(a) Standing Committees Established. The following Standing Committees of Council are hereby established:
(1) Finance. Reviews, investigates and recommends Council action in all fiscal matters before Council, including budgets, appropriations, taxes, assessments, employee wages and relations, expenditures, general monetary policy, Moral Claims Commission (see Section 131.13), and any other special assignments;
(2) Rules. Reviews, investigates, and recommends Council action on the standing Rules of Council and any other special assignments;
(3) Public Works. Reviews, investigates and recommends Council action in all matters of public utilities including but not limited to electricity, water, telephone, telegraph, sanitary and storm, service, refuse, cable, Internet right-of-way, sewers, sewer plant and related equipment, gas lines, transportation - public franchises, streets, beautification, public lands and any other special assignments;
(4) Properties/Buildings. Reviews, investigates and recommends Council action in all matters of zoning and platting codes, Planning Commission, Master Plan, Board of Zoning Appeals, Administrative buildings, public buildings, properties and any other special assignments;
(5) Safety. reviews, investigates and recommends Council action in all matters of traffic control, street, lighting, civil defense, Auxiliary Police, equipment, fire - prevention programs, fire codes, equipment, volunteer fire-fighters, health and welfare, Police Protection, Fire Protection, health and any other special assignments;
(b) Appointment to Standing Committees (Membership). Not later than the first regular meeting held in January, pursuant to Section 131.01(a), the President shall appoint members of Council to standing committees, appoint Chairs and make such other Council appointments to any other boards or commissions. The term of each Council member's appointment to any committee of Council, unless specified elsewhere in the charter or code, shall be the calendar year of appointment. The power to appoint shall include the power to remove. The President, in making such appointments, shall be guided by the qualifications of the members of Council, as well as by each member of Council's personal preference. Each standing committee shall consist of two (2), but not more than four (4) members each. Members of Council shall be required to be members of not less than two (2) committees. A person appointed to fill a vacant seat on Council shall fill the Committee positions of their predecessor in office.
The President shall be ex-officio, a member of every standing committee of which he/she is not an appointed member, with authority to enter into the deliberations of such committee but without authority to vote.
(c) Special Committees. The President shall appoint such special committees as the Mayor or majority of the members of Council deem necessary, provided however, that any matter is properly the concern of any standing committee, or which is then referred to or pending before such standing committee, may not, without the consent of such standing committee, be referred to or considered by a special committee. A special committee shall have at least one member of Council.
(d) Committee of the Whole. Council may resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole for the purpose of:
(1) Council business that does not fall within the scope of established committees;
(2) Council matters that facilitate the administration of its business; and
(3) Preparation of Resolutions for Awards, Appreciation, Congratulations, or any discussion in connection therewith.
(e) Audit Review. Reviews, investigates, and recommends the finding of the audits compiled by the Auditor of the State and/or independent auditors and recommends Council action on the State Auditor's and/or independent auditor's findings and any other special assignments. The Audit Review Committee shall meet no less than four (4) times per calendar year.
(f) Chairs of Committees. No member of Council shall be Chair of more than one standing committee. The President of Council shall be the Chair of Council's Finance and the Committee of the Whole committees.
The President shall appoint the Chair of the special committees. In the absence of a committee Chair, the other members present, if constituting a quorum, shall elect a temporary Chair. The Chair of any committee shall always be entitled to vote on any matter being considered by such committee.
(g) Committee Meetings. The standing committees of Council shall hold committee meetings according to the following schedule: committee meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month for the Finance, Safety, Public Works, Properties and Rules committees. The Finance meeting shall commence at 6:00 p.m., followed immediately thereafter by the remaining committees.
The agenda shall be prepared and typed by the Chair of the Committee and delivered to the Clerk of Council, who shall type and distribute to all Committee and all Council members at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the committee meeting. Notification of the cancellation of any committee meeting of Council is the responsibility of the Committee Chair.
Minutes of all committee meetings should be transcribed and distributed to the Chair within one (1) week of said meeting. The minutes shall be approved by majority vote of the committee and signed by the Chair.
At all committee meetings, members of the general public shall be provided a 10-minute period of time for questions and comments.
All committees may meet on the call of the Chairperson, or on request of a majority of the members of such committee, upon at least twelve (12) hours written or oral notice of the date, time and place of such committee meeting provided to each committee member and to the President and Clerk of Council, served personally, or left at each person's usual place of residence, or by electronic means. Each member of such committee has authority to waive notice of said meeting. The presence of any member at any committee meeting shall be deemed a waiver as to such member regarding any irregularity in notice. By the unanimous vote of all members appointed to a committee, such committee shall have the power to vary the requirements of notice, except, that in no event, shall any such variance eliminate the requirement of notifying the President and Clerk of Council of any meeting.
(h) Committee Reports.
(1) Committee reports shall be in writing, except when waived by Council, by majority vote. The report of the majority of the members of the committee shall constitute the report of the committee, provided, however, that any member is entitled to prepare and present to Council a minority report. Council may accept or reject any committee report, in whole or in part.
(2) Upon motion and by a majority vote, Council may relieve a committee of further consideration of any question and order it placed on the calendar. When any matter is referred to a committee with instructions to report at a time named in the order or reference, failure to report at such time shall be considered as if reported back without recommendation, unless the time for reporting is extended by Council. If no such extension is granted, the committee shall forthwith return to the Clerk the documents pertaining thereto, and the matter shall take its appropriate place on the calendar.
(j) Public Hearings. With the approval of a majority of Council, a committee may hold a public hearing in connection with any matter under consideration before it.
(Ord. 2022-64. Passed 12-14-22.)