HomeMy WebLinkAbout1959-0288 - Ordinance - 11/23/1959ORDINANCE NO. 288
6N ORDINANCE CREATING A BOARD OF LITERARY REVIEW TO BE KNOWN AS THE BOARD OF RE-
VIEW FOR READERS: PROVIDING THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS, THEIR ELIGIBILITY AND METHOD
OF APPOINTMENT: PROVIDING THE DUTIES AND AREAS IN WHICH THF BOARD SHALL NOT DUE:
PROVIDING A SAVING CLAUSE: PROVIDING AN EMERGENCY CLAUSE AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
EE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION:
SECTION 1. There is hereby created a Board of Literary Review for the City of
College Station which shall be known and designated officially as the "Board of
Review for Readers".
SECTION 2. The board of review shall consist of seven (7) members; one to be ap-
pointed at large by the mayor; one a member of the Parents -Teachers Association;
one a member of the A. & M. Consolidated Independent School District, either the
superintendent or a person appointed by the superintendent; one a representative
of student publications; one a member of the A. & M. College Counceling service
to be appointed by the President of A. & M. College; and one shall be a member of
the Brazos County: Youth Counseling Service; and the seventh member shall be the
City Attorney of the City of College Station. Each member shall be a citizen of
the City of College Station. The members shall be appointed by the Mayor with the
approval of the city council. One of these members shall be designated as Chair-
man and one as Secretary, both appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the
city council. The members shall serve a period of two years. All vacancies shall
be filled by the Mayor with the approval of the city council as hereinbefore pro-
vided.
SECTION 3. Promptly after the passage of this ordinance and the appointment of
the board of review, designation of the chairman and secretary, the chairman shall
call a meeting of the board. Rules and regulations shall be formulated for the
orderly conduct of the affairs of the board consistent with the provisions of this
ordinance.
SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of the board of review to keep informed of the con-
tents of literary and pictorial publications found in the City of the nature des-
cribed in Ordinance No. 287 and to call to the attention of the proper legal pro-
secuting authorities any literary or pictorial publication which the board believes
should be investigated by the prosecutor to determine whether or not it tends to
the corruption of the morals of minors and/or individuals or to incite anyone to
disregard the law of the land. The board shall have the right to express its
views as to the propriety or legality of any publication read by minors and/or
individuals, but the board shall not have the right to enforce its views by any
direct or indirect threats to prosecute persons who disagree with the board, whether
such threats are made openly or covertly to the publishing, distributing or re-
tailing trade. The board otherwise may take whatever measure it deems advisable to
suppress any literature which it believes detrimental to minors and/or citizens.
SECTION 5. If any section, subsection or any part of this ordinance shall be
held to be unconstitutional or inoperative, such invalidity shall not affect any
of the remaining portions thereof, it being the express intention of the city
council to enact constitutional and operative provisions and they would not have
included any unconstitutional or inoperative provisions if they had known of
such invalidity at the time the ordinance was adopted.
SECTION 6. The fact that the City of College Station does not presently have
an ordinance providing for the creation of a board of review for readers, together
with the fact that much obscene, immoral and indecent literature is being dis-
tributed to both minors and adults creates an emergency and an imperative public
necessity that this ordinance shall take effect and be in force at and from the
time of its passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED THIS THE 23rd day of November, 1959.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Secretary