Every proposed ordinance shall receive three separate readings by the Town Council previous to passage, when three such separate readings are required by state law. The proposed ordinance may be read less than three times when three separate readings are not required by state law.
(A) First reading. The first reading of a proposed ordinance shall be for information, but may be read by title only, and such title shall clearly set forth the nature of the contents, and the proposed ordinance shall be immediately referred to the proper committee, or may be taken up by the entire Council.
(B) Second reading. Every proposed ordinance shall be read through by sections at its second reading, and at such reading it shall be in order to commit, to amend, to lay upon the table, to postpone, or to pass to its third reading by a majority vote of all members-elect. Any proposed ordinance failing to receive a majority vote of all the members-elect at its second reading shall be considered lost. A proposed ordinance may be stricken from the files by a vote of three-fifths of all the members elect before or after it has passed its second reading.
(C) Third reading. On the third reading of any proposed ordinance, no amendment shall be in order, except by a vote of three-fifths of the members-elect of the Town Council, and in no case shall the reading of any such proposed ordinance by sections be dispensed with on third reading. At any time before the final passage, a proposed ordinance may be re-committed. Failing to receive a majority of the votes of all members present on the third reading, an ordinance is lost and shall be stricken from the files.
(D) Alternative to reading through by sections. The requirement of reading an ordinance through by sections on the second and third reading may be complied with by providing each of the Council members with a complete copy of the text of the ordinance and making sufficient additional complete copies available at the meeting so that members of the public who wish to read it may do so.
(1996 Code, § 4.03) (Ord. 502, passed 8-12-1996; Ord. 98-13, passed 11-9-1998)