The following are the standing rules for the Council of Elmwood Place, Ohio.
(A) Rule 1. Regular meetings.
(1) Regular meetings of Council shall be held on the second Tuesday of each calendar month, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
(2) If any regular meeting shall fall on a legal holiday, or if for any other reason the Council desires to change the date for any particular regular meeting, the same may be done by a majority vote of the members of Council present at the meeting at which the issue is decided.
(Am. Ord. 02-05, passed 1-24-2005)
(B) Rule 2. Special meetings.
(1) Special meetings of Council may be called at any time by the Mayor of the village, or in his or her absence from the village or disability, by the President Pro Tem of the Council.
(2) The Mayor, or in his or her absence from the village or disability, the President Pro Tem of the Council, shall call a special meeting of Council at the time when requested by two members of Council, and all members shall be notified in writing of the meeting and the purpose for which it is called.
(C) Rule 3. Quorum. A majority of the members elected to Council shall constitute a quorum; except, however, that should the Mayor be absent, the President Pro Tem plus a majority of members elected to Council shall be needed.
(D) Rule 4. President of Council. The Mayor of the village shall be the President of the Council and shall preside at all regular and special meetings thereof, but shall have no vote except in case of a tie. When the Mayor is absent from the village, or is unable from any cause to perform his or her duties, the President Pro Tem of the Council shall preside.
(E) Rule 5. Call to order. The Mayor, or in his or her absence, the President Pro Tem, shall take the Chair at the hour appointed for the Council to meet, and he or she shall immediately call the members to order. The roll shall then be called and the Clerk shall enter on the minutes the names of the members present.
(F) Rule 6.Call to order in absence of Mayor and President Pro Tem. In case of the absence of the Mayor and the President Pro Tem, the Clerk shall call the Council to order, and if a quorum be found present, Council shall proceed to elect a President Pro Tem for that meeting, or until the appearance of the Mayor or President Pro Tem of Council.
(G) Rule 7. Presiding Officer. The presiding officer shall preserve decorum and shall decide all questions of order.
(H) Rule 8. Violation of Council rules by member. If any member violates any rule of the Council, the presiding officer shall, or any member may, call him or her to order; in which case the member called to order shall take his or her seat, unless permitted to explain.
(I) Rule 9. Order of business for regular meetings.
(1) Roll call — prayer;
(2) Reading and approval of the minutes of the preceding regular meeting and special meeting or meetings since the preceding regular meeting;
(3) Reports of Mayor, Clerk-Treasurer, and other officers;
(4) Reports of standing committees;
(5) Reports of special committees;
(6) Reading of communications and claims;
(7) Consideration and passage of ordinances and resolutions;
(8) Appointment and confirmation of appointments;
(9) Unfinished business;
(10) Miscellaneous business; and
(11) Adjournment.
(J) Rule 10. Order of business for special meetings.
(1) Meeting called to order by the Mayor or President Pro Tem of Council;
(2) Roll call by Clerk;
(3) Hearing and consideration of the matters in order for which the meeting was called; and
(4) Adjournment.
(K) Rule 11. Standing committees. The Mayor shall annually appoint, at the first regular meeting of Council in January, the standing committees provided for in division (O) below, each consisting of three members of Council.
(L) Rule 12. Special and select committees. The Mayor shall appoint all special and select committees provided by Council, unless Council shall otherwise designate committees or direct their selection; such special or select committees are to consist of such number or members of Council as the Council may determine.
(M) Rule 13. Committee chairperson.
(1) The members of all committees shall meet on call of the chairperson of the committee, who shall be the first named member of the committee, or on demand of any two members of the committee.
(2) In the absence of the chairperson of the committee, the person next named as member of the committee shall act as chairperson.
(N) Rule 14. Committee quorum. A majority of each committee shall constitute a quorum to do business.
(O) Rule 15. Powers and duties of standing committees. The following shall be the standing committees of Council, whose duties shall be to consider all matters referred to them as set out respectively below and such other duties as may be assigned to them by direction of the Council at any time:
(1) Finance and House. Matters pertaining to the finances of the village, receipts, disbursements, appropriations, and the like, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of Council, or as become its duty to consider according to law.
(2) Public Health and Safety. Matters pertaining to the Board of Health, other matters concerning the health and sanitation of the village, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of Council.
(3) Public Improvements and Parks. Matters pertaining to village improvements, such as streets, sewers, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of Council.
(4) Police and Prison. Matters pertaining to the policing of the village, the care of prisoners, the place of imprisonment, the duties of the police and deputies, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of the Council.
(5) Fire. Matters pertaining to the Fire Department of the village, the protection of the property of the village and citizens of the village against fire, the care of fire apparatus, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of Council.
