On the first Monday of each year which is not a legal holiday, the County Council shall organize by electing one of its members as President and one other member as Vice-President for terms of one year. The President shall preside at all meetings of the County Council. The Vice President shall preside in case of the absence or disability of the President. The presiding officer shall be entitled to vote on all matters.
The County Council shall determine its own rules and order of business. The Clerk of Council shall keep and make available for public inspection at all reasonable times a record of proceedings of the County Council in which the vote of each member voting on an ordinance or resolution shall be recorded.
All legislative action shall be by resolution or ordinance introduced in written or printed form. Each resolution and ordinance shall contain no more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title.
No ordinance or resolution shall be passed until it has been read, which may be by title only, at three different regular County Council meetings or the requirement of three readings has been dispensed with by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the County Council.
No action of the County Council shall be valid or binding unless adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the members of the County Council. Each ordinance or resolution shall be signed by the presiding officer and promptly presented by the Clerk of Council to the County Executive for approval or disapproval.
If the County Executive approves such measure, it shall be signed and returned to the Clerk of Council within ten days after its adoption, but if not, the County Executive shall return it to the County Council within said ten days with the written objections, which objections shall be entered in full in the record of proceedings of the County Council. The County Executive may approve or disapprove the whole or any item of an ordinance or resolution appropriating money, but otherwise the approval or disapproval shall be addressed to the entire ordinance or resolution. If such measure is not returned within said ten-day period, it shall take effect in the same manner as if the County Executive had signed it.
When the County Executive has disapproved an ordinance or resolution, or a part or item thereof as herein provided, the County Council shall, not later than its second regular meeting thereafter, proceed to reconsider it, and if upon reconsideration the measure is approved by at least two-thirds of the members of County Council, it shall then take effect as if it had received the approval of the County Executive.
Each ordinance or resolution shall take effect in the manner and at the time provided by general law for ordinances or resolution of cities. Each emergency measure shall take effect, unless a later time is specified therein, upon its signature by the County Executive, or upon the expiration of the time within which it may be disapproved, or upon its passage after disapproval by the County Executive, as the case may be, shall contain a statement of the necessity for such emergency action and shall require the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the County Council for enactment.
(Amended 11-4-14.)
(Amended 11-4-14.)