[8-4-1981; 5-15-2007; 8-16-2011; 2016 Code; 4-6-2016; 9-6-2016]
(A)
Council. The council shall consist of the mayor and nine alderpersons.
(B)
Beginning date of terms. The regular terms of the mayor and alderpersons
shall begin on the third Tuesday of April succeeding their election.
(C)
Mayor. The mayor shall be elected for a two-year term in the annual
spring election of even-numbered years.
(D)
Election of Alderpersons.
(1)
Charter
ordinance. Pursuant to Section 66.0101 of the Wisconsin Statutes,
the city adopts the method of choosing alderpersons as set forth herein
and hereby elects to not be governed by Sections 62.08 and 62.09(1)(a)
of the Wisconsin Statutes with respect to the number and method of
choosing of alderpersons. Existing alderpersons shall hold their respective
offices as of the effective date hereof for the balance of their terms.
(2)
Elected
at large. Alderpersons shall be elected at large for a two-year term
in the annual spring election. Four alderpersons shall be elected
in each of the odd-numbered years and five in each of the even-numbered
years.
(3)
First
year implementation of charter ordinance. For proper implementation
of this charter ordinance, the alderpersons receiving the top four
most at large votes shall have a two-year term with successor elections
held in odd-numbered years. The alderperson finishing with the fifth
most at large votes will have a one-year term with successor elections
being a two-year term and held in even-numbered years.
[1-21-1997; 2016 Code]
The mayor and each alderperson shall receive the following salaries
payable monthly:
[1969 Code; 1977 Code; 2016 Code; 6-5-2018]
(A)
Regular meetings: The council shall meet annually on the third Tuesday
of April to organize and elect a council president. Regular meetings
shall be held on the first and third Monday in each month, except
if the first or third Monday falls on an officially recognized holiday
or a regular or special election day the meeting shall be on first
day following such holiday or election day. The starting time of regular
meetings shall be set by resolution of the council.
(B)
Special meetings. Special meetings may be called by the mayor, or
president of the council when mayor is not available. At such meetings
of the council no business shall be transacted but that for which
the meeting shall have been called, unless by unanimous consent of
the council.
(C)
Meetings public. Meetings shall be open to the public, and the council
may punish by forfeiture, members or other persons for disorderly
behavior.
[1969 Code; 2016 Code]
(A)
The mayor shall be the presiding officer at all regular and special
council meetings, and as such he or she shall take the chair at the
hour appointed for the council to meet, and shall immediately call
the members to order, and may, at the insistence of any two members,
order the attendance of absentees. In the absence of the mayor, the
president of the council shall take his or her place or any member
may call the council to order.
(B)
The presiding officer shall maintain decorum and decide all questions
of order subject to an appeal to the council.
[1969 Code; 2016 Code]
(A)
Two-thirds of all the alderpersons must be present to constitute
a quorum for the transaction of business. The mayor shall not be counted
in computing a quorum, majority or minimum number or proportion of
votes of the council required for passage of a measure and shall not
vote except in case of a tie. No member is to leave the council or
committee of the whole without leave of absence.
(B)
All bylaws and ordinances and all resolutions and orders for the
appropriation or payment of money shall require, for their passage
or adoption, the concurrence of a majority of all the alderpersons.
[4-2-2012; 4-8-2015; 2016 Code]
(B)
Appointment of standing committees. Unless otherwise expressly provided
in this code or by law, standing committees shall be appointed, and
the chairperson thereof designated, by the mayor annually at the time
of the organization of the council, and such appointments and chair
designations shall not require confirmation by the council.
(C)
Reports of standing committees. All standing committees to whom any
matter shall be referred shall report thereon in the manner directed
by the council, or if no manner of reporting is directed, in the manner
determined by the committee.
(D)
Special boards, committees and commissions. Special boards, committees
and commissions of the city shall be as follows:
(1)
Board of review.
(2)
Board of police and fire commissioners.
(3)
City plan commission.
(4)
Zoning board of appeals.
(5)
Board of park and recreation commissioners.
(6)
Senior citizens board.
(7)
Airport board of management.
(8)
Visitors and promotion commission.
(9)
Ethics board.
(10)
Historic preservation commission.
(11)
Housing authority.
(12)
Monroe municipal park fund committee.
(13)
Monroe redevelopment authority.
(14)
Revolving loan fund committee.
(15)
Business improvement district board.
(E)
Appointment of special boards, committees and commissions. Unless
otherwise expressly provided in this code or by law, special committees
shall be appointed, and the chairperson thereof designated, by the
mayor annually at the time of the organization of the council, and
such appointments and chair designations shall require confirmation
by the council.
