121.01 MEETINGS.
(a) Regular Meetings.
(1) Time. Council shall hold regular meetings on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by Council. However, when the day fixed for any regular meeting of Council falls upon a day designated by law as a legal holiday, such meeting may be held at another time when designated by Council.
(2) Place. All meetings of Council shall be held in the Council Chambers of the Civic Center located at 6622 Wilson Mills Road, Mayfield Village, Ohio.
(b) Special Meetings. The Clerk of Council may call special meetings of Council whenever the public business may require it at the expressed request of the Mayor, President of Council or any three members of Council. Whenever a special meeting is called, a summons or a notice in writing, signed by the Clerk of Council, shall be served upon each member of Council, the Mayor, Law Director and Chief of Police, in person or by notice left at his usual place of residence, at least twelve hours in advance of the time of such meeting. Such notice shall state the date and hour of the meeting and the purpose for which such meeting is called.
(c) Decorum.
(1) By Council members. While Council is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither, by conversation or otherwise delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace and dignity of Council, nor disturb any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the Presiding Officer or Council, except as otherwise herein provided.
(2) By other persons. Any person, while addressing Council, who makes personal, impertinent or slanderous remarks, or who becomes boisterous, shall be ordered ejected from the Council Chamber forthwith by the Presiding Officer and barred from further audience before that Council meeting unless permission to continue be granted by a majority vote of Council present.
(d) Enforcement of Decorum.
(1) The Chief of Police, or such member or members of the Police Department as he may designate, shall be Sergeant-At-Arms of all Council meetings. He or they shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the Presiding Officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the meeting. Upon instructions of the Presiding Officer, it shall be the duty of the Sergeant-At-Arms, to place any person who violates the order and decorum of the meeting under arrest and cause him to be prosecuted for disturbing the peace, the complaint to be signed by the Presiding Officer.
(2) If the offending person is the Presiding Officer or a Councilman, he shall not be removed from the meeting or charged as provided in subsection (d)(1) hereof unless a majority of the other Councilmen present concur that such Councilman shall be prosecuted as provided for in subsection (d)(1) hereof.
(e) Addressing Council. Persons desiring to address Council may do so in the following manner:
(1) Written communications. Interested parties or their authorized representatives may address Council by written communications on any matter of Village business by addressing such communications to the President of Council. Such written communications shall be read by the Clerk of Council as directed by Council.
(2) Oral communications. Any person or his authorized representatives may address Council on any matter of Village business at the proper time provided in the agenda by rising and securing permission of the Presiding Officer. Such person shall state in an audible tone of voice for the record his name and address and the name and address of the person or group he may represent, if other than himself, and unless further time is granted by the Presiding Officer or Council shall limit his address to five minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to Council as a body and not to any particular member thereof. No person other than the Councilmen and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a member of Council, without the permission of the Presiding Officer. No question shall be asked a Councilman except through the Presiding Officer.
(f) Agenda. All reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contract documents or other matters to be submitted to Council shall be delivered to the President at least ninety-six hours prior to each Council meeting whereupon the President shall immediately arrange a list of such matters according to the order of business and furnish each member of Council, the Mayor, Law Director and the Clerk with a copy of the agenda and matters to be acted upon seventy-two hours prior to the Council meeting. Other matters may be added to the agenda with the approval of the majority of Council present.
(g) The Presiding Officer; Duties. The Presiding Officer of Council shall be the President of Council, and in his absence or inability, the President Pro-Tem of Council.
The Presiding Officer shall preserve strict order and decorum at all regular and special meetings of Council. He shall state every question coming before Council, announce the decision of Council on all subjects and decide all questions of order.
(h) Attendance at Council Meetings. In addition to the Mayor and Council, the following officers or their authorized representatives shall attend all regular Council meetings, unless excused by the President of Council, and such special Council meetings, committee, board and commission meetings as the Presiding Officer of the committee, board or commission shall request.
(1) The Clerk of Council.
(2) The Law Director.
(3) The Engineer.
(4) Officials of Departments.
(i) Excused During Meeting. No member shall leave the Council while it is in session without the permission granted by the majority vote of Council and any member leaving without first obtaining such permission shall be deemed guilty of contempt of the Council.
(j) Order of Business. All meetings of Council shall be open to the public. Promptly at the hour set by law on the day of each meeting, the Mayor, the members of Council, the Clerk and the Law Director shall take their regular stations at the Council table and the business of Council shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in the following order:
(1) Meeting called to order;
(2) Pledge of allegiance to Flag;
(3) Roll call;
(4) Citizens comments open to those in attendance or by letter addressed to the President of Council;
(5) Consideration of minutes of previous meetings not yet approved;
(6) Reports and communications from the Mayor;
(7) Reports and communications from the Presiding Officer;
(8) Reports of standing committees;
(9) Reports of special committees;
(10) Old business;
(11) New business;
(12) Reports from other Village officials and Council members;
(13) Adjournment.
(k) Call to Order. The Presiding Officer shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting and shall call the Council to order. In the absence of the President and President Pro-Tem of Council, the Clerk shall call the Council to order, whereupon the Council shall elect one of their members as Temporary Chairman by a majority vote of those present. Upon the arrival of the President or President Pro-Tem of Council the Temporary Chairman shall immediately relinquish the chair upon the conclusion of the matter of business immediately before the Council.
(l) Roll Call. Before proceeding with the business of Council, the Clerk shall alphabetically call the roll of the members of Council, the Mayor, Clerk, Law Director and those hereinafter required to be present, and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes. The arrival time of those arriving late shall be recorded at the appropriate place in the minutes.
(m) Quorum. A majority of all members of the Council shall constitute a quorum, and the vote of the majority present and constituting a quorum shall be sufficient to transact business in the absence of other members, except in those cases where a different number is or may be required by laws of the State of Ohio, Charter of the Village of Mayfield Village, or by rules of the Council.
(Ord. 75-32. Passed 12-23-75.)