Rule 1. Meetings - place: All meetings of the Council shall be held in the Council Chamber in the City Hall, unless otherwise ordered by Council.
Rule 2. Meetings - public: All meetings of Council or committees thereof shall be public. All minutes and records of the Council shall be open to the public at all reasonable times.
Rule 3. Regular meetings: After the Council has been organized regular meetings of the Council shall be held in the Council chamber every second and fourth Monday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by motion, resolution or ordinance. Whenever the regular meetings fall on a legal holiday or a special election day or the day preceding a legal holiday or primary or other election day, the meeting shall be held on a day to be fixed by the Council.
Rule 4. Special meetings: The Mayor or any two members of Council may call special meetings upon at least twelve (12) hours' written notice to each member, served personally or left at his/her usual place of residence. Such notice shall state the subject or subjects to be considered at the meeting and no other subject shall be considered. Council meetings shall be open to the public at all times.
Rule 5. Legislative Procedures: A majority of all the members elected shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a lesser number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance. The affirmative vote of a majority of the members elected to the Council shall be necessary to adopt any ordinance or resolution. The vote upon the passage of each ordinance or resolution shall be taken by "Yeas" and "Nays" and entered individually upon the journal. Three readings of ordinances and resolutions may be suspended by two- thirds (2/3) vote of all members elected to Council.
Rule 6. Order of Business: The business of all regular meetings of Council shall be transacted in the following order, unless Council by a two-thirds (2/3) vote shall suspend the rules and change the order
(a) Invocation/Pledge of Allegiance.
(b) Roll call of members.
(c) Reading and disposal of minutes.
(d) Written communications to Council.
(e) Committee reports. After the presentation of committee reports, a Councilperson may request that certain legislation be removed from old business for consideration preceding the presentation of ordinances and resolutions.
(f) Reports of the Mayor and directors.
(g) Communications from citizens. All citizens wishing to speak shall sign-in prior to the start of the meeting at the designated location in Council chambers. Comments shall be strictly limited to brief statements not to exceed five (5) minutes with comments limited to legislation on the current evening's Council agenda. No citizen shall speak more than once.
(h) Ordinances and Resolutions:
(1) Old business.
(2) Third reading.
(3) Second reading.
(i) Ordinances and resolutions: new legislation.
(j) Comments by citizens.
Comments shall be restricted to any problem a citizen has, which has previously been submitted to his/her Councilperson or to the City Hall department directly involved. If submission of a problem to a City Hall department or a Councilperson is made and there is a lack of service rendered in this regard, the problem may then be presented during comments from citizens at a future meeting. It is the intention of this rule that no request of a first nature is presented on the floor at this time.
In order for Council to fulfill its obligation to complete the planned agenda in an effective and efficient fashion, a maximum 60 minutes of public participation may be permitted at each meeting. Each person addressing Council shall give his/her name and address registering prior to the meeting. If several people wish to speak, each person is allotted five minutes until the total time of 60 minutes is used. During that period, no person may speak twice. The period of public participation may be extended by a vote of the majority of Council, present and voting. Agendas are available to all those who attend council meetings. The section on the agenda for public participation shall be indicated.
(k) Miscellaneous business. This involves the business of Council in the legislative function; any other problems should be directly dealt with by the department involved. This area of the agenda shall be limited to legislative business, ward business, lack of attention to ward problems, etc.
(l) Adjournment.
The Presiding Officer may at any time by a two-thirds (2/3) vote all members elected to Council permit a member to introduce an ordinance or resolution.
(Ord. 21-2022. Passed 2-28-22.)