All differences of opinion in regard to points of order or modes of procedure of the City Council not otherwise provided for shall be governed by parliamentary practices as set forth in Cushing's Law and Practice of Legislative Assemblies.
All rules and orders of business of the City Council shall be observed in all cases, unless suspended for a specific purpose by a vote of 2/3 of the members present.
No rule or order of the City Council shall be repealed or amended, and no additional rule shall be adopted, except by a majority vote of the entire City Council.
[Amended 10-25-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-22]
Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month at 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise ordered. Every adjourned sitting of the City Council, not an adjourned special meeting, shall constitute a regular meeting, and the order of business thereat shall be the same as in the case of a regular meeting.
The Mayor, and in like manner the President of the City Council, may at any time call a special meeting of the City Council by causing a written notice of such meeting, specifying the subject which he desires to have considered, to be left at the usual place of residence of each Councilor, or given to him in hand, at least 24 hours before the time appointed for the meeting, and no other business shall be transacted at such special meeting. On petition of any five members of the City Council, the President shall call a special meeting of the City Council to act upon any matters set forth in the petition. Notice of any such special meeting shall be given as provided in this section.
A. 
As provided in Section 2-6 of the Charter, a majority of the City Council shall constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the City Council shall be necessary to adopt any motion, resolution or ordinance.
[Amended 6-20-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-21]
B. 
A quorum, whether the vote be "yea" or "nay" or otherwise, shall be a present quorum and not a voting quorum.
A. 
At every meeting of the City Council, unless otherwise determined by a majority of the members present, the order of business shall be as prepared by the City Clerk in the agenda unless otherwise directed by the President of the City Council.
B. 
The order of business shall be suspended by the Chair for consideration of any communication from the Mayor.
A. 
The President of the City Council shall take the chair at the hour of meeting, and call the members to order. If a quorum is present, business shall proceed.
B. 
The President may express his opinion on any subject under debate, but in such cases he shall leave the chair and appoint some other member to take it. The President may state facts and give his opinion upon questions of order without leaving his place.
The Vice President who is elected annually by the City Council shall preside in the absence of the President.
If both the President and the Vice President are absent, the City Clerk shall call the City Council to order and preside for the selection of a President Pro Tempore.
The President of the City Council shall preserve decorum and order and speak to points of order in preference to other members. He shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the City Council, duly seconded, and no other business shall be in order until the question on the appeal has been decided.
The President of the City Council shall declare all votes, but if any member doubts a vote, the chair shall, without permitting any debate, require the members voting in the affirmative and negative, respectively, to rise and stand until counted, and he shall declare the result.
The City Clerk shall attend all meetings of the City Council, and keep the records thereof. The City Clerk shall record the names of members present and absent, and shall have the care and custody of all records, documents, maps, plans and papers of the City Council, respecting the care and custody of which no other provision is made. When the "yeas" and "nays" are taken, the Clerk shall call the names of all the members in alphabetical order, excepting that of the President, which shall be called last.
On all questions and motions before the City Council, the chair shall take the sense of the City Council by "yeas" and "nays," if any two Council members present shall require it.
A. 
The President of the City Council shall propound all questions in the order in which they are moved, unless the subsequent motion shall be in its nature a preferred motion, except that in naming sums and fixing times the largest sum and the longest time shall be put first. When a motion is made to refer any subject and different committees are proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order:
(1) 
To a standing committee.
(2) 
To a select committee.
B. 
When a question is under debate he shall receive no motion but: 1) to adjourn; 2) to lay on the table; 3) for the previous question; 4) to postpone to a day certain; 5) to commit; 6) to amend; or 7) to postpone indefinitely; which several motions shall have precedence in the order stated in this subsection, and the first three and last shall be decided without debate.
Every motion before the City Council shall be reduced to writing if the President shall direct or if any member of the City Council requests it.
The President of the City Council shall put the previous question in the following form: "Shall the main question be now put?" All debate upon the main question shall be suspended until the previous question shall be decided.
After the adoption of the previous question, the sense of the City Council shall forthwith be taken, first, upon amendments reported by a committee, then upon all pending amendments, and finally upon the main question.
All incidental questions of order before the City Council arising after a motion has been made for the previous question shall be decided without debate, except an appeal; and on such appeal no member shall be allowed to speak more than once without leave of the City Council.
After a motion is stated or read by the President of the City Council, it shall be deemed to be in possession of the City Council, and shall be disposed of by vote; but the mover may withdraw it, by unanimous consent, at any time before a decision or amendment.
A question having been taken, it shall be in order for any member of the City Council voting with the majority to move a reconsideration at the same meeting, or at the next meeting, provided the subject of the vote has not passed out of the custody of the City Council. No more than one motion to reconsider shall be entertained.
Every member of the City Council shall take notice of the day and hour at which the City Council may be in session and shall give his punctual attendance accordingly.
Every member of the City Council, when about to speak, shall address the chair (as "Mr. President"), and confine himself to the question under debate, avoiding personalities. No member in debate shall mention another member by name, but may describe him by some designation as may be intelligible and respectful. No member shall speak or vote out of his place without leave of the President.
No member of the City Council, while speaking, shall be interrupted by another, except by a call to order or for explanation.
No member of the City Council shall speak of the same question more than once, until all members choosing to speak shall have spoken.
Any member of the City Council may call for a division of a question when the question will admit it, and the President shall decide this question without appeal.
When the reading of a paper is called for, and the reading is objected to by any member of the City Council, the reading thereof shall be determined by a vote of the City Council.
The seats of the City Council shall be numbered, and they shall be occupied in alphabetical order beginning with the seat at the furthest left of the President, and no member shall thereafter change his seat without permission of the chair.
When two or more members of the City Council rise at the same time, the President shall name the member who is first to speak.
Every member of the City Council, except as provided in § 2-100, who shall be in the City Council chambers when a question is put shall vote, unless the City Council, for special reasons, excuses him. Application to be excused on any question must be made before the City Council is divided, or before the calling of the "yeas" and "nays," and such application shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons, and shall be decided without debate.
No member shall be permitted to vote on any question where his private interest is immediately concerned, distinct from that of the public.