Note: For charter provisions as to council generally, see Charter, Art. IV, § 1. As to compensation of council members, see Charter, Art. IV, § 3. As to election of members of council, see Charter, Art. V, §§ 1 to 5. As to term of office, see Charter, Art. V, § 6. See in particular, Charter, Art. VI, §§ 1 to 19 for full treatment of charter provisions as to council. As to meetings, quorum, etc., see Charter, Art. VI, § 2 et seq. For duty of city manager to attend meetings of council, see Charter, Art. IX, § 1, subsection 4. For duty of city manager to advise council as to needs of city, see Charter, Art. IX, § 1, subsection 7. For duty of city manager as to plans, etc., for work ordered by council, see Charter, Art. IX, § 1, subsection 9. As to interest of council members in city contract, etc., see Charter, Art. XXIII, § 8. As to vesting of city's powers in council, see Charter, Art. XXIII, § 26.
The council shall meet on Tuesday of each and every week, provided, that should any such Tuesday fall upon a legal holiday, the council shall meet at the same hour as set forth in this section upon the next day thereafter, which is not a legal holiday. All of such meetings shall be regular meetings for all purposes. The time when such regular meetings shall take place shall be as follows:
Closed sessions as authorized by law—three p.m.;
Regular business agenda—six p.m.;
For the purpose of this section, "regular business agenda" means all items, except closed sessions, as set forth under Section 2.04.080, Order of business.
(Prior code § 2-3; Ord. 5087 § 1, 1995)
[1]
For charter provisions requiring regular weekly meetings, see Charter, Art. VI, § 2. As to special meetings, see Charter, Art. VI § 2.
A. 
Pursuant to Article VI, Section 5(4) of the Charter, the council shall annually select one of its members to be the mayor, in accordance with the procedures set forth herein. The date and times for appointment shall be during the first regular meeting of the council after the first Monday in April of each year. The mayor shall serve as presiding officer and perform the other duties of mayor at the pleasure of the council.
B. 
The council shall select and appoint a mayor to serve for the upcoming year in the following order of precedence:
1. 
The councilmember with the longest, continuous uninterrupted service on the council since last serving as mayor, and who is not serving as the mayor at the time of mayoral selection, shall be selected as mayor.
2. 
In the event of a tie between councilmembers with the longest continuous service since last serving as mayor as set forth in subsection (B)(1), the councilmember who received the most votes in the councilmembers' most recent election shall be selected mayor. In the event the tie is between councilmembers who were elected during different elections, then the councilmember with the highest percentage of votes received in each councilmembers' most recent elections to the city council shall be selected mayor. Notwithstanding the election votes tiebreakers set forth in this subsection (B)(2), if either tiebreaker would result in a councilmember who has previously served as mayor since being elected to the council being appointed over a councilmember of equal continuous uninterrupted service who has never served as mayor since being elected to the council, then the councilmember who has not previously served as mayor shall be appointed mayor.
3. 
In the event that the procedure set forth in subsections (B)(1) and (2) do not control the selection of mayor, the council shall select the mayor by majority vote.
C. 
A councilmember whose council term will expire in the same year that the mayor's term would also expire if said councilmember was selected mayor shall not be selected to serve as mayor. A councilmember whose council term will expire within 180 days after the date of the selection of the mayor shall not be selected mayor.
D. 
A councilmember who has served as a mayor shall not be appointed mayor for the immediately subsequent term, unless all other councilmembers decline to serve.
E. 
If a councilmember is in line to be selected mayor in accordance with the procedures of this section but is unable or unwilling to serve as mayor at the time of selection, then the council shall select the next councilmember in line and the councilmember who is unwilling or unable to be the mayor shall be placed next in line for mayoral appointment under the procedure in subsection (B)(2).
F. 
If a councilmember who is serving as mayor vacates or is removed from the mayoral position or from his or her council position, the council may fill the vacancy of mayor by selecting and appointing any councilmember to fill said unexpired term. The councilmember selected pursuant to this subsection shall not be prejudiced or prevented from serving a scheduled term pursuant to the provisions of this section.
G. 
A councilmember appointed to the council to fill a vacancy in accordance with Article VI, Section 13 of the Charter shall not serve as mayor during such appointed term unless there is no available alternative. Under circumstances with no available alternatives, the appointed councilmember(s) having served the longest in such temporary capacity shall serve as mayor in accordance with the provisions set forth in this chapter.
H. 
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, in the event the council determines in its discretion that it is in the best interest of the city not to appoint the councilmember next in line to serve as mayor in accordance with the procedure of this section, including, but not limited to, because of reason of mental or physical incapacity significantly limiting the ability to perform mayoral duties or a criminal conviction, then the council may appoint the next qualified councilmember pursuant to subsection (B)(2) to serve as mayor.
Note: The meeting times for the selection of mayor in an election year were amended in the 2005 Charter election, Chapter V, § 6.
(Prior code § 2-3.1; Ord. 5162 § 1, 1997; Ord. 5963 § 2, 2021)
Except as otherwise provided in the charter (see Charter, Art. VI, § 2), all meetings of the council shall be held in the City Hall. The council, by resolution, shall designate the building to be known as the City Hall.
