The code of conduct of the village of Creve Coeur is predicated on the golden rule which states, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Village meetings and hearings are forums for conducting the people's business in an orderly and dignified way. Therefore there are certain standards of conduct which are required:
(A) Board members and officials must not engage in verbal abuse of fellow board members and officials, staff or members of the public. If any member or official engages in such abuse, the member or official will be ruled out of order by the chair and reprimanded by the board if such commentary continues.
(B) Citizens who are given the privilege of the floor to address the board will not be permitted to verbally abuse board members, officials or village employees. If there is a violation, the chair will interrupt the party, rule the party out of order, and if such commentary continues, the violating party will forfeit the privilege of addressing the village board. Complaints regarding specific village employees can be submitted in writing to the office of the mayor, the village clerk and/or a village board member, and/or other relevant parties.
Under no circumstances will any portion of this code be used to limit strong public debate on vital community issues or stifle the complete consideration of divergent ideas, no matter how unpopular these ideas may be. Rather, the purpose of this code of conduct is to ensure civility in the conduct of the people's business. (Ord. 618, 2-10-2010)