A. Parliamentary Rules: Except as may be inconsistent with the provisions of this section, the parliamentary rules and law for the conducting of regularly scheduled Council meetings shall be guided by "Robert's Rules of Order", current edition. The failure to comply with "Robert's Rules of Order" shall not invalidate any action taken by Council. (Ord. 2176, 3-5-2019)
B. Quorum: A majority of the Council members elected shall constitute a quorum. A less number may adjourn from time to time and compel the attendance of absent members. (2003 Code § 1-07-02)
C. Regular Meetings: The City Council shall hold regular meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, unless that date conflicts with a national holiday, election day, or other event necessitating a meeting be cancelled. Regular meetings will be held at City Hall at the hour of seven o'clock (7:00) P.M. Special meetings on other dates or times may be scheduled as provided herein. The Mayor shall preside at Council meetings. (Ord. 2179, 5-7-2019)
D. Special Meetings: A special meeting of the City Council may be called at any time by the Mayor or a majority of the members of the Council in the manner provided by statute. (2003 Code § 1-07-04)
E. Election Of President Of Council: At the time of taking office, the City Council shall elect one of its members President of the Council, who shall preside at all meetings of the Council and perform all other duties of the Mayor in the absence of the Mayor; and, in the absence of the President of the Council, shall elect one of their members to occupy his place temporarily and who shall be styled Acting President of the Council, and the President and Acting President, when occupying the place of Mayor, shall have the same privileges as other members of the Council and all acts of the President and Acting President, while so acting, shall be binding upon the Council and upon the City as if done by the Mayor. (2003 Code § 1-07-05)
F. Order Of Business: The business of the City Council shall be presented in the order as set forth by the Mayor. (2003 Code § 1-07-06)
G. Presiding Officer: The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum, may speak to points of order in preference to other members, and shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the City Council, on which appeal no member shall speak more than once without leave of the Council. (2003 Code § 1-07-07)
H. Priority Of Business: All questions relating to priority of business shall be decided without debate. (2003 Code § 1-07-08)
I. Recognition By Presiding Officer: When two (2) or more members happen to request recognition at once, the presiding officer shall name who is to speak first. (2003 Code § 1-07-09)
J. Privileges Of Members: No member shall speak more than twice on the same question without leave of the City Council, nor more than once until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken. (2003 Code § 1-07-10)
K. Motions: When a motion is under debate, no motion shall be received except to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone to a day certain, to refer or amend, to postpone indefinitely, which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are stated. (2003 Code § 1-07-11)
L. Adjournment: A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, except when once put and voted down; the same shall not again be in order until some other business shall have been taken up, and shall be always decided without debate. (2003 Code § 1-07-12)
M. Members Addressing Chair: When any member is about to speak in debate or deliver any matter to the City Council, he shall respectfully address the presiding officer, and shall confine himself to the question in debate and avoid personalities. (2003 Code § 1-07-13)
N. Members Must Vote; Exceptions: Every member who shall be present when a question is put shall vote for or against the same, unless the City Council shall excuse him; but no member shall be permitted to vote on a question when the yeas and nays are called for, unless present when his name is called in its regular order. (2003 Code § 1-07-14)
O. Motion Recorded: No motion shall be considered unless the same shall be recorded by the City Clerk. When a motion is recorded, it shall be stated by the presiding officer before debate. The mover may withdraw it at any time before a decision or amendment is made to it. (2003 Code § 1-07-15)
P. Reconsideration: When a question has been once decided, it shall be in order for any member who voted in the affirmative to move for a reconsideration thereof, but no motion for a reconsideration of a vote shall be made after adjournment of the next regularly scheduled meeting following the final reading of any ordinance or resolution to be reconsidered or any vote to be reconsidered. No motion for such reconsideration shall be made more than once. (2003 Code § 1-07-16)
Q. Suspension Of Rules: No rule of order shall be suspended except by an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the members of City Council; provided, however, that no formal motion to suspend a rule of order shall be required if the Council member requesting suspension of the rule of order receives unanimous consent for the suspension of the rule of order. Standing rules (those rules adopted without previous notice and by a majority vote) may be suspended by an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the members of the City Council. (2003 Code § 1-07-17)
R. Questions: All questions shall be put in the order in which they are moved. (2003 Code § 1-07-20)
S. Lay On The Table: The motion "to lay on the table" shall be decided without debate. (2003 Code § 1-07-21)
T. Ordinances And Resolutions:
1. Classifications: All actions of the City Council involving the exercise of the City legislative and police power functions, or actions otherwise required by law to be in ordinance form, shall be designated as ordinances and appear in the form required by law. All other actions of the City Council of a ministerial nature relating to the administrative business of the City and/or requiring written findings or statements, shall be designated as resolutions.
2. Reading Ordinances And Resolutions: Ordinances shall be read on three (3) different days, two (2) readings of which may be by title only and one reading of which shall be in full, unless one-half (1/2) plus one of the members of the full Council shall dispense with the rule. In preparation, passage and publication, ordinances shall contain no subject which shall not be clearly expressed in the title, and no ordinance or section thereof shall be revised or amended unless all ordinances, which are intended to amend existing ordinances, shall have the words which are added to such ordinance underlined; when the amendment is to strike out or repeal any part of an existing ordinance, the letter, figure, word or words stricken or repealed shall be printed with a line through such letter, figure, word or words in the printed bill to indicate the part stricken or repealed; provided, however, that when an ordinance includes or consists of the repeal of an entire section or chapter, or a substantial revision of an entire title, it shall not be necessary to print such repealed section or chapter. (2003 Code § 1-07-18)
3. Passage: The passage of every ordinance and resolution shall be by roll call of the City Council with the yea or nay of each member present being recorded, with the majority vote of the Council members constituting a quorum being required for passage. For purposes of such passage, however, it shall be permissible for any Council member to move for the roll call, recording of votes, and passage of all or any number of ordinances or resolutions appearing on the agenda for final passage. The maker of such a motion must specify by agenda number or classification, which ordinances or resolutions appearing on the agenda are to be included for purposes of the motion. Upon the objection of the Mayor or any Council member, any ordinance or resolution so included may be removed from the motion and considered separately. In the absence of such an objection, all ordinances and resolutions included in the motion shall be subject to consideration for final passage, and upon such consideration, the minutes shall reflect the yea or nay votes of each Council member on each ordinance or resolution so considered. (2003 Code § 1-07-19)
U. Duties Of Council Members Generally: The members of the City Council, the legislative and policy making branch of the government of the City, shall devote so much of their time to the duties of their office as an efficient and faithful discharge thereof may require and act as a liaison between the body of the City Council and the departments to which they are assigned by the Mayor, and give advice to the Mayor and City Council with respect to the operations of such departments. They shall attend all meetings of the City Council unless excused therefrom by the Mayor or by a majority of the remaining members, and perform all duties which by the nature of their office they should reasonably perform, such as the passing of ordinances, resolutions and the investigation and study of work done for the City according to the character of committee upon which they may severally be appointed by the Mayor. (2003 Code § 1-07-23)
V. Examination Of Accounts Of Fiscal Officers: Pursuant to Idaho Code section 50-708, at least once in each quarter of each year, the City Council shall examine the accounts and doings of all officers or other persons having the care, management or disposition of monies, property or business of the City. (2003 Code § 1-07-24)