Except as the City Council of the City of Washington Court House may otherwise provide by the adoption or passage of other lawful means, the proceedings of Council shall be governed by the following rules:
(A) Rule 1 - Salaries. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall from time to time fix the compensation of the members of the City Council in a manner that complies with the Charter of the City of Washington Court House and the Ohio Revised Code.
(B) Rule 2 - Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from among the membership of the City Council before transacting any other business in the month of January following a regular municipal election at which member(s) of the City Council are elected. The election shall in all manners comply with Article 4.4 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(C) Rule 3 - Meetings of Council. All meetings of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall be held within the City Council’s chambers, located upon the second floor of 105 North Main Street unless a motion is carried to hold a meeting of the City Council at some other place.
(D) Rule 4 - Quorum. A quorum shall be that as declared in Article 4.8 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House, but a lesser number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members and under such penalties as prescribed by law.
(E) Rule 5 - Clerk. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall select by resolution a Clerk and other employees as deemed necessary and described in Article 4.7 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(F) Rule 6 - Committees. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall establish by resolution what standing committees of the City Council that the City Council deems appropriate and any other special or select committees the City Council deems necessary.
(G) Rule 7 - Reports of committees. All committees of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall submit to the City Council’s Clerk of Council report(s) upon the action(s) recommended in their respective committees. The reports shall be included and made a part thereof of the minutes of the City Council.
(H) Rule 8 - Deliberations of committees. All recommendation(s) of the various committees of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House are recommendation(s) to the City Council as a whole and shall not be construed to direct action until a report(s) detailing the recommendation(s) is approved by the City Council save a recommendation(s) to draft legislation for the consideration of the City Council.
(I) Rule 9 - Acceptance or rejection of a committee report. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House may accept a report of a committee of the City Council in whole or in part by carrying a motion to do same at any meeting of the City Council.
(J) Rule 10 - Voting upon legislation. Ordinances or resolutions shall always be voted upon separately regardless of the action(s) of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House upon a report of a committee urging passage or adoption of the measure in question.
(K) Rule 11 - Maintenance of the minutes. The City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall cause the Clerk of the City Council to keep the minutes of the City Council in a manner that complies with Article 4.7 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House. The minutes shall include the yeas and nays upon any vote taken and shall be collected together to form the journal of the City Council.
(L) Rule 12 - Action by motion. All actions by the City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall be by motion put by a member of the City Council and seconded by another member of the City Council and carried by a majority of a quorum save a motion to adjourn that may be carried by a majority of less than a quorum.
(M) Rule 13 - Lack of second. Any motion that fails to receive a second shall be declared lost after a reasonable time has been given for a second to be made. On no account shall any member of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House make the same motion more than once in a single meeting of the City Council where the motion failed to receive a second.
(N) Rule 14 - Chairperson presiding officer. The Chairperson of Council or Vice-Chairperson acting as Chairperson per Article 4.4 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House shall preside at all regular or special meetings of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House. The Chairperson shall call the meeting to order at the appropriate time and shall call out the business of Council in its proper order, and state all question(s) upon the floor of the Council so that the members of the Council understand the questions put. The Chairperson shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the Council as a whole upon a point of order. Should the appeal occur, the Chairperson shall put the question at hand to a vote. The Chairperson shall refrain from debate upon any question before Council and shall function solely to see that the City Council’s business is properly brought and discharged. At all times the Chairperson shall maintain order and decorum upon the floor of the Council.
(O) Rule 15. - Succession of Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson shall succeed to the office of Chairperson as described in Article 4.4 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House in the event that absence or disability prevents the duly elected Chairperson from the performance of his or her duties.
(P) Rule 16 - Agenda of Council. Each regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House shall be opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. The agenda of the City Council shall be as follows:
(1) Roll call. The Chairperson shall command the Clerk to call the roll to determine if a quorum is present. Absent members of the City Council may be excused by motion, for cause. At all times when a member of the City Council is excused, the members shall remain cognizant of Article 4.10.1 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(2) Minutes. The Chairperson shall seek a motion of approve the minutes of the previous meeting with any deletions, corrections or omissions agreed to by the City Council.
(3) Reports of committees. The Chairperson of the City Council shall call upon the Chairperson of each committee of the City Council who possesses a report or a person who sits upon the committee should the Chairperson of a committee have been absent from the last meeting of a committee to read the recommendation(s) of the committee of the City Council. A minority report may be submitted in writing and be read by the member(s) of a committee who fail to support a recommendation of a whole committee.
(4) Residents and taxpayers.
(a) Introductions of person(s), delegations, citizens, representatives of person(s), entities or corporations wishing to address the City Council.
