(a) The Council shall meet regularly at least once in every month as prescribed in its rules. Special meetings may be held on the call of the Mayor or of a majority of members. Whenever practicable, every member shall be given at least twelve (12) hours notice of each special meeting. All meetings shall be public. Council may recess to a closed session for the purpose of discussing any matter which would tend to defame or prejudice the reputation of any person, provided that the general subject matter for consideration is expressed in the motion calling for such session, and that final action thereon shall not be taken by the Council until the matter is placed on the agenda.
(b) A majority of the members of Council shall constitute a quorum.
(c) The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business and shall provide for keeping a journal of its proceedings. The journal shall be a public record.
(d) Action of Council shall be by ordinance, resolution, or motion. Every action of a general and permanent nature, or granting a franchise, or levying a tax, or appropriating money, or contracting a debt, or for the purchase, lease or transfer of public property, or establishing an offense and fixing a penalty therefor shall be taken by ordinance. All other action may be by motion. Any member of Council may, at a regular or special meeting, introduce any ordinance, resolution or motion.
(e) Except on procedural motions, voting shall be by roll call and the yeas and nays shall be recorded in the journal. The affirmative votes of at least a majority of the membership shall be required for every action.
(f) Every ordinance shall be fully and distinctly read on three different days, unless each member has previously been furnished a copy thereof, in which case it can be read by title only. By a vote of two-thirds of the membership, the Council can suspend the rule requiring the reading of an ordinance on three different days.
(g) Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, each ordinance approved by the Council will be effective at the end of thirty days following passage, or such longer period as is determined by the Council. If the Council determines that an ordinance should be passed on an emergency basis, the reasons for declaring such ordinance to be an emergency measure shall be set forth in one section of the ordinance, which section shall be passed only upon a yea and nay vote upon a separate roll call with at least two-thirds of the membership voting affirmatively. No ordinance prescribing rates and charges by a public utility, or granting a franchise, or levying a tax, shall be passed as an emergency measure. An emergency ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage, or at such later time as it may specify.
(h) Council shall not have the authority to delegate its legislative powers.
(Amended 11-4-80.)