(6) Laws and Contracts and Claims. Laws and contracts and claims of every kind against the village that may be presented to Council, and all such other matters as may be referred to it by order of Council. All bills or claims against the village shall be first approved by a majority of the Committee on Claims.
(P) Rule 16. Authority of Council over committees. Such matters shall be considered by any special or select committee as may be referred to it by order of Council.
(Q) Rule 17. Committee reports. When any reference is made to a committee, with instructions to report at a stated time, should that committee not be prepared to report at that time, the matter shall be considered as reported back without further recommendation, unless further time shall be granted by Council.
(R) Rule 18. Privilege of the floor. Unless requested by the Mayor or a duly elected official and not objected to by a majority of the voting body present at a meeting, no person other than a member of Council shall have the privilege of the floor of the Council chamber for the purpose of speaking to or addressing the Council during any session of Council on any subject, or take part in any of the proceedings of any session of Council unless a request in writing has been submitted to the Clerk of Council at least eight hours before the start of the meeting stating the subject to address Council on, and then only with the majority consent of Council.
(S) Rule 19. Communications to be in writing. All complaints and communications shall be presented in writing by the person or persons making the same, and no anonymous communication shall be considered or received.
(T) Rule 20. Addressing Council. Members of Council and other officers shall address the presiding officer and be recognized before speaking upon any matter pending before Council. The member first arising and addressing the presiding officer shall be recognized, except that the maker of a motion or the member offering a resolution or ordinance may be given first recognition. Any member speaking upon any matter shall confine himself or herself to the question under debate or consideration, and shall avoid all personalities.
(U) Rule 21. Dissent. Any member shall have the privilege of dissenting from, or protesting against, any ordinance, resolution, or order of Council, and have the reason or reasons of his or her dissent entered upon the journal. Such dissent must be in writing, couched in respectful language, and shall be presented to the Council not later than the next regular meeting after the meeting at which the ordinance, resolution, or order was passed.
(V) Rule 22. Motions. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the presiding officer before debate. Any motion must be reduced to writing if the presiding officer or any member of Council requests it, and it shall not be withdrawn without the consent of Council.
(W) Rule 23. Questions before Council.
(1) When a question is before the Council, no motion shall be entertained unless it be:
(a) First: To adjourn.
(b) Second: To lay on the table.
(c) Third: For the previous question.
(d) Fourth: To postpone, either indefinitely or to a specified time.
(e) Fifth: To refer.
(f) Sixth: To amend.
(2) These motions shall have precedence in the order above mentioned.
(X) Rule 24. Motion for reconsideration. A motion for reconsideration must be made by a member voting with the prevailing side of any question, but may be seconded by any member; but a motion to reconsider having been once made and lost shall not be renewed. A motion to reconsider is a privileged motion, and may precede all other questions, and can be considered at any time after the pending business is disposed of. A majority of those present may reconsider any vote.
(Y) Rule 25. First read. Upon the first reading of an ordinance or of any resolution requiring more than one reading, the presiding officer, at the conclusion of the reading, shall announce to the Council as follows: “First reading of the ordinance or resolution, as the case may be.”
(Z) Rule 26. Second read. Amendments to an ordinance or resolution shall be made before the second reading. After second reading no amendment shall be in order except upon a suspension of the rules and the reconsideration of the second reading.
(AA) Rule 27. Third read. Upon the third reading of an ordinance or resolution the question shall be on the final passage, which must be determined by a “yea” or “nay” vote upon the call of the roll.
(BB) Rule 28. Suspension of reading requirements. No ordinance, resolution, or bylaw requiring more than one reading shall be passed through its several readings except upon a separate suspension of the rules upon each reading, as required by law, and only one ordinance, resolution, or bylaw shall be read under any such motion to suspend the rules. It shall require an affirmative vote of a majority of Council to suspend any rule. The Clerk shall record in the minutes the names of the members voting and how they voted.
(CC) Rule 29. Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules of Order or any other authentic manual shall be received as authority in all cases not provided for in this chapter.
(DD) Rule 30. Copies of Council Rules. These rules shall be printed and a copy furnished each member of Council and each officer of the village, and at least one copy kept in the Council chamber during every session of Council, by the Clerk, for the use of the Mayor, members of Council and other officers.
(EE) Rule 31. Amendments. Any resolution seeking to amend or enlarge these rules shall be presented at a regular meeting and lie upon the table until the next regular meeting when it shall be acted upon.
(FF) Rule 32. Suspension. For a suspension of any rule or rules other than that pertaining to a suspension of the rule pertaining to the passage of an ordinance or resolution, a majority of the members shall be necessary.
(GG) Rule 33. Conflicting regulations. Any rule or regulation heretofore in effect inconsistent herewith is hereby repealed.
(Ord. passed 3-2-1976; Am. Ord. 11-98, passed 10-6-1998)