The following rules are adopted and enacted for the government of the Common Council of the city, its officers and committees:
(A) Preparations for meetings.
(1) The Mayor’s assistant is to receive all proposed resolutions prior to the close of business on the sixth day preceding the Council meeting.
(a) Resolutions are to be placed on the agenda with their title and sponsoring Council member;
(b) Resolutions should be presented to Council members, in their printed form, on the fifth day prior to the Council meeting; and
(c) A resolution may be proposed at any time following the cut-off date if it is deemed appropriate and voted on at a City Council meeting in the affirmative by a majority vote.
(2) The Mayor’s assistant is to receive all proposed bills prior to the close of business on the fifth day preceding the next Council meeting.
(a) Proposed bills are to be placed on the agenda with their title and sponsoring Council member; and
(b) Proposed bills should be presented to Council members, in their printed form, on the fourth day prior to the Council meeting.
(3) If a department head has a written report, they should make every effort to present it to the Mayor’s assistant five days prior to the Council meeting.
(4) City Council member packets and the supporting documents should be presented to Council members no later than four days prior to a meeting.
(B) The Mayor shall preside over all meetings of the Common Council. In case of the absence of the Mayor during any meeting, or in the event that he should be disqualified to preside by the application of any law of the state or ordinance of the city at any meeting thereof, then the President Pro Tempore, who shall be elected at the first regular meeting of the Council held after their election as such Council, shall preside.
(C) The presiding officer of the Common Council shall be designated and addressed as President.
(D) The President of the Common Council shall call the members to order promptly at the date and hour appointed for the meeting thereof. During the session he shall preserve order and decorum, and shall decide all questions of order. An appeal from any decision rendered by the President may be taken by any member, and when so taken he shall put the question of such appeal to the Council in the form following: "Shall the decision of the chair stand as decision of the Council?" whereupon the Clerk- Treasurer shall call the roll of members, and those who favor sustaining the decision of the President shall vote "aye," and those who oppose sustaining such decision shall vote "no," and if a majority of the members vote "no," the decision of the President shall be deemed overruled. Otherwise, it shall be deemed sustained.
(E) The President shall state all questions distinctly in the form following: "As many as are of the opinion that (as the question may be) say "aye," and after the affirmative voice is expressed, "As many as are of the contrary opinion say "no," and then he shall decide whether the question is carried by affirmative or negative vote. However, if a decision is called for by any member, the Clerk-Treasurer shall call the roll, and each member, when his name is called, shall respond "aye," if he desires to vote for the affirmative of such question, and "no," if he desires to vote for the negative thereof. The result of the vote as thus cast shall be announced by the Clerk-Treasurer to the President who shall then decide whether such question has been passed by a majority vote of all the other members present and voting.
(F) All questions relating to the priority of business shall be decided without debate.
(G) Whenever any member desires to make or second a motion, offer a resolution, or ordinance, arise to a point of order, or questions of privilege, address remarks, or bring any other matter to the attention of the Common Council at any meeting thereof, he shall arise from his seat and address the President as "Mr. President." He shall not proceed further until the President shall recognize him by saying "The gentleman from the District, Mr. ," after which the member may proceed. He shall confine himself to the question before the Council, or the matter which he brings up, if there is no question before the Council. He shall avoid all personalities, and in no case impeach the motives, vote, or remarks of any other member.
(H) If any member transgresses the rules of the Common Council, or commits any other breach of order or decorum, the President shall call him to order, either on his own motion, or at the instance of any member who shall call attention to the same by rising to a point of order. In such a case the member so called to order shall take his seat immediately unless permitted by the President to explain his remarks or action, in which event, if the explanation is satisfactory to the President, he shall take his seat immediately. If the transgression of the rules or other breach of order or decorum is serious enough in the judgment of the Council, the member so offending may be censured or fined by vote of the Council. On all points of order the member affected shall have the right to appeal from the decision of the President of the Council.
(I) When two or more members arise at once the President shall decide which shall proceed, and the member recognized by him shall have the privilege of the floor.
(J) No member shall speak more than twice on the same question, except by the unanimous consent of the Common Council.
(K) When the President is putting a question, when any member is speaking, when the vote is being taken, or any other business requiring the attention of the Common Council is being transacted, no member shall engage in private discourse, walk out of or across the room, or in any other manner create confusion or disturb the proceedings.
(L) When any motion is made and seconded it shall be stated by the President before debate, and every motion shall be presented in writing, if demanded by the President or any member.
(M) After a motion is stated by the President it shall be deemed to be in possession of the Common Council, but may be withdrawn by the mover, by consent of the second thereof, at any time before decision or amendment.
(N) When any question is pending, or under debate, no motions shall be in order but the following: to adjourn, to lay on the table for the previous question, to postpone, to commit, or to amend, which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are here arranged.
(O) When any question has been once decided, any member voting in the majority may move for a reconsideration thereof at the same, or the next, regular meeting of the Common Council, and resolutions adopted may be rescinded by subsequent resolutions. Ordinances may be repealed by subsequent ordinances, and ordinances may be suspended for a time definitely stated by subsequent ordinances. Reports and all other papers and documents properly before the Council may be committed and recommitted at the pleasure of the Council. When the reading of any paper is called for, if objections are made, it shall be decided by the Council, and no paper shall be read, if objected to, without the consent of the Council.
(P) Motions to adjourn shall always be in order, except that when one motion to adjourn has been decided in the negative, it shall not be in order to entertain another motion to adjourn until some other business has intervened. All motions to adjourn, to lay on the table, and for the previous question, shall be decided without debate.
(Q) When any matter is indefinitely postponed by the Common Council, such action shall be taken to mean that such matter shall be regarded as postponed for the time being, and shall be brought to the attention of some member, which motion shall be seconded by some other member, and which may be made at any subsequent meeting of the Council.
(R) The votes on the final passage of any ordinance or resolution shall be by calling the roll and recording the ayes and noes. Any member may demand the ayes and noes to be taken on any motion or question, and when so demanded the questions shall be so put and recorded.
(S) In all votes taken where there is a tie, the President of the Common Council presiding at the time, shall give the vote in order to break the tie.
(T) The Mayor, when presiding over the Common Council as the President thereof, shall have the right to speak on any question before the Council. To enable him to do so, he shall call to the chair the President Pro Tempore or in his absence any other member, and while so addressing the Council, he shall be subject to all rules governing the Council.
(U) No one who is not a member of the Common Council shall be permitted to address the same except by petition, unless by the unanimous consent of the Council; however, any city officer may, when called upon, make a verbal report.
(V) No rule of the Common Council shall be suspended except upon motion, and an affirmative aye and no vote of two-thirds of all the members of the Council. The rule shall not be suspended for the second and third reading of a bill, or the passage thereof, except upon an affirmative aye and no vote of all the members of the Council present and voting.
(W) The Mayor shall appoint all standing and select committees of the Common Council.
(X) The Chief of Police shall preserve order and decorum in the Council chamber during the meetings of the Common Council; he shall act as the sergeant-at-arms for the Council, and as such shall obey the orders of the President; and he shall act as messenger for the President's Council.
(‘66 Code, § 30.01(l) - (19), (23) - (26)) (Ord. passed 4-25-05; Am. Ord. 2015-13, passed 12-22-15)