci10pline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee, or to hear a complaint or charge against an officer or employee.
- 551.076 Security – To deliberate the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of security personnel or devices; or a security audit.
- 551.087 Economic Development - To discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial information that the governmental body has received from a business prospect that the governmental body seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near the territory of the governmental body and with which the governmental body is conducting economic development negotiations; or to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect.
B. A certified agenda or tape recording shall be kept of all closed sessions except those involving consultations with an attorney.
C. The Board will not take any final action or final vote or make any final decision with regard to any matter considered in a closed or executive session. Such final action, final votes, or final decisions with regard to any matter considered in closed session will be made only in a meeting which is open and for which proper notice was given.
D. After any and all closed or executive sessions, the Board will reconvene the public meeting or session before adjourning.
Quorum
A quorum for the transact of official business of the college shall consist of a majority of the membership of the Board; less than a quorum may adjourn to a specified time.
Appearance of Delegations
Citizens who wish to appear before the Board of Trustees at a regular meeting should state the purpose of their appearance and submit a short written brief of their testimony to the Chairman of the Board at least ten days prior to the Board meeting, indicating the amount of time needed for their presentation. At the discretion of the Chairman, the item may be placed on the agenda and an amount of time shall be allotted for the presentation. The Chairman shall submit copies of the brief with other information to all members of the Board of Trustees with the agenda for the regular Board meeting.
Communication to the Board
The Board shall designate a portion of its regular monthly meeting to hear comments from individuals who have not requested a place on the agenda. Persons who wish to participate in this portion of the meeting shall sign up as they arrive, indicating the topic about which they wish to speak. Individuals will sign up at the station by the door. This information will be passed to the chairman and shared at the appropriate time with the rest of the Board members. Depending on the arrival of the individual, it could be during introductions, shared by passing around the form, or announced during this section. The interested speaker will be given a form outlining the procedures herein listed. By policy the Board Chairman may set reasonable time limits on presentations. For organizational purposes, the time limit has been set at three minutes. The chairman can adjust that.
Specific factual information or recitation of existing policy may be furnished in response to inquiries, but the
Board may not deliberate, discuss, or make any decision on any subject not on the agenda. The Board can certainly defer to the administration to answer these questions if appropriate. In some instances, the request may result in an agenda item for the next meeting.
Order of Business and Procedures
1. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, all meetings will be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.
2. A record of all transactions of the Board will be set forth in an Official Minute Book of the Board of Trustees. The minute book will be kept in the President’s office as a permanent official record of school legislation in the college and will be open to inspection by the public.
3. The minutes will record the name of the person making a motion, the name of a person seconding it, and the vote. Voting will be in a manner prescribed by the presiding officer, except that a roll call vote may be required by a Board member. A member voting against a motion may state his reasons and may have them recorded in the minutes if so requested at the time of voting. Board members may request inclusion of statements they deem vital.
4. Meetings shall start promptly at the appointed time, provided a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present at the appointed time, the Board members present shall wait a minimum of 15 minutes, and if a quorum is still not present, may then adjourn.
Transaction of Business
When possible, business of the Board shall be transacted in regular scheduled meetings. Committees shall transact business only on authority granted them by the Board and their acts shall have no final authority until their action has been approved by the Board. Each action of the Board where supported by the majority is binding on the whole Board. There can be no action by a part of the Board of Trustees which is not supported by the majority of the Board in attendance at a regular or called meeting.
No individual member of the Board shall speak for the Board, in any official capacity, before action is taken by the Board unless specifically authorized to do so by Board policy or by a majority of the Board while in session.
Amendments to Board Policies
Board policies may be adopted, amended, or suspended by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Board of Trustees present and voting at a meeting of the Board provided that a proposed amendment has been submitted in writing to the Board of Trustees prior to being voted upon at a regular meeting.
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