Rule 1. Regular Meetings.
(a) At 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday in January following a regular Municipal election, Council shall meet in the Council Chamber, at which time the newly elected members of Council shall assume the duties of their office, and Council shall elect one of its members President, who shall preside at meetings of Council and perform such duties as presiding officer as may be imposed upon him by Council. In the absence of the President at any meeting, Council shall elect a President Pro tempore. Thereafter, Council shall meet at least twice each month at the Council Chamber, or such other location as determined and published prior to the meeting, as established by a yearly meeting calendar adopted by Council, and at such other times as may be ordered by Council, except that Council may designate one month in the summer season for vacation.
(b) All meetings of Council shall be held in the Council Chamber, unless a majority of all the members elected determine that a meeting should be held elsewhere.
(Ord. 30-12. Passed 6-19-12.)
Rule 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called as provided in Section 21 of the City Charter.
Rule 3. Opening Proceedings. The President of Council shall take the Chair at the hour provided for the convening of Council. He shall immediately call the members to order and direct the Clerk to call the roll. He shall then cause the journal of the preceding session to be read and disposed of unless otherwise ordered by Council. In the absence of the President, the Clerk shall call Council to order and call the roll. If a quorum is present Council shall appoint one of its members President Protempore for that meeting, or until the appearance of the President. If a quorum is not present, the members may by a majority of those present take a recess for a period not exceeding one hour, or may adjourn to a future date.
Rule 5. Leaving Chamber. No member shall leave the Council Chamber while Council is in session without permission being granted by the Presiding Officer.
Rule 6. Privilege of Floor. No person except members of Council and City officials shall be permitted to speak or to take part in the proceedings of Council unless special permission therefor is granted by Council.
Rule 7. Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer of Council shall preserve order and decorum. He may, in common with any member, call any member to order who violates any of these Rules, and he shall decide all questions of order subject to an appeal to Council by a member, on which appeal there shall be no debate, except that the member making such appeal may briefly state his reasons for the same. All questions are to be stated and put by the Presiding Officer, who shall declare all votes. (Ord. 5-34. Passed 2-13-34.)
Rule 8. Standing Committees. Standing committees shall be appointed by the President at the first regular meeting in January in each year, and the first named member of any committee shall be the Chairperson. Membership of standing committees shall be "committee of the whole", unless the majority of Council agrees to change the size of a committee. Committee members shall serve for the period of at least one (1) year or until their successors are appointed. Standing committees shall be as follows:
1. Strategic Committee. The role of the Strategic Committee shall include, but not be limited to: planning Council retreats and strategy sessions; coordinating and curating the strategic vision of City Council; formally incorporating updates to the codified ordinances; reviewing and approving the Mayor's Strategic Plan upon submittal to Council and any subsequent amendments thereof (ref. Charter, Section 3); confirming the appointment of members of the Records Commission; Civil Service Commission; confirming the appointment of the City Attorney; confirming members of boards and commissions not otherwise covered by other committees.
2. Zoning and Development Committee. The role of the Zoning and Development Committee shall include, but not be limited to: overseeing quasi-judicial functions such as zoning appeal hearings, Councilmanic variance hearings, and the like; overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to changes to the zoning code and the building and housing code; and overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to development incentives and programs; confirming the appointment of members of the Board of Zoning and Planning, the Architectural Review Board, the Bexley Community Improvement Corporation, the Tax Incentive Review Council, and the Community Reinvestment Area Council; confirming the appointment of the Building and Zoning Director.
3. Finance Committee. The role of the Finance Committee shall include, but not be limited to: overseeing the annual budget and payroll ordinance review and approval process; overseeing ordinances pertaining to mid-year appropriations not otherwise specifically covered by other committees; overseeing ordinances involving bond financing; confirming appointments to the Board of Tax Review; confirming the appointment of the Finance Director.
4. Recreation and Parks Committee. The role of the Recreation and Parks Committee shall include, but not be limited to: overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to recreation and parks programming and mid-year appropriations; confirming appointments to the Recreation and Parks Board; confirming the appointment of the Recreation and Parks Director.
5. Safety Committee. The role of the Safety Committee shall include, but not be limited to: overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to Police, Fire, and Public Health Services, and related mid-year appropriations; overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to Mayor’s Court; confirming the appointment of the Chief of Police.