(F)
Other appointments. Appointments to any committee, board or other
body not enumerated in this code shall be made in the manner required
by law or specified by the body for whom such appointment is made.
If no manner of appointment is required by law or specified by the
body for whom such appointment is made then the appointment shall
be made by the mayor, and such appointment shall require confirmation
by the council.
[1969 Code; 9-7-1993;
2016 Code; 6-5-2018; 1-6-2020]
Except for subsection (H) below, the business scheduled to be
taken up at any meeting shall be determined by the presiding officer.
The presiding officer may schedule any item out of order. At all regular
meetings the following order shall generally be observed for disposing
of business before the council:
(A)
Correction of minutes: The presiding officer shall inquire if any
member of the council wishes to offer a correction to the minutes
of the last meeting. If no member offers a motion to correct the minutes,
or if a motion is made and seconded but not adopted by the council,
the minutes shall be deemed approved as drafted;
(B)
Petitions, memorials, communications: Presentation of petitions,
memorials and communications;
(C)
Accounts and claims: Presentation of accounts and other claims against
the city;
(D)
Business presented by mayor: Business may be presented by the mayor;
(E)
Appearance: Appearance by citizens;
(F)
Reports: Reports of officers and committees and introduction and
consideration of all ordinances, resolutions and motions;
(G)
Other business: Consideration of other business pending before the
council;
(H)
Miscellaneous. Any alderperson may bring up by motion under "Business
Presented by Alderpersons" a request for an item to be placed as an
agenda item on any future Common Council or standing committee agenda.
The requesting alderperson shall describe the issue to be considered
and may orally present a short explanation of his or her reasons on
why the matter should be taken up. The motion must be seconded. Due
to open meetings requirements, there shall be no debate. If such motion
passes, then the item shall be taken up at the next regularly scheduled
meeting unless specified otherwise in the motion.
[1969 Code; 4-18-2006; 2016 Code; 2-7-2017; 5-16-2017]
(A)
Resolutions reduced to writing. All resolutions shall be in writing.
(B)
Petitions referred to committee. Each petition shall be presented
by the presiding officer or the city clerk, who shall briefly state
the substance, and shall then be referred to a committee.
(C)
Questions, when before council. When a question is before the council,
no motion shall be received unless to adjourn, lay on the table the
previous question, to commit, or to amend, which several questions
shall have precedence in the order in which they are inserted.
(D)
Voting procedure.
(1)
Form of questions for voting. Where a roll call vote is taken
the question shall be stated by the presiding officers as follows:
"As many as are in favor answer 'yes', those opposed will answer 'no'
and the clerk will call the roll."; and in doubtful cases, the presiding
officer may direct or any member may call for a division.
(2)
Order of voting for recorded votes. Commencing with the first
meeting of the council after the regular election and qualification
of new members, the city clerk shall determine the order of roll call
voting based on the seniority of unbroken service of the alderpersons.
The alderperson with the longest seniority of unbroken service on
the council as an alderperson shall be the first alderperson called
to cast his or her vote on a question for which a roll call vote has
been called. If two or more alderpersons share the same seniority
of unbroken service, then the alderperson with the total service on
the council shall be deemed to have the higher priority and if there
is still a tie, then it shall be determined alphabetically based on
the alderperson whose last name starts closest to the letter "A."
The alderpersons shall vote in descending order of seniority. Thereafter,
for each subsequent roll call vote, the alderperson who voted second
in the previous roll call vote shall be the first to cast his or her
vote and the alderperson who voted first in the previous roll call
vote shall cast his or her vote last.
(3)
Recording votes. The ayes and nos shall be taken and recorded
upon any question before the council upon the call of any two members.
(4)
Votes. Every person present when a question is put shall vote,
unless the presiding officer shall excuse him or her for good cause.
(5)
Tie votes. The presiding officer shall, in all cases, be entitled
to vote in case of a tie. It shall be in order for any member who
voted in the majority on any question or for any member who voted
in the negative when the council was equally divided, to move a reconsideration
vote on the same or next succeeding regular meeting of the council.
A motion to reconsider, having been put and lost, shall not again
be in order.
(E)
Motions. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be in possession
of the council and shall be stated by the presiding officer, or being
in writing shall be delivered to the clerk to be read previous to
debate. After a motion is stated by the presiding officer, it shall
not be withdrawn except by consent of the council. When a member is
about to speak to a question or make a motion, he or she shall address
the presiding officer, and the presiding officer shall pronounce the
name of the member entitled to the floor, and the member shall confine
himself to the question under consideration. No member shall speak
more than twice on any question nor more than 10 minutes at any one
time without leave of three-fourths of the members present.
