(a) Meetings. Council shall meet regularly at least twice in every month except the month of August. Standing Committees of Council shall meet regularly at least once in every month except the month of August. Special meetings may be called by the Mayor or a majority of council members. Whenever practicable, every member shall be given at least 12 hours notice of the Special Meeting. All meetings shall be public, except that Council may recess to a closed session for the purpose of discussing any matter which would tend to defame or prejudice the reputation of any person provided that the subject to be discussed is expressed in the motion calling for such session, and the final action on the subject shall not be taken by Council until the matter is placed on the regular agenda.
(Adopted by electorate, November 4, 1997 / Legislation: 97-O-49 July 30, 1997 / Revised 9-1-98, 98-0-63)
(b) Quorum. Five (5) members of Council shall constitute a quorum.
(c) Public Journal. Council shall determine its own rules and order of business and shall provide for keeping a journal of its proceedings. The journal shall be a public record kept by the Clerk of Council.
(d) Ordinances. Action of Council shall be by ordinance, resolution or motion. Every action of a general and permanent nature or granting a franchise, or levying a tax, or appropriating money, or contracting a debt, or for the purchase, lease, or transfer of public property, or establishing an offense and fixing a penalty therefor shall be taken by ordinance or resolution. All other action may be by motion. Any member of Council may at a regular or special meeting introduce any ordinance, resolution or motion.
Except on procedural motions, voting shall be by roll call and the ayes and nays shall be recorded in the journal. The affirmative votes of at least a majority of the membership shall be required for every action.
Every ordinance shall be fully and distinctly read on three different days, unless each member has previously been furnished a copy thereof, in which case it can be read by title only. By a vote of five (5) members, Council can suspend the rule requiring the reading of an ordinance on three different days.
Except as otherwise provided in the Charter, each ordinance approved by the Council will be effective at the end of thirty days following passage, or such longer period as is determined by the Council. If the Council determines that an ordinance should be passed on an emergency basis, the reasons for declaring such ordinances to be an emergency measure shall be set forth in one section of the ordinance which section shall be passed only upon an aye and nay vote upon a separate roll call with at least five (5) of the members voting affirmatively. No ordinance prescribing rates and charges by a public utility, or granting a franchise, or levying a tax, shall be passed as an emergency measure. An emergency ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage, or at such later time as it may specify. It shall not automatically stand repealed as of the 90th day following the date of its adoption but this shall not prevent reenactment of the ordinance in the manner prescribed for regular ordinances.
(Adopted by electorate, November 4, 1997)
Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title. The opening clause of the ordinance shall be: "Be it ordained by the Council of Lincoln Heights, Ohio . . ." Any ordinance, which repeals or amends an existing ordinance or part of the Municipal Administrative Code, shall set out in full the ordinance, sections or subsections to be repealed or amended.
(Adopted by electorate, May 4, 1993)