6. Service and Environment Committee. The role of the Service and Environment Committee shall include, but not be limited to: overseeing ordinances and resolutions pertaining to Service Department functions and related mid-year appropriations; overseeing ordinances and resolutions related to OPWC grant funding and related infrastructure funding; and authorizing rates for water, sewer, and refuse services; confirming appointments to the Tree and Public Gardens Commission; confirming the appointment of the Service Director.
The Chairperson of each standing committee, in consultation with the President of Council, shall have the right to create subcommittees and/or specific areas of responsibility for the committee members relating to the nature and purpose of the committee.
(Ord. 01-16. Passed 2-9-16; Ord. 01-20. Passed 2-11-20; Ord. 01-22. Passed 2-8-22; Ord. 01- 24. Passed 2-13-24.)
Rule 9. Order of Business, Regular Meetings. The business at all regular meetings of Council shall include at least the following, as applicable:
1. Roll call;
2. Reading and disposition of the journal/minutes;
3. Petitions, presentations and communications;
4. Reading of pending ordinances and resolutions;
5. Introduction of ordinances and resolutions;
6. Reports of standing committees;
7. Reports of special committees;
8. Reports of City officials; and
9. Miscellaneous business.
(Ord. 30-12. Passed 6-19-12.)
Rule 10. Special Meetings; Order of Business. The business of all special meetings of Council shall be transacted in the following order:
1. Roll call;
2. The business for which such special meeting is called.
Rule 11. Suspension of Rule 9. After reading and disposing of the journal it shall be the duty of the Presiding Officer to proceed with the order of business, but they may at any time permit a member to introduce an ordinance, motion or resolution out of the regular order, provided there is no objection on the part of any member.
Rule 12. Voting. In case any member present declines to vote on any question pending, upon which a yea and nay vote is being taken, they shall, upon demand of any member, be obliged to record their vote unless excused by a two-thirds vote of Council.
Rule 13. Speaking. In all cases the member who first rises and addresses the Chair shall speak first, but when two or more members rise and address the Chair at the same time, the Presiding Officer shall name the member who is to speak first. No member shall speak longer than five minutes upon any subject without leave, and no member shall speak more than once on the same subject until every member desiring to speak on that subject has had an opportunity to do so. No member shall be allowed to speak except upon a motion, resolution, ordinance, report of a committee or other subject brought to the attention of Council in regular order.
Rule 14. Motions; When Debatable; Withdrawal. When a motion is made and seconded it shall be stated by the Presiding Officer before any debate is in order. Every such motion and all amendments thereto may be withdrawn by the mover at any time before decision, with the consent of the second, if a majority of the members present agree thereto.
Rule 15. Reduced to Writing. When required by any member, every motion or proposition except privileged questions shall be reduced to writing before action is taken thereon.
Rule 16. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, unless Council is engaged in voting, but such motion being decided in the negative shall not be again entertained until some motion, call or order takes place.
Rule 17. Order of Precedence. When a question or proposition is before Council, or under debate, no motion shall be received except the following:
1. To adjourn;
2. Order of the day;
3. To lay on the table;
4. For the previous question;
5. To postpone to a day certain;
6. To commit;
7. To amend;
8. To postpone indefinitely.
The several motions aforesaid shall have precedence in the order in which they are above numbered.
Rule 18. To Take From the Table. A motion to take from the table shall be in order when that order of business is being transacted in which the matter to be taken up was laid upon the table, and such motion shall be decided without debate, except that the mover may be permitted to briefly state their reasons for the motion.
Rule 19. Reconsideration. Any member who voted with the prevailing side may move for a reconsideration of any action of Council, provided that such motion is made not later than the next regular meeting after such action was taken. A motion to reconsider shall not be made when a motion on some other subject is pending. When a motion to reconsider has been laid on the table, it shall not be subject to the provisions of Rule 17, but may be taken up and acted upon at any time. No motion to reconsider shall be made more than once on any matter or subject, and the same number of votes shall be required to reconsider any action of Council as is required to pass or adopt the same.
Rule 20. Yeas and Nays; Demand For. Upon the demand of any member the yeas and nays shall be taken on the adoption of any resolution or any question or proposition submitted to Council, and in taking the yeas and nays the Clerk shall call the names of the members in random order and before announcing the result by the Presiding Officer the Clerk shall read the vote so taken upon the demand of any member. (Ord. 10-19. Passed 4-9-19.)
Rule 21. Ordinances and Resolutions. Ordinances and resolutions may be offered by any member with their name endorsed thereon, and they shall be numbered consecutively during each year with the last two numerals in such year following such respective numbers, with a dash intervening.
