Loading...
A. The mayor shall be the presiding officer of the city council. In the mayor's absence, the mayor pro tem shall be the presiding officer. The mayor pro tem shall immediately relinquish the chair upon arrival of the mayor. In the absence of the mayor and the mayor pro tem, the city clerk shall call the meeting to order, and a temporary presiding officer shall then be selected by majority vote of the council members present. Upon arrival of the mayor or mayor pro tem, the temporary presiding officer shall immediately relinquish the chair.
B. The responsibilities of the presiding officer during council meetings include but are not limited to the following:
1. Call the meeting to order.
2. Announce the order of business as provided in the agenda.
3. State motions on the table and who opens debate.
4. Put motions to a vote, when appropriate.
5. Announce the council's decision on all subjects.
6. Prevent irrelevant or frivolous debate or discussion.
7. Maintain order and decorum.
8. Decide all questions of order.
9. Enforce city rules or policies pertaining to city council meeting procedures.
10. Recognize the right of council members to appeal parliamentary procedure.
C. Appeal Of Parliamentary Decision: A council member may appeal a parliamentary decision made by the presiding officer. A motion to appeal the decision of the presiding officer requires a second and is debatable. The city council shall decide the question by a majority vote. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A. The mayor as presiding officer may debate, but may not make a motion or vote. The mayor pro tem, as presiding officer or a temporary presiding officer, may debate, vote as a regular council member, and retain all the powers of a council member. The presiding officer is subject to the limitations of debate that are imposed on all council members.
B. The mayor pro tem or a temporary presiding officer shall be counted as a council member when determining whether a quorum exists.
C. The mayor pro tem or temporary presiding officer shall affix his or her signature on documents that require the mayor's signature. With regard to measures passed by the council, the mayor pro tem may sign the measure or may take no action as provided by Iowa Code section 380.6(3), in which case the measure becomes effective pursuant to said section. However, the mayor pro tem or temporary presiding officer shall not have the power to veto a measure. In the event the mayor pro tem or temporary presiding officer takes no action on a measure and the mayor resumes his or her office within fourteen (14) days of the measure's passage by the council, the mayor may sign or veto the measure within the fourteen (14) day period. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A. The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum, prevent attacks on personalities and the impugning of council members' motives, confine council members in deliberation and debate to the question under discussion, and decide all questions of order. Council members shall not attack the personalities or motives of other members and shall limit deliberation and debate to the question on the table. Council members shall be required to compel the presiding officer to enforce rules of decorum, debate, speaking, and conduct listed in this Article by raising a point of order.
B. Every member of the public and every council member desiring to speak shall address the presiding officer, only upon recognition by the presiding officer, and shall confine comments to the question under debate, avoiding inappropriate language and personal attacks. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A. When two (2) or more council members address the presiding officer at once, the presiding officer shall name the member who is to speak. Council members shall refrain from discourse while another member or the presiding officer is speaking. Cell phone and email use shall be limited during any city council meeting.
B. Council members shall only speak once until each member choosing to speak shall have spoken.
C. Council members shall only have the floor for a maximum of three (3) minutes each time they have the floor. Council members may request time in addition to the allotted three (3) minutes. Such requests for additional time shall be made to the presiding officer and granted at the presiding officer's discretion.
D. The presiding officer may make a call to order if a council member violates rules of decorum, and upon such a call, the council member shall immediately cease speaking. The council member may appeal to the presiding officer for an opportunity to explain the remarks. If no appeal is made, the decision of the presiding officer shall be conclusive, but if the member shall appeal from the decision of the presiding officer, the city council shall decide the question without debate by majority vote. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A. Work Session: Pursuant to subsection 1-4A-14A2, a council member proposing an agenda item shall work with the city clerk to schedule a work session. City staff and other council members may not make presentations during the time allotted for the proposing council member's work session unless requested by the proposing council member. The proposing council member may schedule subsequent work sessions on the same topic, except when a vote of the council prohibits further pursuit of the topic. When scheduling the work session presentation, the proposing council member shall tell the city clerk the following:
1. The estimated amount of time needed to make the presentation and answer questions.
2. If the presentation will include a power point or handouts, the power point or handout shall be included in the agenda packet.
3. If speakers other than the council member will deliver remarks to the city council as part of the presentation.
Council members making presentations during work sessions may utilize computer presentations, written materials, or other visual aids to present the topic. These materials shall not be utilized during the regular session meeting but may be included in the regular session agenda packet.
B. City Council Meeting: When a work session topic sponsored by a council member is approved by the city council to move to the regular session agenda for a vote, the council member shall receive the first opportunity to speak by the presiding officer. The council member shall follow section 1-4A-10 when speaking, and may not relinquish their time to speak to any other council member, member of the public, or party interested in the topic. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A council member who is physically unable to attend a meeting may participate via telephone or video. They shall provide a reliable telephone number or internet connection, a quiet environment, join the meeting by five thirty o'clock (5:30) P.M., and attempt to remain on the phone or connected to the video conference for the entire meeting. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
A. All agenda items and supporting materials are due to the city clerk's office at a date and time designated by the city clerk on the Wednesday two (2) weeks prior to the regular session, work session, finance committee, and planning session. The city clerk may adjust the agenda item deadline when holidays shorten a workweek. The process for adding items to the agenda varies for staff, council, and the mayor. Ordinance or amendment changes shall follow subsection 1-4A-17D. Agenda items shall be added as follows:
1. Mayor And Staff: Mayor and staff members shall submit agenda items using the agenda management software.
2. Council Members: Council members shall submit regular session and work session agenda items to the mayor and city clerk and shall do so by the deadline designated by the city clerk. Items submitted by council members shall be reviewed by the city attorney, city clerk, or appropriate staff and be placed on a work session agenda for discussion and review prior to being placed on the regular agenda for a vote. Council members shall submit planning session agenda items to the mayor and city clerk for review and addition to the planning session agenda.
B. A tentative agenda and packet shall be available to the council one week prior to the regular session, work session, planning session, and finance committee meeting.
C. The finalized agenda and packet shall be available to the public at the close of business of the Wednesday preceding the council meeting. The mayor has final approval of all items listed on the agenda submitted by staff members. Once finalized, the mayor may withdraw any item prior to the council meeting and shall do so in writing in the form of an amendment notice provided to city council at the start of the meeting. The amendment notice shall include a reason for withdrawing the item. City council may choose to keep the item on the agenda by a majority vote. (Ord. 5662, 9-19-2022)
Loading...