(A) The Mayor, Vice-Mayor or temporary chairperson, as the case may be, may move, second, discuss and vote from the chair, subject only to the limitations of discussion as are by these rules imposed on all members and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Council member by reason of acting as the presiding officer.
(B) (1) Every member desiring to speak shall address the chair, and say, “Mr. or Madame Mayor,” and the member shall not proceed with the member's remarks until named and recognized by the presiding officer. If any member is speaking, or otherwise transgresses the rules of the City Council, the Mayor shall, or any member may, call the person to order, and the member called to order should immediately cease, unless permitted to explain, and the Council, if appealed to, shall decide without discussion.
(2) If the decision be in favor of the member called to order, he or she shall be at liberty to proceed. If against him or her and the case requires, he or she shall be liable to the censure of the Council.
(3) No person shall speak more than twice on the same question unless permitted by the Council.
(4) No member of the Council shall leave his or her seat to speak to any other member of the Council or any other person in the Council Chamber without first obtaining permission of the Mayor.
(5) When the City Council is in session, or when a member is speaking, or the City Clerk, Manager or Attorney is reading any paper to or speaking to the City Council, no member shall, in any way, disturb the proceedings of the City Council. No member of the City Council shall be permitted to talk upon any one given subject longer than five minutes at any given meeting, except when permission be granted for an extension of time by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting of the Council. No members of the Council shall, at any time in addressing any meetings thereof, indulge in any personalities or indecorous language or in any matters or things not pertaining to the subject under discussion.
(6) The right of the floor of the Council shall be accorded only to the members of the Council and to the appointive officers of the city unless otherwise provided for herein.
(C) A Council member moving for the adoption of an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the discussion thereon unless by a majority vote of the members present at the meeting the Council decides to extend discussion for a time certain. In all other cases, the closing of discussion shall be governed by the presiding official unless, by majority vote of the members present at the meeting, the Council decides to extend discussion for a time certain.
(D) A motion to reconsider may be made either immediately during the same session or at a recessed and reconvened session thereof only. The motion shall take precedence over all other motions and it shall be debatable.
(E) (1) Any Council member may request, through the presiding official, the privilege of having an abstract of his or her statement on any subject under consideration by the Council entered in the minutes.
(2) If the Council consents thereto, the statement shall be entered in the minutes.
(F) The City Clerk may be directed by the presiding official to enter in the minutes a synopsis of discussion on any question coming regularly before the Council.
(G) When a question before the Council contains several propositions, any member may call for a division of the question so as to vote on each proposition separately. Unless the request for division is made, after preliminary discussion of an agenda item, the Mayor shall, consistent with these rules, call the matter for determination by the Council. Subsequent to the Mayor calling the matter for determination, the procedure shall be as follows:
(1) Main motion.
(a) Any member of the Council desiring to offer a motion on a particular agenda item shall so indicate by addressing the Chair and saying “Mr. or Madame Mayor” to obtain the Mayor's recognition. Subsequent to the Mayor recognizing the member, the member will thereupon, in clear and concise terms, move to:
1. Continue the matter until a specific date;
2. Table the matter indefinitely;
3. To take a certain course of action;
4. Approve for award a bid pending review of bid by staff, the signing of the contract and furnishing the required bond;
5. Approve reading of an ordinance by title only;
6. Approval of an ordinance and that the reading of the ordinance be waived;
7. Adopt a resolution;
8. Approve or reject the request for; or
9. Approve consent agenda.
(b) These are exemplary only and not intended to list all possible main motions.
(c) Thereafter, members desiring to second the motion shall so indicate by addressing the chair and saying “Mr. or Madam Mayor, I second the motion.” Subsequent to the main motion receiving a second and following any discussion, the Mayor shall call for a vote. In all cases, the member making the motion, the member seconding the motion and the vote of the members thereon shall be entered in the minutes of the Council.
(d) If no member offers a motion on an agenda item, the Mayor shall again call for motions. If no motion is presented after the second calling, the Mayor shall declare the item failed for lack of motion. Similarly, if no one seconds another member's motion, the Mayor shall, after calling twice therefor, declare that the motion failed for lack of a second.
(e) Anytime prior to the Mayor's calling for vote of the Council, a member may move to amend the motion, which shall require a second. An amendment must be germane to the main motion and be accepted by the member making the main motion and the member seconding same, if applicable.
(2) Procedural motions.
(a) In addition to main motions, Council members may offer certain procedural motions which take precedence over the main motion and are not subject to discussion. The procedural motions also require a second from a Council member to proceed with the procedural motions.
(b) A non-exclusive list of exemplary procedural motions are:
1. Amend main motion;
2. Extend limit or close time for discussion;
3. Call for the question;
4. Recess or adjournment;
5. Appeal Mayor's call to order;
6. Division of motion into parts;
7. Table; and
8. Other motions pertaining to the disposition of main motions or dealing with rules of conduct at the meeting.
(H) An item previously decided by the City Council may be placed on the agenda as a new item of business only under the following circumstances:
(1) When the vote by the City Council occurred at least six months before the item again appears on the agenda;
(2) When an item deals with any matters dealing with initiation, prosecution, defense or settlement of litigation brought by or against the city, its employees or agencies; and/or
(3) When a majority of the members of the City Council present at a Council meeting direct the item to be placed on the agenda.
(Prior Code, § 2-611) (Ord. 1632, passed 3-7-00)