[R.O. 2005 §2-16; CC 1997 §2-16; Charter §3.13(a); Ord. No. 2172 §1, 4-16-1997; Ord. No. 2207 §1, 10-15-1997; Ord. No. 2939 §1, 4-15-2009]
A. The Council
shall meet regularly at least once each month. The regular meetings
of the Council may be held on the first (1st) and third (3rd) Wednesday
of each calendar month beginning at 7:00 P.M.
B. The place
for holding each meeting of the Council shall be within the discretion
of the Council to select and may be changed from time to time by the
Council, if it so chooses. In no event shall any meeting of the Council
be held outside the City limits.
C. All meetings
of the Council shall be public meetings, at which the Council shall
provide for public comments, unless public access has been restricted
pursuant to law.
D. No action
of the Council shall take effect unless the motion for the action
and the vote by which it is disposed of shall take place by roll call
vote at proceedings open to the public; except, however, those matters
which may now or which may hereafter by law be heard in a closed meeting.
In either case, members of the Council must be present to vote. The
order of the roll call vote shall be the same for all motions made
during a meeting. That order shall include the Mayor, District I Council
members, District II Council members and District III Council members
and shall change for each meeting on a rotating basis with the group/individual
who voted last at the previous meeting voting first (1st) at the meeting.
E. The deadline for submission of items on the Council's tentative meeting agenda is established as 5:00 P.M. on the Thursday prior to regular Council meetings. The City Manager may add items to the agenda after the deadline, provided that the City Clerk timely publishes a revised notice of the agenda in compliance with Section
125.060 hereof. If the City Clerk is unable to timely publish a revised agenda, the agenda can only be revised by formal amendment at the Council's regular meeting.
[R.O. 2005 §2-17; Charter §3.13; Ord. No. 2186 §§1—3, 8-6-1997]
A. A special
meeting shall be called through written request to the City Clerk
or his/her designee by the Mayor or through written request to the
City Clerk or his/her designee by at least one-half (½) of
the Council members for a time not earlier than twenty-four (24) hours
after notice is given to all members of the Council then in the City.
B. A closed
vote may be called by the Mayor or at the request of at least one-half
(½) of the Council members for a time not earlier than twenty-four
(24) hours after notice is given to all members of the Council then
in the City.
C. Emergency
meetings of the Council may also be held at any time by the consent
of two-thirds (2/3) of all the Council members in the City and such
consent may be given either prior to or during the emergency meeting.
[R.O. 2005 §2-18; CC 1997 §2-18; Charter §3.13; Ord. No. 2204 §1, 10-15-1997]
A. Proposed
ordinances shall be introduced by a member or members of the Council
or by the Council as a whole in the form of a written bill. Said bill
shall be sponsored and introduced according to the following procedures:
1. When
a bill is ordered by an individual member of the Council, that member
shall be listed on the heading of the bill as a sponsor and shall
introduce said bill and be denoted as such.
2. When
a bill is ordered by more than one (1) member of the Council, all
sponsors shall be listed on the heading of the bill and, either prior
to or during the agenda session, an individual member shall be designated
to introduce the bill and be denoted as such.
3. When
a bill is ordered by a member of the staff, sponsors for the bill
shall be identified either prior to or during the agenda session and
listed on the heading of the bill and an individual Council member
shall be designated to introduce the bill and be denoted as such.
4. If the
bill involves an issue applicable to a single district, either or
both of the two (2) district members may be allowed to sponsor the
bill and one (1) member shall be designated to introduce the bill
and be denoted as such.
5. If Council
members who have not ordered a bill wish to be listed as co-sponsors,
permission must be granted by the individual ordering the bill.
6. During
an agenda session, if it is determined that a bill lacks a sponsor,
objections shall be deemed raised and the bill shall be removed as
an agenda item. It may be resubmitted at a subsequent meeting in either
the same or amended form and/or a substitute bill can be submitted
by any member of the Council.
7. A bill
may be withdrawn from consideration at any time by the sponsor(s).