The action of Council shall be by ordinance or resolution, but this shall not apply to the ordering of an election, or direction by Council to any board or officer to furnish Council with information as to the affairs of any department or office.
1. Each ordinance and resolution shall be read by title only, provided Council may require any reading to be in full by a majority vote of its members.
2. Each ordinance or resolution shall be read on three different days, provided Council may dispense with this rule by a vote of at least three- fourths of its members.
3. The vote on the passage of each ordinance or resolution shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered upon the journal.
4. Each ordinance or resolution shall be passed, except as otherwise provided by law, by a vote of at least a majority of all members of Council.
5. Action by Council not required by law to be by ordinance or resolution, may be taken by motion approved by at least a majority vote of the members present at the meeting when the action is taken.
(Ord. 5-34. Passed 2-13-34.)
6. An ordinance or resolution which is offered by a member under this Rule and then tabled without further action shall be deemed automatically withdrawn one year following its introduction; provided that the foregoing provision shall not apply to any matter which is tabled for removal and consideration by Council on a date specified in the motion to which lays such matter on the table.
7. Tabled ordinances or resolutions may be withdrawn from consideration at any time by a vote of at least three-fourths of the members of Council.
(Ord. 75-04. Passed 11-9-04; Ord. 33-20. Passed 9-22-20.)
Rule 22. Nondebatable Motions. The following motions are not debatable:
1. To adjourn;
2. To lay on the table;
3. To take from the table;
4. For the previous question.
Rule 23. Motion for the Previous Question. When the previous question is moved and seconded, it shall be put in these words: “Shall the main question now be put?” and, until decided, shall preclude all further debate and all amendments or motions, except one motion to adjourn and one motion to lay on the table, but no call shall be in order after the previous question has been sustained and before the main question has been put.
Rule 24. Violation of Rules. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, violates any of these Rules of Council, the Presiding Officer shall call them to order. If such member is called to order while speaking, they shall immediately take their seat unless permitted to explain. The question of order shall be decided without debate, and if the decision is in favor of the member called to order while speaking, they shall be at liberty to proceed with their speech without leave of Council.
Rule 25. Appeal. An appeal to Council from the decision of the Chair may be taken by any member if duly seconded, and the question shall be: “Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?”
Rule 26. To Amend. Any proposed amendment or addition to these Rules of Council shall first be referred to the Judiciary Committee, which shall report thereon at the next regular meeting of Council.
Rule 27. Suspension of Rules. These Rules, or any of them, may be temporarily suspended at any meeting of Council by a concurrent vote of three-fourths of all the members elected, and the vote on such suspension, in such cases, shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered on the journal.
Rule 28. Robert's Rules. Questions of parliamentary procedure not covered by these Rules shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.
(Ord. 5-34. Passed 2-13-34.)
Rule 29. Council Liaisons. Council Liaisons to City of Bexley Commissions, Boards, Committees, Task Forces, and other pertinent Bexley-based organizations may be appointed by the President at the first regular meeting in January in each year, or at any other time throughout the year. The President may appoint Council Liaisons to organizations which, at their sole discretion, The President feels would benefit from a formalized Council Liaison appointment.
Council Liaisons shall be responsible for conducting regular communication with the chairperson and/or leadership of the organizations to which they are appointed liaison, and in doing so shall report back to Council and the Mayor regarding any items of interest to Bexley City government. The appointment of a Council Liaison does not imply that the Council Liaison shall be the exclusive point of contact to the respective organization, nor that other Council members are unable to be active in any Commission, Board, Committee, or other organization to which they have not been appointed Liaison.
(Ord. 2-12. Passed 2-14-12.)
Rule 30. Council Conduct. All members are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards as provided by Ohio Ethics Law and the City of Bexley Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials, in serving the City of Bexley with an emphasis on candor, truthfulness and transparency.
In dealing with each other and members of the public, members should not make belligerant, impertinent, slanderous, libelous, threatening, abusive, knowingly false, or disparaging comments. No shouting or physical actions that could be construed as threatening will be tolerated. Under no circumstances shall a member bully, coerce, manipulate, or intimidate another member or a member of the public.
In hearing the public during meetings, every effort should be made to be fair and impartial in listening to testimony and comment while treating the speaker with civility and respect. (Ord. 46-18. Passed 1-22-19.)