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(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)
(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(C) A member who has withdrawn from a meeting without being excused by majority vote of the remaining members present shall be counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum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)
(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(B) A motion may be withdrawn by the introducer at any time prior to a vote if the member who seconded the motion concurs.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)
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)
(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)
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