111.23 ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS, MOTIONS AND CONTRACTS.

   (a)   Preparation of Ordinances and Resolutions. All ordinances and resolutions shall be prepared by the Director of Law. No ordinance or resolution shall be prepared for presentation to Council unless ordered by a majority vote of Council at a regular meeting or a meeting of the Committee of the Whole, by a majority of members at a committee meeting, or requested in writing by the Mayor, or prepared by the Director of Law on his or her own initiative. At the time that Council orders the preparation of legislation by the Director of Law, Council shall designate the sponsorship of the legislation which shall be included in the legislation as prepared, unless such is to be sponsored by the Mayor and Council as a whole. All legislation requests for the next regular Council meeting shall be presented to the Law Director by noon on the Wednesday prior to the regular Tuesday meeting, unless a later time is approved by the Mayor and the Law Director or by the President of Council and the Law Director.

   (b)   Prior Approval. All ordinances, resolutions and contract documents shall, before presentation to Council, have been approved as to form and legality by the Director of Law or his or her authorized representative and shall have been examined and approved for administration purposes by the Mayor or his or her authorized representative and shall have been reported upon by the Legislative Committee, provided the matter has been referred to them.

   (c)   Introduction and Passage of Ordinances and Resolutions.  

      (1)   Ordinances and resolutions prepared pursuant to subsection (a) above shall be submitted to the Clerk of Council and placed under Item 4 of the Agenda for the next regular Council meeting and shall stand for action by Council. The Mayor or Director of Law may also present ordinances and resolutions to Council under Item 4 of the Agenda. The Mayor or any member of Council may request that his or her name be removed from sponsorship of any ordinance or resolution.

      (2)   All ordinances, except emergency legislation, shall have two separate readings on two separate days, but this rule may be dispensed with upon the affirmative vote of at least five members of Council. Each ordinance and resolution shall be read by title only, provided the legislative authority may require any reading to be in full by a majority vote of its members. Any measure failing enactment as an emergency measure shall go into effect as regular legislation.

      (3)   No other ordinance or resolution requiring more than one reading shall be put on its final passage on the same day on which it was introduced, except emergency legislation.

      (4)   When the committee to which an ordinance has been referred shall report upon such ordinance to Council, the ordinance shall stand for final action in accordance with the report of the committee, notwithstanding that such committee reports are amended or substituted ordinances, provided that the amendment or substitution is germane to the ordinance originally referred to such committee. Any ordinance or resolution may be amended prior to passage by a majority vote of those Council members who are present at a regular or special Council meeting or Committee of the Whole meeting. Such an amended ordinance or resolution shall include “As Amended” after its number.

      (5)   No ordinance shall relate to more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title, and no ordinance or section thereof shall be amended or repealed unless the new ordinance contains the title of the ordinance or section amended or repealed. When practicable, ordinances shall be introduced as amendments to existing ordinances or sections thereof.

      (6)   An ordinance, after reference to a committee and the report thereon is received, may be re-referred to a committee at any time previous to its final passage.
(Ord. 2004-050. Passed 4-20-04.)