(Prior code § 2-4)
All meetings of the council shall be open to the public except those meetings or portions thereof which may be closed pursuant to state law.
(Prior code § 2-5)
[1]
For charter provisions requiring meetings to be open to public, see Charter, Art. VI, § 2.
Prior to each council meeting every city official with the exception of elected officials, board, commission or other municipal body having any reports, communications or other matters for submission to the council shall notify and submit same to the city manager and city attorney for approval and submission to council in advance of the meeting. Thereupon, all matters approved for submission to council shall be forwarded to the city clerk who shall prepare a list of such matters according to the order of business specified by this chapter and furnish a type-written copy of such list to each member of the council.
(Prior code § 2-6)
Promptly at the time fixed for the holding of regular meetings, the members of the council, city clerk, city manager and city attorney shall take their regular stations in the council chamber.
(Prior code § 2-7; Ord. 5087 § 2, 1995)
Members of the council in actual attendance will be recorded present regardless of their answer or failure to answer the roll call.
(Prior code § 2-8)
A. 
Business shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in the following order: Order of business:
1. 
Closed session—1:00 p.m.;
2. 
Regular business agenda—6:00 p.m.:
a. 
Flag salute,
b. 
Invocation,
c. 
Report of the city clerk regarding the posting of the agenda;
3. 
Presentations and appointments;
4. 
Consent items;
5. 
City council/staff comments;
6. 
Community event announcements (three minutes);
7. 
Adoption of ordinances;
8. 
Action items;
9. 
Hearings;
10. 
Reports—for information;
11. 
Written communications;
12. 
Discussion of councilmember future agenda requests;
13. 
Oral communications (five minutes);
14. 
New business;
15. 
Adjournment.
B. 
The foregoing order of business may be altered in any instance at the discretion of the mayor.
(Prior code § 2-9; Ord. 5050 §§ 1, 2, 1994; Ord. 5087 §§ 3, 4, 1995; Ord. 5155 § 1, 1997; Ord. 5185 § 1, 1997; Ord. 5260 § 1, 2000; Ord. 5398 § 1, 2004; Ord. 5830 § 1, 2014; Ord. 6006 § 1, 2023)
A. 
Under the order of business heading "written communications," all persons interested, or their authorized representatives, may address the council in regard to any written protest, petition or communication which has been placed on the agenda by the city clerk and is then being considered by the council.
B. 
Under the order of business heading "oral communications," any person may address the council on any matter concerning the city's business or on any matter over which the city has control; provided, however, that each person addressing council is limited to five minutes. Any matter brought to the attention of the council under the heading oral communications may be referred to the appropriate department through the city manager for appropriate action or investigation and report to the council.
C. 
The five-minute limitation provided by this section may be waived in any particular instance at the discretion of the mayor.
(Prior code § 2-10)
Ordinances may be introduced by reading the title only. Except in urgency cases, copies of all ordinances and resolutions shall be sent in advance of their introduction to each member of the council and to the city manager. When submitted for final passage, ordinances shall be read in full only if requested by a majority vote of the council.
(Prior code § 2-11)
The chief of police shall be ex officio sergeant-at-arms of the council. Any person in the audience who uses profane language at a council meeting, or language tending to bring the council or any of its members into contempt, or any person who persistently delays or interrupts the proceedings of the council, or refuses to keep quiet or sit down when ordered to do so by the presiding officer, may, upon order of the presiding officer, be ejected from the council chamber and kept out for the remainder of the meeting. The chief of police, or any police officer of the city present in the council chamber, shall carry out all orders given by the presiding officer with respect to such persons or for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum in the council chamber.
(Prior code § 2-13)
As soon as possible after each council meeting, the city clerk shall send copies of the minutes of such meeting to each member of the council at his or her residence or such other place as the council member may designate. Thereafter, the reading of such minutes at any following meeting may be dispensed with and they may be approved without any further proceeding. Their approval shall be authenticated by the signature of the presiding officer, attested by the city clerk.
(Prior code § 2-14)
In all matters and things not otherwise provided for in this chapter, the proceedings of the council shall be governed under Robert's Rules of Order, revised copy, 1952 Edition.
(Prior code § 2-15)
No action of the council shall be considered complete or final until the end of the meeting at which such action is taken, except that when a vote on a special assessment proceeding is required to be taken at a public hearing, such a vote is final and may not be reconsidered at any time unless authorized by the special assessment act being used.
(Prior code § 2-17)
A. 
When a vote on a matter which effects the appointment, dismissal or confirmation of any officer, or authorizes the execution of contracts, or the appropriation or payment of money, or the passage of any ordinance, the city clerk shall call the roll, and each member of the council who is present including the mayor, shall be recorded as voting "aye" or "yes" unless when his or her name is called, such member answers "no" or declares that he or she abstains from voting.
In all other matters when a vote is called for, the matter may proceed by unanimous consent or voice vote, as determined appropriate by the mayor, unless a roll call vote is requested by any member of the council.
B. 
Except in the case where there exists a financial conflict of interest under the Political Reform Act, an abstention shall be treated as a neutral or "non-vote" and the abstaining member shall be counted in determining whether a quorum of the council is present.
(Prior code § 2-18; Ord. 5188 § 1, 1998; Ord. 5553 § 1, 2007)