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§ 33.18 CONTINUED OR RECESSED MEETINGS.
   (A)   By majority vote the Council may continue or recess any regular, special or emergency meeting to any place and time specified in the motion to continue or recess the meeting.
   (B)   No further notice need be given of any continued or recessed session of a meeting set in accordance with division (A) above.
(1981 Code, § 2-4)
§ 33.19 AGENDA.
   (A)   Preparation. The Manager shall prepare the agenda for the meeting.
   (B)   Requests to be placed on agenda. A request to have any item of business placed on the agenda must be received by the Manager in sufficient time so that the agenda may be printed and distributed in accordance with division (E) below, and to this end the Manager may establish an appropriate deadline to receive the requests.
   (C)   Requests to address Council.
      (1)   Any individual or group that wishes to address the Council shall make a request to be on the agenda to the Manager.
      (2)   However, the Council shall determine at the meeting whether the individual or group will be heard by the Council.
   (D)   Contents.
      (1)   The agenda shall include, for each item of business placed on it, as much background information on the subject as is available and feasible to reproduce.
      (2)   Whenever possible a copy of all proposed ordinances shall be attached to the agenda and distributed simultaneously.
   (E)   Inspection and distribution.
      (1)   Copies of the agenda and attachments shall be available for public inspection as soon as they are completed.
      (2)   The Manager shall mail or deliver copies of the agenda and attachments to the Council members in sufficient time to ensure that they are received prior to the meeting.
      (3)   Additional copies of the agenda may be available for the press and interested members of the public.
   (F)   Additions.
      (1)   The Council may, by consensus or majority vote of the Council membership, add an item of business that is not on the agenda.
      (2)   Unless otherwise specified by the Council, additions to the agenda shall be taken up at the conclusion of all other regular business.
(1981 Code, § 2-6)
§ 33.20 ORDER OF BUSINESS.
   (A)   Items of business shall be taken up at a meeting in the order that they appear on the agenda, except as provided in division (D) below.
   (B)   Items shall be placed on the agenda according to the order of business established by the Council upon recommendation of the Manager.
   (C)   In establishing the order of business, the Council may authorize broad categories of business to be included as agenda items, such as “members of the public wishing to be heard,” or “matters by the manager” or “matters by the attorney.”
   (D)   Items may be considered out of order by consent of all members present or by majority vote upon a motion.
(1981 Code, § 2-7)
§ 33.21 PRESIDING OFFICER.
   (A)   The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Council, except as provided in division (C) below. A member must be recognized by the Mayor in order to address the Council.
   (B)   As presiding officer, the Mayor shall have the following powers, in addition to those conferred elsewhere in this chapter:
      (1)   To rule motions in or out of order, including the right to rule out of order any motion patently offered for obstructive or dilatory purposes;
      (2)   To determine whether a speaker has gone beyond reasonable standards of courtesy in his or her remarks and to entertain and rule upon objections from other members on this ground;
      (3)   To entertain and answer questions of parliamentary law or procedure, subject to being overruled by a 2/3 vote of the membership of the Council;
      (4)   To call a brief recess at any time; and
      (5)   To adjourn in the event of an emergency.
   (C)   If the Mayor becomes actively engaged in debate on a particular proposal, he or she may delegate the duty to preside over the debate to the Mayor Pro Tempore or to any other member of the Council who is not so engaged and who acquiesces in the delegation.
   (D)   The temporary Chairperson may only preside over the debate and may not participate in it; however, he or she does not forfeit his or her right to vote on the issue by acting as temporary Chairperson. The Chairperson shall resume the duty to preside as soon as action upon the matter is concluded.
(1981 Code, § 2-8)
§ 33.22 QUORUM.
   (A)   A majority of the actual membership of the Council plus the Mayor, excluding vacant seats, shall constitute a quorum.
   (B)   A quorum is necessary for the Council to take any official action.
   (C)   A member who has withdrawn from a meeting without being excused by majority vote of the remaining members present shall be counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.
(1981 Code, § 2-9)
§ 33.23 TAKING OFFICIAL ACTION.
   (A)   The Council shall proceed by motion. A motion, when duly seconded, brings the matter before the Council for its consideration.
   (B)   A motion may be withdrawn by the introducer at any time prior to a vote if the member who seconded the motion concurs.
   (C)   Subject to § 33.26 below and other provisions of law, official action of the Council shall be by majority vote.
(1981 Code, § 2-10)
§ 33.24 DEBATE.
   Once a motion has been stated and seconded, the Mayor shall open the floor to debate upon it. The Mayor shall preside over the debate according to the following general principles:
   (A)   The member who makes the motion is entitled to speak first;
   (B)   A member who has not spoken on the issue shall be recognized before someone who has already spoken; and
   (C)   To the extent possible, the debate shall alternate between proponents and opponents of the measure.
(1981 Code, § 2-11)
§ 33.25 VOTING.
   (A)   Once a member is physically present at a Council meeting, any subsequent failure to vote shall be recorded as an affirmative vote unless the member has been excused from voting in accordance with division (B) below or has been allowed to withdraw from the meeting in accordance with division (C) below.
   (B)   A member may be excused from voting on a particular issue by majority vote of the remaining members present if the matter at issue involved that member's own financial interest or official conduct.
   (C)   A member may be allowed to withdraw from the entire remainder of a meeting by majority vote of the remaining members present for any good and sufficient reason other than the member's desire to avoid voting on matters to be considered at that meeting.
   (D)   A motion to allow a member to be excused from voting or excused from the remainder of the meeting is only in order if made by or at the initiative of the member directly affected.
   (E)   A roll call vote shall be taken upon the request of any member.
   (F)   When this chapter specifies that action shall be taken by majority vote or fails to specify the vote required, that shall be interpreted to mean a vote of the majority of those present and not excused from voting.
   (G)   When a 2/3 vote is required, that shall be interpreted to mean a vote of 2/3 of those present and not excused from voting.
   (H)   When a vote of a certain percentage of the Council membership is required, that shall be interpreted to mean the specified percentage of all seats on the Council, excluding vacant seats.
(1981 Code, § 2-12)
§ 33.26 ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES.
   (A)   An affirmative vote equal to a majority of all the members of the Council not excused from voting on the question in issue (including the Mayor's vote in case of an equal division) shall be required to adopt an ordinance or take any action having the effect of an ordinance.
   (B)   Subject to the provisions of G.S. Ch. 159 (Local Government Finance), no ordinance nor any action having the effect of any ordinance may be finally adopted on the date on which it is introduced except by an affirmative vote equal to or greater than 2/3 of the Council membership.
   (C)   When an ordinance requires a public hearing, the ordinance shall be considered introduced at the meeting when the Council sets a date for the public hearing.
   (D)   Franchise ordinances and amendments shall not be finally adopted until passed at 2 regular meetings of the Council.
(1981 Code, § 2-13)
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