(b) The Chairperson shall be charged with maintaining decorum and the efficient discharge of the business before the City Council and shall govern any person(s) addressing the City Council in a manner compatible with the maintenance of decorum and the efficient discharge of the public’s business.
(5) Reports of city officials. The City Manager, Director of Finance and City Attorney shall all be called upon by the Chairperson to deliver to the City Council a verbal report. From time to time, the Chairperson may call upon the Clerk of the City Council to deliver a verbal report when events warrant a report from the Clerk of the City Council.
(6) Communications. The Chairperson shall direct the City Manger to bring to the attention of the City Council any communication(s) to the City Council as a whole, unless copies of the communication(s) have been submitted to each member of the City Council in writing before the meeting of the City Council.
(7) Legislation previously introduced. Legislation previously introduced shall be taken in turn and discharged with at the City Council’s pleasure in keeping with the rules adopted by the City Council and the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(8) New legislation. New legislation shall be taken in turn and discharged with at the City Council’s pleasure in keeping with the rules adopted by the City Council and the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(9) Miscellaneous. The Chairperson of the City Council shall call upon each member of the City Council in turn and each member may make a brief statement of personal privilege or matters pertaining to the City Council’s business.
(Q) Rule 17 - Discussion. No member of the City Council shall speak more than once upon any subject, until every member choosing to speak has had an opportunity to be heard. No member of the City Council shall speak at any one time for a period longer than ten minutes without the approval of the City Council by majority vote.
(R) Rule 18 - Motion when question is upon the floor.
(1) When a question is upon the floor of the City Council, no motion shall be allowed except the following:
(a) To adjourn.
(b) To table the motion.
(c) The previous question (call for a vote upon the question).
(d) To postpone indefinitely (Declare the question lost).
(e) To amend the main motion.
(2) The motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged. Motions listed as (a), (b) and (c) shall be decided without debate.
(S) Rule 19 - Motions for reference to committee. When a motion is made for reference of any subject to a standing committee, and it is moved to substitute a select or special committee for the standing committee, the question referencing the standing committee shall be put first.
(T) Rule 20 - Motions to reconsider. A motion to reconsider a question that was acted upon favorably must be made before the adjournment of that sitting of the City Council. A motion to reconsider any other subject may be put not later than the next regular meeting after the action was taken. A motion to reconsider shall be in order at any time except when another question is upon the floor.
(1) A motion to reconsider that is laid upon the table, may be taken up and acted upon at any time when the City Council is engaged in the transaction of the business before the City Council so long as no other question is upon the floor.
(2) No motion to reconsider shall be made more than once on any matter and the same number of votes shall be required to reconsider the action of the City Council, as was required to pass or adopt the same.
(U) Rule 21 - Motion to take from the table. A motion to take from the table shall be in order when that order of business is being transacted and when the matter to be taken up is laid upon the table, or under the head of miscellaneous business. The motion shall be decided without debate.
(V) Rule 22 - Motion to postpone indefinitely. A motion to postpone indefinitely that is carried shall result in the question being declared lost.
(W) Rule 23 - Motion of the previous question. A motion of the previous question that is carried shall result in the question being put without further debate.
(X) Rule 24 - Motion to amend. A motion to amend may be itself amended by motion carried and then the amended motion put.
(Y) Rule 25 - Majority. In any division of the City Council a majority shall be a majority of those elected or appointed to the City Council; likewise, two-thirds or three-fourths of the City Council shall be calculated from that same number. Thus, in the City Council of seven members, a majority is four and three-fourths is six.
(Z) Rule 26 - Readings. All readings of legislation before the City Council shall be in keeping with Article 5.2 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(AA) Rule 27 - Suspension of rules. A motion to suspend the rules (Rule 26) must be carried by two- thirds and shall be in keeping with Article 5.2 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
(BB) Rule 28 - Negative motion. No motion in the negative form shall be in order.
(CC) Rule 29 - Amending resolution or ordinance. A motion to amend a resolution or ordinance shall be in order at any time, but if the resolution or ordinance is successfully amended after the second reading, then it shall again be read as an amended resolution or ordinance at the next meeting of the City Council, as the second reading.
(DD) Rule 30 - Enactment of resolutions and ordinances. Every resolution adopted and every ordinance passed shall be signed by the Chairperson or two members of the City Council, signed by the Clerk and City Attorney and filed with the Clerk of the City Council.
(EE) Rule 31 - Amendment of rules. The rules of the City Council of the City of Washington Court House may be amended, revoked or replaced by resolution(s) adopted in the manner described in Article 5.2 of the Charter of the City of Washington Court House.
('73 Code, § 121.03) (Ord. 22-75, passed 6-9-75; Am. Ord. 3-84, passed 2-22-84; Am. Ord. 4-2006, passed 4-26-06)