General

OWPC meets on the third Wednesday of each month except August at the Orton Waterville Village hall on Glebe Avenue at 7.30 pm.
The chairman is in charge, and the clerk supports OWPC as it discusses business. Council meetings are formal events, not social occasions. They have a clear purpose - to make decisions – and are not just talking shops. Furthermore, they are public events; the press and public have a right to observe how OWPC operates.  Exceptions are when sensitive issues are discussed (such as legal, contractual or personnel matters) and then the council can agree to exclude the press and public for just that item. OWPC usually makes its decisions in council.  All councillors are expected to attend.

Public Participation in OWPC Meetings
Members of the public are encouraged to attend a meeting of OWPC to observe.  Once in session however the public observers have no right to interrupt the meeting in any way.  The chairman, however, has the discretion to temporarily close the meeting while a member of the public is invited to speak.  The meeting must then formally re-commence prior to any further discussion amongst the councillors.  The chairman may choose to exercise this discretion but is not obliged to.

Annual Meetings

Immediately after a general Parish Council election or annually in May is  the ‘Annual Meeting of the OWPC’ at which a chairman and vice chairman for the year is elected and other appointments are made.

The ‘Annual Parish Meeting’ is not a council meeting. It is a meeting of the parish electors at which the chairman of OWPC customarily gives a report on OWPC activities and local issues in the community could be debated  Strictly speaking electors can set the agenda.. The chairman of OWPC calls the Annual Parish Meeting and, if present, will chair it.