(a) Order of business.
(1) The business of all regular meetings of Council shall be transacted in the following order, unless Council, by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members present, shall suspend the rules and change the order:
A. Roll call of members;
B. Minutes of the preceding meeting;
C. Petitions, communications and public hearings;
D. Consideration of any bids;
E. Reports from the City Manager;
F. Consideration of unfinished business;
G. Consideration of new business; and
H. Adjournment.
(2) Each member of Council shall be provided a copy of the minutes of the previous meeting in advance of the next regular meeting whenever practicable. The presiding officer may inquire “whether or not there are any additions or corrections to the minutes as furnished Council members and as are set forth in the minute book of Council”. If there are no corrections or additions, such minutes shall stand approved and shall be signed by the presiding officer and validated by the City Clerk.
(b) Filing copies before meeting. Every ordinance, resolution and document to come before Council for consideration, except as hereinafter provided, must be filed with the Clerk before noon on the Tuesday before the day on which Council meets.
(c) Preparation of agenda. The Clerk shall have ready for delivery at 4:30 p.m., on the Tuesday prior to the day of Council meeting an agenda which follows the pattern of the order of business which lists all reports, communications, orders, ordinances, resolutions, contract-documents or matters to come before Council.
(d) Amending agenda. No matters shall be considered by Council which have not been properly placed upon the agenda; provided, that Council may amend the agenda and place new matters thereon by a majority vote of Council at the commencement of the meeting at which such matter is to be considered; provided further, that nothing herein shall operate to prohibit the free discussion of any matter by Council, nor simple orders directing preliminary work.
(e) Motions.
(1) When a question is before Council, no motion shall be entertained except:
A. To adjourn;
B. To fix the hour of adjournment;
C. To lay on the table;
D. For the previous question;
E. To postpone to a certain day;
F. To refer;
G. To amend; and
H. To postpone indefinitely.
(2) These motions shall have precedence in the order indicated. All motions, except the motion to amend, shall be put to a vote without debate.
(f) Motion to be stated by chair. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the chair before debate. Any member may demand that it be put in writing. A motion may not be withdrawn by the mover without the consent of the member seconding it.
(g) Introduction of motion or legislation out of regular order. The presiding officer of Council may, at any time, by a majority vote of the members present, permit a member to introduce an ordinance, resolution or motion out of the regular order.
(h) Motion to adjourn.
(1) A motion to adjourn shall be in order at any time, except as follows:
A. When repeated without intervening business or discussion;
B. When made as an interruption of a member while speaking;
C. When the previous question has been ordered; and
D. While a vote is being taken.
(2) A motion to adjourn is debatable only as to the time to which the meeting is adjourned.
(i) Motion to lay on table. A motion to lay on the table shall preclude all amendments or debate of the subject under consideration. If the motion shall prevail, the consideration of the subject may be resumed at the same meeting, or at the next meeting, by a majority vote, after some business has been transacted after the original laying on the table.
(j) Previous question moved. When the previous question is moved, and seconded by one other member, it shall be put as follows: “Shall the main question be considered?” There shall then be no further amendment or debate; but pending amendments shall be put in their order before the main question. If the question, “Shall the main question be considered” be decided in the negative, the main question remains before Council.
(k) Division of question. If the question contains two or more divisible propositions, the presiding officer may, and upon request of a member shall, divide the same.
(l) Amendment of ordinance generally. It shall be in order to amend an ordinance at any time before final passage.
(m) Amendment to strike out and insert. On an amendment to “strike out and insert”, the paragraph to be amended shall first be read as it stands, then the words proposed to be stricken out and those to be inserted shall be read, and finally the paragraph as it would stand if so amended shall be read.
(n) Motion to amend an amendment. A motion to amend an amendment shall be in order, but one to amend an amendment to an amendment shall not be introduced. An amendment modifying the intention of a motion shall be in order, but an amendment relating to a different matter shall not be in order.
(o) Motion to postpone. All motions to postpone, except a motion to postpone indefinitely, may be amended as to time. If a motion to postpone indefinitely is carried, the principal question shall be declared lost.
(p) Motion to reconsider. After the decision on any question, any member of Council who voted with the majority may move a reconsideration of any action at the same or the next succeeding meeting; provided, that resolution authorizing or relating to any contract may be reconsidered at any time before the final execution thereof. A motion to reconsider shall require the same number of votes as is required to adopt an ordinance or resolution. After a motion for reconsideration has once been acted on, no other motion for reconsideration thereof shall be made without unanimous consent.
(q) Robert’s Rules of Order. In the absence of a rule to govern a point or procedure, reference shall be had to Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.
(r) Anonymous communications. Unsigned communications shall not be introduced in Council.