A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, unless the council
is engaged in voting, and shall be decided without debate.
(F)
Division of the question. Any member may call for a division of the
question, as such is allowed.
(G)
Rules of order. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
proceedings of the council shall be governed by the latest edition
of Robert's Rules of Order.
(H)
Citizens'
right to address council. Any citizen shall have the right to speak
to the council under the "Appearances by the Public" agenda item provided
such citizen registers with the City Clerk prior to the meeting his
or her name, address and topic to be discussed. Each citizen shall
be limited to five minutes unless the council agrees by two-thirds
vote to extend the time. Any speaker who requires an interpreter because
of a disability or limited English proficiency may speak for 10 minutes.
[1969 Code; 5-21-1991; 4-15-1997; 7-9-1997; 2016 Code]
(A)
Title of proposed ordinances. The style of all ordinances shall be:
"The council of the city of Monroe do ordain as follows." No bylaw
or ordinances shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly
explained in its title.
(B)
Consideration by council. An ordinance may be proposed by an alderperson
at a regular or special meeting of the council by submitting a written
copy thereof to the clerk and to each alderperson present. An ordinance
shall be deemed to be introduced when a public hearing has been scheduled.
After an ordinance has been introduced it shall be considered by the
council as a whole.
(1)
Public hearing. If the proposed ordinance has been recommended
for passage by the judiciary and ordinance review committee, the presiding
officer shall set a date and time for public hearing. If the proposed
ordinance has not been recommended for passage by the judiciary and
ordinance review committee, a public hearing shall be scheduled only
upon passage of a motion suspending the rules and directing the presiding
officer to schedule the proposed ordinance for a public hearing.
(2)
Reading. No reading shall be required when an ordinance is proposed
or introduced.
(3)
Final passage. No ordinance shall be put on for final passage
on the same day on which it was introduced unless by a suspension
of the rules.
(C)
Availability of copies. After introduction, copies of the proposed
ordinance shall be available to the public at the office of the city
clerk. Any person may receive a copy of such proposed ordinance upon
request made to the city clerk.
(D)
Public hearing procedure. At the public hearing, the chairperson
of the judiciary and ordinance review committee, or any other member
of such committee, may read the proposed ordinance, but no reading
shall be required. If the proposed ordinance is not read, the member
of the council who introduced the proposed ordinance shall orally
summarize the content and purpose of the proposed ordinance. The presiding
officer shall open the meeting for a public hearing and recognize
separately those persons wishing to speak in favor of and opposed
to the proposed ordinance. The presiding officer shall have authority
to limit the amount of time allotted to each speaker. Upon closing
the public hearing, the presiding officer shall state the ordinance
is ready for adoption. Thereupon, upon motion made and seconded, the
council shall act upon the ordinance.
(E)
Time of going into effect. Every ordinance which does not expressly
prescribe the time when it shall go into effect shall take effect
and be enforced on the day following its passage and publication.
(F)
Recording ordinances. All ordinances passed by the council shall
be recorded by the city clerk in the book kept for that purpose, and
shall be published in the official newspaper of the city. The clerk
shall procure a copy of such publication, verified by the affidavit
of the printer or publisher, and file the same in his or her office.
[2016 Code]
The appointment of all officers by the council shall be by ballot
and shall be annually made, or more often, if necessary to fill vacancies.
Except as expressly provided in this code, all appointments made by
the mayor shall be subject to the approval of the council.
[7-9-1997; 2016 Code]
[Added 11-18-2019]
When filling any vacancy in the office of the mayor or in the
office of the alderperson, § 17.23 of the Wisconsin Statutes
shall control. The procedure for appointment for any vacancy shall
be as follows:
(A)
The
City Clerk shall post the vacancy and the deadline established by
the Council for any person desiring to be considered for the vacancy
on the City's website, on three public places within the City and
shall publish a Class 2 notice of the vacancy in its official newspaper.
(B)
All
qualified individuals desiring to be considered for the vacancy must
submit a written application to the City Clerk, together with nomination
papers with the same number of signatures of City residents required
to run for such office by ballot by the deadline established by the
Council.
(C)
Appointment
to fill the vacancy shall be by majority vote of the Council from
those eligible individuals that have complied with subsection (B)
herein. If no individual receives a majority vote, then Council may
reopen the vacancy and restart the process stated above.
