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(A) Election by members. The Council shall elect from among its members a President of the Council. The Council President shall be elected in each odd numbered year at the first Council meeting held after Council terms begin or as soon thereafter as practicable, and he or she shall serve until his or her successor has been elected and qualified.
(B) Act as Mayor. The Council President shall act as Mayor in the absence of the Mayor. While presiding in the place of the Mayor, he or she shall have all the powers, rights and privileges as other members of the Council. The Council shall have the powers and duties as prescribed by law or ordinance.
(Prior Code, § 1-6-2)
(A) Place of meetings. Every meeting of the Council shall be held in the Council chamber in the municipal building unless, in case of an emergency, the Mayor, when calling a special meeting, designates another place in the city for the holding of the special meeting. Any adjourned meeting may be held at any other place within the city designated by the Council.
(B) Regular meetings. The City Council shall hold a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on every first and every third Tuesday of every month. If such a Tuesday falls on a holiday, the regular meeting shall be held at that time on the next succeeding day which is not a holiday.
(C) Special meetings. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Mayor or by any three Council members at any time. The call for the meeting must be in writing and must be mailed to the Mayor and all Council members excepting those who signed the call at least two days before the meeting. The purpose or purposes of the meeting shall be set forth in the call, and no other business shall be transacted at such meeting. The call shall be read at the meeting and shall be entered in full in the journal.
(Prior Code, § 1-6-3)
In all cases, it shall require a majority of the members of the Council to constitute a quorum to do or transact any business, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time and from day to day, to any date prior to the next regular meeting, and may compel the attendance of absent members. Any willful absence of any Council member, when requested to attend for the purpose of having a quorum, shall constitute a dereliction of duty and subject such offending Council member to removal from office.
(Prior Code, § 1-6-4)
The Council shall attend to the business before it in the following order:
(A) Call to order;
(B) Roll call;
(C) Determination of quorum;
(D) Approval of minutes of the previous meeting;
(E) Presentation of petitions, memorials and other communications and the hearing of citizens;
(F) Reports of special committees;
(G) Report of standing committees in their order;
(H) Claims and purchase orders;
(I) Reports of officers;
(J) Unfinished business;
(K) New business;
(L) Communications from Mayor or Council, officers, audience; and
(M) Adjourn.
(Prior Code, § 1-6-5)
(A) Rules enumerated. The following rules shall prevail and govern all meetings of the Council.
(1) The Mayor, or the President of the Council in his or her absence, shall preside over the Council, shall preserve order and decorum and shall decide all questions of order, subject to appeal to the Council.
(2) While the Mayor or presiding officer is putting the question, no member shall leave his or her seat.
(3) Every member, previous to speaking, shall rise and address himself or herself to the presiding officer, and shall not proceed with his or her remarks until recognized by the presiding officer.
(4) When a question is under debate, the only motions in order shall be: to adjourn, to take a recess, to lay on the table, the previous question, to limit or extend limits of debate, to postpone to a certain time, to commit or refer, to amend, to postpone indefinitely. Each such motion shall take precedence in the order named, and the first five shall be decided without debate.
(5) A motion to adjourn shall always be in order when the floor can be obtained for that purpose, except while the yeas and nays are being called, while members are voting, when adjournment was the last motion, or when it has been decided that the previous question shall be taken.
(6) A motion to lay on the table is not debatable; and such motion may not be made with any condition included in it (that is, it must be simply a motion to lay on the table).
(7) A motion to refer to a standing committee shall take precedence over a similar motion to refer to a special committee.
(8) A question may be reconsidered at or during the same meeting or at the first meeting thereafter; provided, however, that a motion to reconsider must be made by a member who voted in the majority, and in case of a tie vote those who vote in the negative shall be considered the majority.
(9) All rules laid down in Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, are hereby declared to be the rules governing the Council, except in case of conflict with the rules herein laid down and adopted.
(B) Suspension of rules. The rules may be temporarily suspended by a vote of two-thirds of those voting on the question of suspension; but shall not be repealed, altered or amended, except by ordinance.
(Prior Code, § 1-6-6)