[Amended 4-7-2020 by Ord. No. 236]
(a) 
The Mayor and Council members shall have regular sessions on the first Tuesday of each and every month at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned sessions at any other time they may deem proper. In case the first Tuesday of each month falls on a holiday, the regular session shall be held on the next day thereafter which is not a holiday. Special sessions shall be called by the Mayor upon the written request of not less than three members of the Council, specifying the object and purpose of such meeting, which request shall be read at the meeting and entered at length on the journal. All sessions shall be held at the Westwood City Hall, 4700 Rainbow, Westwood, Kansas, unless circumstances make that place impracticable for a particular session, in which case they may be held at any convenient place within the City. In all cases, it shall require a majority of the Council members-elect to constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day. In the event of an emergency which jeopardizes the safety of meeting participants or the general public, and/or ability to conduct the meetings as previously set forth, alternative arrangements may be made. To do so, the Mayor and Council President must both agree as to a date, time and procedure to conduct the meeting.
(b) 
Remote participation.
(1) 
In the event that emergency circumstances create impossibility for the members of the governing body to physically attend, the body as a whole may meet, and if necessary vote, by video or telephonic conference. Examples of such emergency circumstances include but are not limited to war, riot, terrorism, a pandemic, widespread fire or natural disaster such as an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood or blizzard. To the extent possible in such circumstances, the governing body shall use reasonable efforts to cause a virtual or physical location to be provided for public attendance and participation.
(2) 
Remote participation is intended for use in case of emergencies explained in Subsection (b)(1) and when individual members of the governing body are ill, injured, suffering from disability, performing military service, undergoing personal emergencies, or are unable to attend due to geographic (outside Kansas City metro area) distance.
(3) 
To be eligible for remote participation when no emergency exists, a member of the governing body shall notify the Mayor or the Mayor's designee no later than 12:00 noon Central Standard Time the day the meeting is to be held when meetings are held in City Hall.
(4) 
It is incumbent upon the member utilizing remote participation that he or she can participate fully and does not unduly burden the physically present members of the governing body due to technological issues or telecommunication problems.
(5) 
The Mayor, City Clerk or other members of the governing body shall make reasonable efforts to provide any remote participating member of the governing body with any documents that are needed for full participation in the meeting.
In order to secure a quorum in the absence of any other reasonable means, the minority of councilmen may compel the attendance of absentees by attachment issued in the name of the City and directed to the City Marshal-Chief of Police, commanding him to bring any such absentees forthwith before the Council.
At the hours appointed for the meeting, the members shall be called to order by the presiding officer, and the order of business proceed as specified by the presiding officer; except that by majority vote of the governing body, such order may be changed.
On the first Tuesday of May of each year, the governing body, as constituted before the election on the first Tuesday in April shall meet and proceed to any unfinished business, and thereafter seat the new governing body and the new governing body shall proceed to the order of business as hereinabove prescribed.
Robert's Rules of Order, Revised shall be and the same are hereby adopted for the conduct of the meetings of the governing body.
The following shall be the standing committees whose membership shall be designated by the Mayor, by and with the consent of the Council, at the organizational meeting held on the first Tuesday in May:
(a) 
Committees composed from the membership as designated to serve on an annual basis: Administrative: Membership to consist of the City Treasurer, the chairman of budget and finance committee and the president of the Council; chaired by the Mayor.
(b) 
Committees whose membership is established by statute and ordinance: Board of Zoning Appeals City Planning Commission.
(c) 
Such other committees and commissions as shall be deemed necessary shall be established by the Mayor by and with the consent of the Council and the membership shall be established by resolution of the Council.