(a) Participation. The presiding officer may move, debate and vote from the chair.
(b) Seating arrangement. Following each councilmanic election and at such other times as the Mayor may deem it necessary, the Mayor shall establish the seating arrangement of the members of the Council.
(c) Processing motions. The Mayor, or such member of the City staff, as the Mayor may designate, should verbally restate each question immediately prior to calling for the vote. Following the vote, the City Clerk shall announce whether the question carried or was defeated. The Mayor may publicly explain the effect of a vote for the audience or direct a member of the City staff to do so before proceeding to the next item.
(1) Motions out of order. The Mayor may, at any time with Council approval, permit a member to introduce an ordinance, resolution or motion out of the agenda order.
(2) Division of question. If the question contains two (2) or more divisible propositions, the Mayor may, or upon the request of a member, divide the question.
(d) Precedence of motions. When a motion is pending, no motion shall be entertained except the following motions which shall have precedence in the order indicated:
(1) Motion to adjourn (not debatable). A motion to adjourn shall be in order at any time except as follows:
(i) When repeated without intervening business or discussion;
(ii) When made as an interruption of a member while speaking;
(iii) When the previous question has been ordered; and
(iv) While a vote is being taken.
A motion to adjourn “to another time” is debatable only as to the time of adjourned meeting,
(2) Motion to fix hour of adjournment. This motion is to set a definite time at which to adjourn. It is undebatable and unamendable except as to the time set.
(3) Motion to table. This motion is to temporarily bypass the Subject. The motion is undebatable and shall preclude all amendments or debate of the subject under consideration. If it shall prevail, the matter may be “taken from the table” at any time prior to the end of the next regular meeting.
(4) Motion to call the question. This motion is to close debate on the main motion. It is undebatable. If the motion fails, debate is reopened. If the motion passes, Council shall vote on the main motion.
(5) Motion to amend. This motion is debatable only as to the amendment. A motion to amend an amendment shall be in order, but one to amend an amendment to an amendment shall not. 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. A substitute motion on the same subject shall be acceptable.
(6) Motion to postpone. A motion to postpone indefinitely shall be fully debatable. If adopted, the principal question shall be declared lost. Motions to postpone to a definite time shall be amendable and debatable as to the propriety of the postponement and the time set.
(e) Signing documents. The Mayor shall sign all ordinances, resolutions, contracts and other documents necessitating a signature which were adopted in that officer’s presence unless unavailable, in which case the signature of an alternate presiding officer may be used.
(f) Sworn testimony. The Mayor or the Council may require any person addressing the Council to be sworn as a witness and to testify under oath.
(§ 1, Ord. 868-NS, eff. September 18, 1984, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1231-NS, eff. April 25, 1995)