(a) Conducting meetings. Council may conduct any meeting:
(1) In-person at the Council Room of the Trenton Civic Center, 11 East State Street, Trenton, Ohio 45067; or
(2) By means of teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology.
(b) Attendance. Regardless of whether Council conducts a meeting in-person or by teleconference, video conference, or any other similar electronic technology, members of Council are hereby authorized to remotely attend, participate, and vote during all public meetings and hearings. Any member of Council who participates in person or remotely shall be counted present for purposes of determining whether quorum requirements are satisfied, provided:
(1) The member affirmatively responds when roll is called at the outset of the subject meeting or hearing; or
(2) The member's participation is audibly identified on the record during the meeting or subsequently denoted on the approved minutes for the subject meeting.
(c) Notice. At least twenty-four hours in advance of the start of all regular and special Council meetings, the Clerk shall provide notification of the time, location, and the manner by which the meeting will be conducted to the public via the City's website (www.trentonoh.gov), the City's Facebook page, and to media that have requested notifications of meetings. Where applicable, such notification shall provide a link to the teleconference, video conference, or similar electronic technology so that the public and media requesting notification can access the discussions and deliberations of Council.
(d) Regular meetings. Regular meetings of Council shall be held at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month, or at such other time as Council may determine.
(e) Special meetings. Special meetings may be called by a vote of Council taken at any regular or special meeting thereof, or shall be called by the Clerk of Council upon the written request of the City Manager, Mayor or any three members of Council. The Clerk, upon the vote of Council or proper written request for a special meeting, shall notify the news media of the time, location, manner by which the meeting will be conducted, and purpose of the meeting.
(f) Agenda; agenda preparation. The Clerk shall prepare the meeting agenda and make available to each Council member copies thereof, along with copies of items of business filed by Council members, ordinances, resolutions, petitions, correspondence, reports or any other item placed on the meeting agenda. Such copies shall be made available to each member no later than forty-eight hours prior to such meeting. The deadline for filing of agenda items shall be no later than 11:00 a.m. of the Thursday the week prior to a Regular Council Meeting.
(g) Call of business. The Mayor shall call out the business in order, as specified on the published agenda.
(h) Order of business. The order of business shall be as follows:
(1) Call to order;
(2) Prayer;
(3) Pledge of allegiance;
(4) Roll call;
(5) Approval and/or reading of minutes:
A. Reading of the minutes of the previous Council meeting shall be dispensed with if each Council member has been provided with a copy of the minutes at least two days prior to the meeting. Otherwise, the minutes of the previous Council meeting shall be read by the Clerk. Minutes shall be kept of all meetings, except the minutes of executive sessions authorized under R.C. § 121.22(G), and shall only reflect the general subject matter of discussions.
(6) Correspondence;
(7) Presentations;
(8) Audience of public (from the floor):
A. Any item of an administrative nature brought before Council by a citizen shall be referred to the City Manager for a report at the next regular meeting. Any matter of a policy nature shall be placed on the agenda of the next regular Council meeting.
(9) Unfinished business;
(10) New business;
(11) Legislation (pending);
(12) Legislation (new);
(13) Reports;
(14) Audience of Council:
A. The audience of Council shall be a call of the members of Council so that each may present ideas, offer original motions or bring before Council any other item of business. Any item requiring a vote of Council shall be filed with the Clerk not later than 11:00 a.m., three days preceding the regular meeting day. The Clerk shall include copies of all such agenda items to be presented by Council members in the agenda of the meeting, in their proper order. Matters not so filed with the Clerk may be added to the agenda and introduced as an addendum to the agenda, if no member objects to immediate consideration of the same.
(i) Ordinances and resolutions. The first reading of a proposed ordinance shall be for information and the second reading for the purpose of amendments. If at the third reading, an ordinance is ordered laid on the table, it shall not be taken up again except by a majority vote of all the members.
(j) The Chair; powers and duties.
(1) Roll call. The Mayor shall take the chair at the hour appointed for Council to meet and shall immediately call the members to order. The roll shall then be called by the Clerk, who shall enter in the minutes of the meeting the names of the members present. In the absence of a quorum at the time appointed for a meeting, the members present may, by a majority vote, take a recess and direct the Clerk to procure the attendance of absent members.
(2) Temporary Chairman. In the case of the absence of the Mayor, the Vice-Mayor shall preside. In the absence of the Mayor and Vice-Mayor, the Clerk shall call Council to order and call the roll of the members. If a quorum is found to be present, Council shall proceed to elect, by a majority vote of those present, a Chairman of the meeting, to act until the Mayor or Vice-Mayor appears.
