The City Council shall meet on the second Tuesday in December following a consolidated municipal election in November, for the purpose of administering the oath of office to newly elected Councilmembers, and shall meet on the second Tuesday in December of each year or as soon thereafter as practicable to choose one of its members as Vice Mayor. The Mayor shall preside at the meetings of the Council. If the Mayor is absent or unable to act, the Vice Mayor shall serve until the Mayor returns or is able to act. If both the Mayor and Vice Mayor are absent or unable to act the Council shall elect a Mayor Pro Tem to serve until the Mayor or Vice Mayor returns or is able to act. The Vice Mayor or, in the absence of the Vice Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, has all the powers and duties of the Mayor. The Vice Mayor or, in the absence of the Vice Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, shall act as the Presiding Officer. In the event that a quorum of the Council is participating in person, the Presiding Officer shall be a member of the Council that is participating in person. The Presiding Officer shall preserve strict order and decorum at all meetings of the Council. The Presiding Officer shall state every question coming before the Council, announce the decision of the Council and decide all questions of order; subject, however, to an appeal to the Council, in which event a majority vote of the Council shall govern and conclusively determine such questions of order.
(Ord. 93-72 § 15, 1972; Ord. 119-74 § 1.2, 1974; Ord. 179-79 § 2, 1979; amended during 1990 republication; Ord. 444-94 § 1, 1994; Ord. 645-05 § 1, 2005; Ord. 663-06 § 1, 2006; Ord. 908-22 § 3, 2022)