[Amended 2-12-2021 by Res. No. 535; 10-18-2021 by Res. No. 545]
All legislative powers of the City shall be vested in a Council
consisting of five Councilmembers. Each Councilmember shall be elected
as hereinafter provided and prior to April of 2022 shall hold office
for a term of three years and for a term of four years when elected
in April of 2022 or thereafter, or until the succeeding Councilmember
takes office. The newly elected Councilmember shall take office on
the first Tuesday in April following the council district election.
[Amended 1-20-1986 by Res. No. 153; 12-15-1986 by Res. No. 159; 8-7-1989 by Res. No. 185-A; 5-15-2000 by Res. No. 324; 6-16-2003 by Res. No. C-03-01]
Council members shall be at least twenty-one years of age, shall
have resided in the City and the legislative district which they seek
to represent for at least one year immediately preceding their election,
shall be registered voters of the City, and must reside in the legislative
district which they represent. If a council member ceases to reside
within the corporate limits, he or she must resign from office. If,
however, a council member ceases to reside in the legislative district
which he or she represents, and takes up residence in another district
within the corporate limits, he or she must immediately resign unless
there is less than twelve months remaining in the council member's
term, in which case the council member will be allowed to complete
the term of office.
[Amended 10-18-2021 by Res. No. 545]
Each Councilmember shall receive an annual salary which shall
be equal for all Councilmembers and shall be as specified from time
to time by an ordinance passed by the Council in the regular course
of its business. The ordinance making any change in the salary paid
the several Councilmembers, either by way of increase or decrease,
shall be finally ordained prior to, the next municipal election for
Councilmembers and shall only become effective for each Councilmember
at the beginning of the succeeding term of office.
[Amended 9-8-1987 by Res.
No. 168]
The Council shall meet at a convenient time and date during
the first week following an election for the purpose of organization,
after which the Council shall meet regularly at such times as may
be prescribed by its rules, but not less frequently than once each
month. Special meetings shall be called by the City Manager upon the
request of the Mayor or a majority of the members of the Council.
All meetings of the Council herein provided for shall be open to the
public, except for special closed sessions as authorized by State
Sunshine laws, and the rules of the Council shall provide that the
residents of the City shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard
at any meeting in regard to any municipal question.
The Council shall be the judge of the election and qualification
of its members.
[Amended 12-20-1982 by Res. No. 132]
The Mayor shall serve as President of the Council. The Mayor
may take part in all discussions, but shall have no vote. The Council
shall elect a Vice-President and Second Vice-President of the Council
from among its members who shall act as President of the Council in
the absence of the President and/or Vice-President of the Council
as the case may be. In the absence of the Mayor and Vice-Presidents,
the remaining Council members may designate one of its members to
act as Temporary President of the Council until the return of the
Mayor or Vice-Presidents.
A majority of the members of the Council shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business, but no ordinance shall be
approved nor any action taken without the favorable votes of a majority
of the whole number of members elected to the Council.
The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business.
It shall keep a journal of its proceedings and enter therein the yeas
and nays upon final action on any question, resolution, or ordinance,
or at any other time if required by any one member. The journal shall
be open to the public inspection.
Vacancies in the Council shall be filled as provided in Section
C-40 of this Charter.
[Amended 10-14-1968 by Res. No. 18; 10-18-2021 by Res. No. 545]
No ordinance or resolution shall be passed at the meeting at
which it is introduced. At any regular or special meeting of the Council
held not less than six, nor more than sixty days, after the meeting
at which an ordinance or resolution was introduced, it shall be passed,
or passed as amended, or rejected, or its consideration deferred to
some specified future date. In cases of emergency the above requirement
may be suspended by the affirmative votes of four members of the Council.
Every ordinance or resolution, unless it be passed as an emergency
ordinance or resolution shall unless otherwise provided in the ordinance
or resolution, become effective upon approval by the Mayor or passage
by the Council over the Mayor's veto. A fair summary of each ordinance
shall be published at least once in a newspaper or newspapers having
general circulation in the municipality within thirty (30) days of
its effective date. An emergency ordinance or resolution shall become
effective on the date specified in the ordinance or resolution, but
no ordinance or resolution shall become effective until approved by
the Mayor or passed over the Mayor's veto by the Council.
[Amended 10-18-2021 by Res. No. 545]
All ordinances and resolutions passed by the Council shall be
promptly delivered by the City Manager to the Mayor for approval or
disapproval. If the Mayor approves any ordinance or resolution, it
shall be signed. If the Mayor disapproves any ordinance or resolution,
it shall not be signed thereby constituting a veto. The Mayor shall
return all ordinances and resolutions to the City Manager within six
days after delivery (including the days of delivery and return and
excluding Sunday) noting approval or disapproval. Any ordinance approved
by the Mayor shall be law. Any ordinance or resolution disapproved
by the Mayor shall be returned with a message stating the reasons
for disapproval. Any disapproved ordinance or resolution shall not
become effective unless subsequently passed by a favorable vote of
four-fifths of the whole Council within thirty-five calendar days
from the time of the return of the ordinance or resolution. If the
Mayor fails to return any ordinance or resolution within six days
of the delivery as aforesaid, it shall be deemed to be approved by
the Mayor and shall become effective in the same manner as a signed
ordinance or resolution.
Ordinances and resolutions shall be permanently filed by the
City Manager and shall be kept available for public inspection.
