This ordinance shall be known as the "Rules of Council, 1972,"
and as hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the rules."
The following rules shall govern the Council and its meetings:
A. Rule I. Call to order: President pro tem. The President shall take
the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting and shall immediately
call the Council to order. In the absence of the President, the Clerk
or his designee shall call the Council to order. The clerk shall then
determine whether a quorum is present and, if there is, shall call
for the election of a Temporary President. Upon the arrival of the
President, the Temporary President shall forthwith relinquish the
chair upon the conclusion of the business immediately before the Council.
B. Rule II. Roll call. Before proceeding with the business of the Council,
the Clerk or his designee shall call the roll of the members in alphabetical
order, and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes.
C. Rule III. Quorum.
(1) A majority of the whole number of members of the Council shall constitute
a quorum. No ordinance, resolution or motion shall be adopted by the
Council without the affirmative vote of the majority of all the members
of the Council.
(2) Should no quorum attend within thirty (30) minutes after the hour
appointed for the meeting of the Council, the President, or in his
absence the Clerk or his designee, may thereupon adjourn the meeting
until the next day, unless by unanimous agreement those members present
select another hour or day. The names of the members present, and
their action at such meeting shall be recorded in the minutes by the
Clerk.
D. Rule IV. Order of business. All regular and special meetings of the
Council shall be open to the public. Promptly at the hour set for
each meeting, the members of the Council and the Clerk shall take
their regular stations in the Council Chamber, and the business of
the Council shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in
the following order, which may be changed at the pleasure of the Council:
[Amended 5-15-1990 by Ord. No. 504-90; 5-23-2007 by Ord. No. 1391-2007]
(6) Public comment—The citizens may address the Council on any
matter on the agenda, which does not have its own scheduled public
hearing. (Citizens shall be limited to a maximum of five (5) minutes.)
(7) Agenda.
(c)
Supplemental debt statement.
(d)
Liquor license transfer (Notification).
(e)
Liquor license—Social Affair Permit.
(g)
Ordinances—First reading.
(h)
Ordinances—Public hearing/adoption.
(8) Executive (Closed session).
(9) Hearing of citizens—Citizens shall be limited to a maximum
of ten (10) minutes.
E. Rule V. Reading of minutes. Unless a reading of the minutes of a
Council meeting is requested by a majority of the Council, such minutes
when signed by the President and the Clerk may be approved without
reading, provided that the Clerk, at least two (2) full working days
preceding the meeting, shall deliver a copy thereof to each member
of the Council.
F. Rule VI. Voting and minutes. As provided by the Charter (Section
17-31), the vote upon every motion, resolution or ordinance shall
be taken by roll call in alphabetical order, except that the President
shall be polled last, and the yeas and nays shall be entered on the
minutes. Upon the call of the roll no member shall discuss or explain
his vote; and the silence of any Councilman who is present shall be
recorded as an affirmative vote unless he states directly that he
abstains. The minutes of each meeting shall be signed by the presiding
officer and by the Clerk.
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40:69A-180.
G. Rule VII. Committees. There shall be no standing committees of the
Council, other than the committee of the whole. The rules of the Council
shall govern the meetings of the committee of the whole so far as
applicable. Special committees for legislative purposes may be appointed
by the President pursuant to resolution. No special committee shall
proceed to the consideration of any matter referred to it unless a
majority of the members of the committee shall be present. All committee
meetings shall be held at City Hall. No special committee shall report
on a matter referred to it at the same meeting at which the reference
is made, except by unanimous consent of the members of the committee.
H. Rule VIII. Rules of debate.
(1) Question under consideration. When a question is presented and seconded,
it is under consideration and no motion shall be received thereafter,
except to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone or to amend, until
the question is decided. These motions shall have preference in the
order in which they are mentioned and the first two (2) shall be decided
without debate.
(2) As to the President. The President 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 Councilman by reason of his being the presiding officer.
(3) Getting the floor; improper reference to be avoided. Every member
desiring to speak for any purpose whatsoever shall address the presiding
officer and, upon recognition, shall confine himself to the question
under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous language.
A member may only speak once on the same subject until all other members
have had an opportunity to be heard.
(4) Interruption. A member once recognized shall not be interrupted when
speaking unless it shall be to call him to order or as herein otherwise
provided. If a member while speaking shall be called to order, he
shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined by
the presiding officer, and if in order, he shall be permitted to proceed.
Any member may appeal to the Council from the decision of the Chairman
upon a question of order, when without debate the Chairman shall submit
to the Council the question, "Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?"
and the Council shall decide by a majority vote.
(5) Privilege of closing debate. The Councilman moving the adoption of
an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the
debate.
(6) Robert's Rules of Order. Except as otherwise provided by this
chapter, Robert's Rules of Order (most recent edition) shall
govern the proceedings of Council.
I. Rule IX. Addressing the Council.
(1) Leave.
(a)
Subject to the provisions of Rule XI, any person may apply to
the presiding officer for permission to address the Council, which
permission shall be granted only after a showing to the satisfaction
of the presiding officer that the subject matter of the address is
timely and relevant and is a matter over which the Council has some
responsibility; provided, however, that such application shall be
delivered to the Clerk not later than the close of business on the
Thursday preceding the regular meeting of Council for which the permission
is sought.
(b)
Any person may orally petition the Council at any Council meeting
for leave to address the Council at that meeting, which leave shall
be granted only after a showing to the satisfaction of a majority
of the members of the Council present that the subject matter of the
address is timely and relevant and is a matter over which the Council
has some responsibility.
(2) Manner of addressing Council; time limit. Each person addressing
the Council shall step up to the microphone, shall give his name and
address in an audible tone of voice for the records, and unless further
time is granted by the Council, shall limit his address to five (5)
minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body and
not to any person thereof. No person other than members of the Council
and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter into any
discussion, either directly or through a member of the Council, without
the permission of the presiding officer. No question shall be asked
a Councilman except through the presiding officer.
J. Rule X. Decorum.
(1) By Council members. While the Council is in session, the members
must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither by conversation
or otherwise, except as herein provided, delay or interrupt the proceedings
or the peace of the Council, disturb any member while speaking or
refuse to obey the orders of the Council or its presiding officer.
(2) By persons. Any person making impertinent or slanderous remarks or
who shall become boisterous while addressing the Council shall forthwith
be barred from further audience before the Council at that meeting,
by the presiding officer, unless permission to continue or again address
the Council shall be granted by the majority vote of the Council.
K. Rule XI. Enforcement of decorum. The Chief of Police or such member
or members of the Police Department as he may designate shall be the
Sergeant at Arms of the Council meetings. He or they shall carry out
all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the
purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the Council meetings.
L. Rule XII. Suspension of rules. Any of these rules may be suspended
by unanimous consent as to any specific matter before the Council.