115.03 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CHAIR.
(a) Election; Powers and Duties. The Council shall, at the time of its organization, choose one of its members as President of Council, and he shall serve at the pleasure of the majority of the members of Council. The President of Council shall have all the powers, duties, functions, obligations and rights of any other Council member, including the right to vote; shall preside at all meetings of Council and shall appoint the various committees of Council, coordinating the work of the various committees appointed by him. He shall be responsible for the conduct and order of the meetings of Council. He shall sign for Council all ordinances, resolutions, and other matters requiring the approval of Council.
The President of Council may appoint such special committees as he deems necessary provided that matters referred to or pending before a standing committee may not, without consent of its members, be referred to or considered by a special committee. The duration of time for which any such special committee shall be in existence shall be determined at the time such special committees are formed.
The Chair shall maintain decorum in Council Chambers during sessions. Persons other than members of Council, the Mayor and Municipal officials shall not be permitted to address Council, except upon request of the Chair, a member of Council or the Mayor. Any member of Council objecting to such request may call for a vote, and a majority of Council shall determine whether such request may be made. If anyone, other than a municipal official, desires to speak to a member of Council while it is in session the member, if agreeable to the request, shall leave his seat and retire to the rear of the Council Chambers or elsewhere until the conversation is finished.
(b) Roll Call. The President of Council shall take the Chair at the hour appointed for Council to meet, and immediately shall call the Council to order. The roll shall then be called by the Clerk, who shall enter in the Journal of each meeting the names of members present thereat. In the absence of a quorum at the time appointed for a meeting, the members present may, by a majority vote, take a recess or recesses, and cause the Clerk to procure the attendance of absent members.
(c) Temporary Chairman. In case of the absence of the President of Council, the Clerk shall call the Council to order. The Clerk shall call the roll, and, if a quorum is found to be present, the Council shall proceed to elect, by a majority vote, a Temporary Chairman of the meeting until the appearance of the President of Council.
(d) Substitute Chairman. The Chair, i.e. the President of Council or Temporary Chairman, may call any other member to take his place in the Chair, such substitution not to continue beyond adjournment.
(e) Appeals from Decisions of the Chair. The Chair shall preserve decorum and decide all questions in order, subject to appeal to Council. If any member transgresses the rules of Council, the Chair shall, or any member may, call him to order and in the latter instance the Chair shall render a decision as to the point of order. In case of an appeal from a ruling of the Chair, the question shall be: "Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the decision of Council?" The Chair shall be sustained unless overruled by a majority vote of the members of Council present.
(f) Votes. All questions shall be stated and put by the Chair as follows:
(1) Roll call votes. The Chair shall declare the vote after the Clerk has announced the number of votes on each side.
(2) Viva-voce votes. The Chair shall declare the vote without reference to the Clerk; if in doubt about a viva-voce vote, the Chair may direct, or any member may call for a division of Council, which shall be taken by a rising vote.
(3) Rising vote. The Chair shall count and declare the vote. It shall not be in order for members to explain their votes, while the vote is being taken.
(g) Chair's Power to Vote. The President of Council, or any member of Council who is serving as Chairman, shall have the same power to vote as other members of Council.
(h) Attendance by Mayor. The Mayor shall attend Council meetings, but shall have no vote therein. He shall have the right to recommend and introduce legislation and to take part in the discussion of all matters coming before Council. (Ord. 52-1983. Passed 11-29-83.)