(a) Addressing the Assembly. At the discretion of the Chair, the following may apply:
(1) The “chair” is properly addressed as Mr. President or Mr. Chairman.
(2) Customs of formality are followed by the presiding officer. Members of the assembly are addressed as Mr. or Madam Mayor, Law Director, Finance Director, etc. All present in attendance shall be addressed as Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss.
(3) No member of Council or member of the assembly may speak, unless they are first recognized by the chair.
(4) Council members shall notify the Council President of any tardiness in his/her attendance at a Council meeting, and Committee Members shall notify the Committee Chair of any tardiness in his/her attendance at a Committee meeting.
(5) Council rules apply to the Council, as well as all other speakers addressing the Council. Violators of these rules will be warned one time by the Chair, that “these are the rules by which we function”. Said violators will be requested to comply. No second warning will be made, only the request to surrender the floor (the privilege of speaking) at this time. Failure to comply during the rest of the meeting may lead to expulsion from the room, when determined appropriate by a majority of Council.
(6) Cell phones and all electronic devices shall be set to vibrate.
(b) Discussion.
(1) When a question is pending, a member of the assembly can condemn the nature or likely consequences of the proposed matter in strong terms, but must avoid personalities and under no circumstances attack the motives of another member.
A. Inflammatory statements such as “It’s a lie”, “He’s a liar”, “It’s a fraud” will not be tolerated.
B. Profane language is always prohibited.
(2) “Point of Order” may be called for by any Council member, if the Chair has neglected a rule, or neglected to enforce a rule of the meeting. The Council member does not need to first be recognized in this instance.
(3) “Personal privilege” may be requested by a Council member to speak on a particular matter of personal interest. The Council member must explain the nature of the request. The Personal Privilege must be approved by a majority of Council, and will be governed by the same rules as other non- member speakers. Personal Privilege shall not be used for political purposes.
(c) Recognition of the Public. A portion of the agenda of regular Council meetings and Commitee meetings (as approved by the Committee Chairman) shall be set aside for the purpose of receiving input and information, objections, comments and questions from the public at large. That portion shall not exceed one-half hour in duration and shall allow three minutes speaking time per each participant. It shall not be utilized for the public debate of any issue or question. Each speaker shall be recognized in order from the register provided. All statements presented shall be made a matter of record and all questions raised shall be referred to the appropriate authority for response. Should an immediate verbal response not be possible, a written response shall be prepared as soon as possible by the appropriate authority through the office of the Clerk of Council.
The President of Council shall preside and shall rule on all matters and all questions pertaining to this rule. (Ord. 2007-067. Passed 6-12-07.)