The compensation of each Councilperson shall be established
by the Salary Ordinance annually, payable in equal semimonthly installments, except
that the President of the Council shall receive an additional amount
as established by the Salary Ordinance annually.
Standing and special committees of the Council and the Chairpeople
thereof (if the committee shall consist of more than one Councilperson)
may be appointed by the presiding officer at any meeting of the Council.
A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members thereof, but a
committee may consist of only one member. Meetings of committees shall
be held at such times as do not conflict with any meeting of the Council.
Each committee shall make its report in writing and file the same
with the City Clerk and, when directed to do so by said presiding
officer, shall also file with the City Clerk all papers of whatever
nature submitted to the committee for consideration.
Except as may be otherwise provided in the Charter or by ordinance,
all questions of order, methods of organization and the conduct of
business of the Council shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order
Revised, with particular reference to the following rules:
A. Rule 1. The President of the Council, or such other member of the
Council as may be presiding, may move, second and debate from the
chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as are by these
rules imposed upon all members and shall not be deprived of any of
the rights and privileges of a Councilperson by reason of his or her
being the presiding Chairperson.
B. Rule 2. The vote upon every motion, resolution or ordinance shall
be taken by roll call in alphabetical order, except that the President
shall be called last, and the vote of each member shall be entered
upon the minutes. Upon any roll call, there shall be no discussion
or explanation given by any member voting, and the vote shall be taken
as "aye" or "nay." A member of the Council may abstain from voting
on any matter. Except as otherwise required by the Charter or by other
provisions of this Code or other ordinances, the determination of
any question shall be by vote of a majority of those voting on the
question.
C. Rule 3. In proper order of business, any person, other than a Councilperson,
desiring to address the Council shall first secure the permission
of the presiding officer at the meeting, but preference shall be given
to those persons who shall have notified the City Clerk of their desire
to speak in advance of the meeting in time for their names to be included
on the calendar of the Council. No such person shall be permitted
under any circumstances to address the Council while a motion is pending
nor to direct any remarks to an individual member of the Council nor
to enter into any discussions with any Councilperson during any meeting
unless permission to do so is given by the presiding officer. Each
person addressing the Council shall first give his or her name and
address to the Clerk and shall speak from such location in the Council
chamber as shall be designated by the presiding officer. All remarks
shall be addressed to the Council as a body and not to any member
thereof and shall not exceed five minutes in duration.
D. Rule 4. Any person who shall persist in addressing the Council in
violation of these rules after having been called to order or who
shall engage in impertinent or slanderous remarks or boisterous conduct
while attending a Council meeting shall be forthwith barred from the
Council chamber by the presiding officer.
E. Rule 5. The Chief of Police, or such member or members of the Police
Department as he or she may designate, shall be the Sergeant at Arms
of the Council at its meetings. The Sergeant at Arms shall carry out
all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the
purpose of maintaining order and decorum at Council meetings.
Ordinances other than bond ordinances shall require at least
five affirmative votes for adoption. Bond ordinances shall require
at least six affirmative votes for adoption. Unless otherwise required
by the City Charter or by this article, adoption of resolutions shall
require the affirmative vote of a majority of those voting thereon,
provided that resolutions creating emergency appropriations and budgetary
transfers and resolutions declaring an emergency to allow an ordinance
to take effect within a shorter time than 20 days after passage shall
require at least six affirmative votes for adoption. All ordinances,
except budget ordinances, shall take effect 20 days after final passage
and approval by the Mayor, unless the Council shall, by duly adopted
resolution of emergency, provide for an effective date within a lesser
period of time.
Whenever an ordinance has been duly vetoed by the Mayor and
returned to the Council in accordance with the City Charter, the Council
shall, at its next regular meeting occurring not less than the third
day following the return of the ordinance by the Mayor, take up for
reconsideration the ordinance or any item or part thereof from which
the Mayor has withheld his or her approval. If, upon such reconsideration,
the Council, by the affirmative vote of at least six members, shall
vote to override the Mayor's veto, the ordinance, or any item or part
thereof on which the Council has so voted, shall take effect notwithstanding
the objections of the Mayor thereto.
Whenever an ordinance has been vetoed by the Mayor and is passed
by the Council over such veto in the manner provided by law, the City
Clerk shall append to such ordinance a certification in substantially
the following form:
"I hereby certify that the above ordinance adopted by the Council
of the City of Rahway on the __________ day of __________ was vetoed
by the Mayor of the City and was passed over said veto on the __________
day of __________.
Dated __________ City Clerk"
[Added 3-14-2022 by Ord. No. O-12-22]
A. The Council will confer at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday before each regular meeting, or at such other time or times as may be set forth in the annual meeting schedule adopted in accordance with §
5-51, to agree upon the agenda for such regular meeting and prepare to take up the matters thereon.
B. The Council may, by resolution adopted in accordance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq.) and §
5-75 of the Code of the City of Rahway, reschedule the date and/or time of any premeeting conference.
C. Attendance; procedures.
(1) At such premeeting conference, the persons attending shall be the
members of the Council, the Clerk of the Council, the Business Administrator,
the Director of Law and such other officers, employees and persons
as the presiding officer or the Mayor shall request to attend.
(2) All such premeeting conferences shall be open to the public; however,
members of the public shall not be heard while the Council is discussing
any business, except by unanimous consent of the members of the Council
present.
(3) At the conclusion of the business discussion, time shall be set aside
for members of the public to make comments regarding governmental
issues pertinent to the City of Rahway; however, each speaker shall
be limited to three minutes.
(4) The presiding officer may exclude from any such meeting any member
or members of the public for failure to observe the rules of procedure,
order and decorum prevailing at such meeting as prescribed by law.
D. Any matter which has not been discussed or presented for consideration
at such premeeting conference shall not be acted upon at any regular
meeting except upon unanimous consent of the members present.