The Council shall provide by resolution for the time and place
of its regular meetings and shall hold at least two such meetings
each month. A regular meeting shall be held on the Monday following
each regular City election.
Special meetings shall be called by the Clerk on written request
of the Mayor or any three members of the Council on at least twenty-four-hours'
written notice to each member of the Council, served personally or
left at his or her usual place of residence, but a special meeting
may be held on shorter notice if all members of the Council are present
or have waived notice thereof in writing.
No business shall be transacted at any special meeting of the
Council unless the same has been stated in the notice of such meeting.
However, other than the enactment of an ordinance, any business which
may lawfully come before a regular meeting may be transacted at a
special meeting if all the members of the Council present consent
thereto and all of the members absent file their written consent.
All regular and special meetings of the Council shall be open
to the public and citizens shall have a reasonable opportunity to
be heard.
A majority of the members of the Council in office shall be
a quorum for the transaction of business at all Council meetings,
but in the absence of a quorum, a lesser number may adjourn any meeting
to a later time or date, and in the absence of all members, the Clerk
may adjourn any meeting for not longer than one week.
A.
Any three or more members of the Council may, by vote, either request
or compel the attendance of its members and other officers of the
City at any meeting. Any member of the Council or other officer who,
when notified of such request for his attendance, fails to attend
such meeting for reason other than confining illness or absence from
Wayne County shall be guilty of misconduct in office, unless excused
by the Council.
B.
The presiding officer shall enforce orderly conduct at meetings,
and any member of the Council or other officer who shall fail to conduct
himself in an orderly manner at any meeting shall be deemed guilty
of misconduct in office.
C.
Any police officer designated by the presiding officer of the meeting
shall serve as the Sergeant at Arms of the Council in the enforcement
of the provisions of this section.
The Council shall determine its own organization, rules and
order of business, subject to the following provisions:
A.
A journal of the procedure of each meeting in the English language
shall be kept by the Clerk and shall be signed by the presiding officer
and Clerk of the meeting.
B.
A vote upon all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken by "Yes"
and "No" votes and entered upon the records, except that where the
vote is unanimous, it shall only be necessary to so state.
C.
No member of the Council shall vote on any question in which he has
a financial/personal interest, other than the common public interest,
or on any question concerning his own conduct, but on all other questions
each member who is present shall vote when his name is called, unless
excused by the unanimous consent of the remaining members present.
Any member refusing to vote, except when not so required by this subsection,
shall be guilty of misconduct in office.
D.
In all roll call votes the names of the members of the Council shall
be called in alphabetical order, and the name to be called first shall
be advanced one position alphabetically in each successive roll call.
E.
Upon recommendation of the Attorney or upon its own initiative, the
Council may retain special legal counsel to handle any matter in which
the City has an interest or to assist in counsel with the City Attorney
therein.
F.
Council members shall notify the Clerk's office prior to their
absence.
A.
The Council, or any person or committee authorized by it for the
purpose, shall have power to inquire into the conduct of any department,
office or officer and to make investigations as to the matters in
which the municipality has an interest. The Council, for the purposes
stated herein, may summon witnesses, administer oaths and compel the
attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers and other
evidence.
B.
Failure on the part of any officer to obey such summons or to produce
books, papers and other evidence as ordered under the provisions of
this section shall constitute misconduct in office. Failure on the
part of any employee or other person to obey such summons or to produce
books, papers or other evidence as ordered under the provisions of
this section shall constitute a violation of this Charter, and such
person, when found guilty of such violation by a competent tribunal,
may be punished by a fine or imprisonment not to exceed the penalties
provided by State statutes, at the discretion of the Court.
C.
It is provided, further, that in case of failure on the part of any
person to obey such summons or to produce such books, papers and other
evidence as so ordered, the Council may invoke the aid of the Circuit
Court of Wayne County in requiring obeyance to such summons or production
of such books, papers and other evidence. The Circuit Court in Wayne
County, in case of contumacy or refusal to obey such summons or to
produce such books, papers and other evidence, may issue an order
requiring such person to obey such summons or to produce such books,
papers and other evidence to also give evidence touching the matter
in question, and any failure to obey such order of the Court may be
punished by such Court as contempt thereof.
The Council shall see that provision is made for the public
peace and health and for the safety of persons and property. The Council
may create, by ordinance, a Board of Health, in which case the Council
shall be empowered to elect to join with the county in the organization
thereof in pursuance of MCLA § 333.2413.
