(a) The
city council shall hold a regular meeting twice a month on the first
and third Mondays of each month at a place to be designated by the
city council. The time of the meeting shall be 6:30 p.m.
(b) Special
meetings of the council may be held at any time upon the call of the
mayor or upon the call of any three (3) councilmembers acting together.
Each councilmember must receive at least two (2) hours' notice of
any special meeting, or any business conducted at such special meeting
shall be without effect. Such notice may be oral or written.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-39; Ordinance
adopted 7/6/04; 1989 Code, sec.
2-66; Ordinance adopting 2016 Code; Ordinance 09202021-b, sec. 2, adopted 9/20/21; Ordinance 10322 adopted 10/3/2022)
All meetings of the city council, regular and special, shall
be open to the public.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-40; 1989 Code,
sec. 2-67)
(a) The
mayor shall act as presiding officer of the meetings of the city council
and, except in elections, may vote only in the event of a tie.
(b) At
the first meeting of the council in June of each year, the council
shall select from among their members one (1) to act as mayor pro
tem. During the absence of the mayor, the mayor pro tem shall preside
in his or her place.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-41; 1989 Code,
sec. 2-68)
A quorum shall exist when a majority of the city council are
present, e.g., when there are no vacancies on the city council, a
quorum shall exist when the mayor and three (3) councilmembers are
present or when any four (4) councilmembers are present.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-42; 1989 Code,
sec. 2-69; Ordinance adopting 2016 Code)
The city secretary shall be present at all meetings of the city
council and shall act as secretary to the council.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-43; 1989 Code,
sec. 2-70)
Rule 1. At the hour of meeting, the mayor,
as president, or in his or her absence the mayor pro tem, shall take
the chair and call the council to order, direct the roll to be called,
and, if a quorum be present, cause the minutes of the last meeting
to be read, corrected and approved.
Rule 2. The president shall preserve
order and decorum, may speak to points of order in preference to other
members and shall decide questions of order subject to an appeal to
the entire body by any member.
Rule 3. If neither the mayor nor mayor
pro tem be present at the hour of meeting, the members present may
call one (1) of their own members to preside, and if no quorum appear
may adjourn to any other time, or may send an officer after the absent
members.
Rule 4. The order of business shall be
as follows:
(1)
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Opening;
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(2)
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Presentations by citizens;
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(3)
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Presentations, proclamations and recognitions;
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(4)
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Consent agenda;
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(5)
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Business agenda;
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(6)
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Reports from officers;
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(7)
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Executive session.
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Special orders shall have precedence at the hour for which they
have been set, over all other business. Each citizen will be allowed
three (3) minutes to speak unless previously approved by the city
council.
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Rule 5. All ordinances and resolutions
of a general character shall be read in council in their entirety,
unless two-thirds of the council shall vote a suspension of this rule,
in which case they shall be read by caption only.
Rule 6. Upon the passage of all ordinances
or resolutions appropriating money, imposing taxes, increasing, lessening
or abolishing licenses, or borrowing money, the ayes and nays shall
be entered upon the minutes.
Rule 7. The ayes and nays may at any
time be demanded by any member, and in all cases of calling the ayes
and nays every member present shall vote unless excused by the council.
Rule 8. Motions and resolutions, not
of a general character, may be disposed of by a majority vote of the
councilmembers present.
Rule 9. While any subject is under consideration,
motions may be received in the following order:
(1)
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To adjourn;
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(2)
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To lay on table;
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(3)
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The previous question;
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(4)
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To postpone to a day certain;
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(5)
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To commit;
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(6)
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To amend;
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(7)
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To postpone indefinitely.
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These several motions shall have precedence in the order named.
A motion to lay on the table is not debatable. The previous question,
when seconded by two (2) members, cuts off all debate and amendments,
and brings the council to a direct vote on the main question.
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Rule 10. No motion shall be entertained
while a member is speaking or the council is voting.
Rule 11. Every resolution must be in
writing and every motion shall be reduced to writing if the president
or any member requires it. If in writing, it shall be read by the
secretary; if not, it shall be distinctly restated by the mayor before
being debated; and when so read or stated shall be considered as in
the possession of the council, but may be withdrawn by leave of the
council, before it has been debated or voted on.
Rule 12. No amendment beyond the second
degree shall be entertained, and no amendment containing matter different
from that under consideration shall be entertained.
Rule 13. A substitute, if adopted, takes
the place of the original, and is subject to amendment in like manner.
Rule 14. Any member shall have the right
to call for a division of any question susceptible of division, which
shall be determined by vote.
Rule 15. No member shall vote on any
question in which he or she is immediately interested.
Rule 16. When any subject has been decided
by the council, any member who voted with the majority may move a
reconsideration thereof at the same or succeeding meetings, and such
motion to reconsider shall have precedence of all other questions
and motions.
Rule 17. Upon motion, seconded by two
(2) members, a call of the council may be ordered, and the secretary
dispatched after the absent members.
Rule 18. When a member speaks he or she
shall confine his or her remarks to the question under discussion,
and shall avoid personalities. When two (2) or more members address
the chair at once, the president shall decide all points of order
subject to appeal to the council.
Rule 19. In all cases where these rules
are silent, the city council may consult Robert’s Rules of Order,
Newly Revised.
Rule 20. Any of these rules may be suspended
for a particular motion or object by a two-thirds vote of a full council,
but any proposition to alter or amend these rules shall lie over for
one (1) month, and be passed only by a three-fourths vote of a full
council.
(1965 Code, sec. 2-44; Ordinance
adopted 7/6/99, sec. 1; 1989 Code,
sec. 2-71; Ordinance 09202021-b,
secs. 3–5, adopted 9/20/21; Ordinance 10322 adopted 10/3/2022)