B. Each
bill that shall be introduced for passage as an ordinance shall be
read by title or in full two (2) times and each reading shall be at
a separate and distinct regular or special meeting of the Council.
If a bill is read by title only, copies of the bill shall be made
available for public inspection in an area at City Hall accessible
at all hours to the public prior to the time the bill is under consideration
by the Council.
C. However,
a bill introduced for passage as an ordinance may be read more than
one (1) time at a single regular or special meeting of the Council
providing that the unanimous consent of the Council members present
and voting on such proposition to be read more than one (1) time is
obtained.
D. Copies
of each proposed ordinance shall be provided to each Council member
within a reasonable time after its placement on the agenda, but never
less than forty-eight (48) hours before the start of the meeting.
If this provision is violated, the Council member must object prior
to the vote on the basis of this violation and in such event the vote
shall be postponed. No ordinance shall be held invalid because of
this provision, unless a Council member raises an objection before
the vote.
E. Notwithstanding
the foregoing provision, an ordinance deemed necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health or safety may be passed as
an emergency measure on the day of its introduction upon the affirmative
vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the Council. Such emergency
ordinances shall contain a declaration describing in clear and specific
terms the facts and reasons constituting the emergency. All such ordinances
shall be read in their entirety at least once before passage. No ordinance
granting, reviewing or extending a franchise shall be passed as an
emergency ordinance.
F. Every
adopted ordinance subject to referendum shall become effective at
the expiration of thirty (30) days after adoption or at any later
date specified in such ordinance. All other ordinances shall become
effective upon adoption and at any later date specified in the ordinance.
[R.O. 2005 §2-19; Charter §3.13]
If the Council adopts an amendment to a proposed ordinance which
constitutes a change in substance and if a Council member objects
to further consideration of the proposed ordinance for that reason,
the proposed ordinance as amended shall be posted for public inspection
in compliance with Article III, Section 3.13(e) of the Charter for
one (1) week prior to its final passage. If no Council member objects,
the failure to follow this provision shall not invalidate any adopted
ordinance. Further, prior to the passage of any such amended proposed
ordinance, the Council may by an explicit vote waive the one (1) week
posting requirement by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council.
[R.O. 2005 §2-20; CC 1997 §2-19]
The City hereby adopts the Scott, Foresman newly revised "Robert's
Rules of Order" in all particulars excepting where there is a conflict
with the State Statutes or ordinances of the City.
[R.O. 2005 §2-24; Ord. No. 2545 §2, 2-5-2003; Charter §3.4; Ord. No. 2739 §1(2—4), 1-18-2006, passed by a vote on April 4, 2006]
A. Holding Other Office. Except where authorized by law or
pursuant to an agreement between the City and another entity of government,
neither the Mayor nor any Council member shall hold any other City
office or employment during the term for which he/she was elected
and no former Mayor or Council member shall hold any compensated appointive
City office or employment until one (1) year after the end of his/her
service in the position to which he/she was elected or appointed;
and in no event, even if authorized to hold additional City offices,
shall any such Mayor or Council member exercise any voting rights
in such office other than that to which they were elected or appointed
to fill a vacancy in an elected office.
B. Appointments, Hirings And Removals. Neither the Mayor nor
any Council Member shall in any manner dictate, encourage or discourage
the appointment, hiring or removal of any City administrative officers
or employees whom the City Manager or any of his/her subordinates
are empowered to appoint or hire; provided however, the City Manager
shall inform the Council of any person selected by the City Manager
for appointment as Assistant City Manager or as a department head
prior to such appointment. As a collective body the Mayor and Council
Members may express their views and discuss with the City Manager
anything pertaining to the appointment, hiring and removal of such
officers and employees.
C. Interference With Any Department. Except for the purpose
of inquiry, information or investigation as established by Article
III, Section 3.11 of the Charter, the Mayor or Council members shall
deal with City Officers and employees who are subject to the direction
and supervision of the City Manager solely through the City Manager.
Neither the Mayor nor Council members shall give any orders to any
such officer or employee, either publicly or privately.