(3) Appeals from decision of the Chair. The Chair shall preserve decorum and decide all questions of order, subject to appeal to Council. In case of an appeal from a ruling of the Chair, the question shall be: "Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the decision of the Council?" If a member transgresses these Rules of Council, the Chair shall call him to order, in which case he shall relinquish the floor, unless permitted to explain.
(4) Votes. All questions shall be stated and put by the Chair. In case of a roll call vote, the Chair shall declare the result after the Clerk has announced the number voting on each side. The results of viva voce votes shall be declared by the Chair without reference to the Clerk. Where the result of a viva voce vote is in doubt, the Chair may, and on demand of any member shall, call for a division of Council, which shall be taken by a roll call. It shall not be in order for members to explain their votes during the call of the roll.
(5) Presiding officer - leaving Chair. The presiding officer at a meeting may call any other member to take his place in the Chair, but the substitution shall not extend beyond adjournment. "Presiding officer" means either the Mayor, Vice-Mayor or Chairman of the meeting.
(6) Addressing Chair. Every member speaking to a question or making a motion, shall address the Chair as "Mr. Mayor," who shall thereupon pronounce the name of the member entitled to the floor. Members addressing Council shall confine themselves to the question under debate and avoid personal references to other members or members of the City administration.
(7) Division of a question. Upon demand of any member, a question under consideration covering two or more points shall be divided where the question admits of such division.
(8) Demand for roll call. Upon demand of any member made before the vote has been recorded, the roll shall be called for yeas and nays upon any question before Council. A demand for roll call cannot be made by a member until each member has had an opportunity to speak twice on the question.
(9) Personal privilege. The right of a member to address Council on a question of personal privilege shall be limited to cases in which his integrity, character or motives are assailed, questioned or impugned.
(10) Dissents and protests. Any member shall have the liberty to dissent from or protest against any Council ordinance, resolution or other decision, and have the reason or reasons thereof entered upon the Journal. Such dissent may be made in writing, in respectful language, and presented to Council not later than the next regular meeting following that of the passage of such ordinance, resolution or decision.
(11) Caucus meetings and executive meetings. No private caucus or executive meeting shall be called during a recess of the regular Council meeting, without the two-thirds vote of Council. No private caucus or executive meeting shall be called except for those purposes specified in R.C. § 121.22(G).
(12) Motions.
A. Order of precedence. When a question is before Council, the following order of precedence is hereby established:
1. To adjourn;
2. To lay on the table;
3. The previous question;
4. To postpone to a time certain;
5. To refer;
6. To amend; and
7. To postpone indefinitely.
B. Motion to adjourn. A motion to adjourn is in order at any time, except as follows:
1. When repeated without intervening business or discussion;
2. When made while another member is speaking;
3. When the previous question has been ordered; and
4. While a vote is being taken.
The presiding officer cannot summarily adjourn a meeting. Regular adjournment must be authorized by Council. In the case of regular adjournment, the meeting is ended and no further action can be taken at such meeting. When it is necessary to continue the unfinished business of a meeting at another time, Council may authorize an adjourned meeting, but the motion must state the specific time of the adjourned meeting.
C. Motion to lay on the table. A motion to lay on the table precludes all amendments or debate of the subject under consideration. If the motion prevails, consideration of the subject can be resumed only upon motion of a member voting with the majority, and with the consent of a majority of the members present.
D. Previous question. The previous question is a motion to close debate. After a motion moving the previous question is made and carried, the presiding officer puts the question: "Shall debate now close?"
E. Motion to amend. A motion to amend shall undertake but one amendment. An amendment once rejected may not be moved again in the same form.
F. Postponement. A motion for postponement may be amended as to time, excepting a motion to postpone indefinitely. When a motion to postpone indefinitely is carried, the question is declared to be lost.
(13) Reconsideration. Any member who voted with the prevailing side of a question may move a reconsideration at any time, and a motion to reconsider, once put and lost, shall not be renewed. This is a privileged motion and takes precedence over all other questions and may be considered at any time after pending business is disposed of. A majority of those present may reconsider any vote, except that by which an ordinance or resolution was passed, which shall require not less than four votes. No resolution or ordinance shall be reconsidered after one regular meeting has intervened after its passage.
(14) Other rules. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised Edition, shall be used to cover all points of parliamentary procedure not covered by the foregoing rules of procedure.
(Ord. 21-2019. Passed 10-3-19; Ord. 10-2022. Passed 5-5-22.)