The rules and regulations and by-laws governing Council shall be as follows:
(a) The regular meetings of Council shall be held in the Council Chamber in the City Hall, unless another location is designated by Council and notice is posted at least one week in advance of such meeting. Meetings shall be held on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. However, when the day fixed for any regular meeting of Council falls upon a day designated by law as a legal or national holiday, such meeting shall be held at the same hour on the next succeeding day which is not a holiday.
(b) Special meetings of Council shall be called by the President of Council or by two members of Council on not less than twelve hours notice to each member of Council, in writing, delivered personally or left at such member's usual place of residence by the President, Clerk of Council or by any member of the Police Department ordered to make service. Return of service shall be made and deposited in the Clerk's office. The purpose of any special meeting may be shown on the notice.
(c) The President shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting of Council, or at the hour to which Council had adjourned at the preceding session, shall immediately call the members to order and shall direct the Clerk to call the roll. The President shall then cause the journal of the preceding session to be read and disposed of, unless otherwise ordered by Council. In the absence of the President, the Clerk shall call the Council to order, and, if a quorum is present, Council shall choose one of its members President Pro Tern for that session, or until the appearance of the President.
(d) Council may adjourn any regular or adjourned session to a time not beyond the next regular meeting. Council may adjourn any regular or special meeting to
an executive session under any of the following circumstances and for any of the following purposes:
(1) Unless the public employee, official, licensee or regulated individual requests a public hearing, to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of a public employee or official, or to investigate charges or complaints against a public employee, official, licensee or regulated individual. Except as otherwise provided by law, Council shall not hold an executive session for the discipline of an elected official for conduct related to the performance of his or her official duties or for his or her removal from office.
(2) To consider the purchase of property for public purposes or for the sale of property at competitive bidding, if premature disclosure of information would give an unfair competitive or bargaining advantage to a person whose personal, private interest is adverse to the general public interest. No member shall use this paragraph as a subterfuge for providing covert information to prospective buyers or sellers. A purchase or sale of public property is void if the seller or buyer of the public property has received covert information from a member that has not been disclosed to the general public in sufficient time for other prospective buyers and sellers to prepare and submit offers.
If the minutes of the public body show that all meetings and deliberations of the public body have been conducted in compliance with this section, any instrument executed by the public body purporting to convey, lease or otherwise dispose of any right, title or interest in any public property shall be conclusively presumed to have been executed in compliance with this section insofar as titles or other interest of any bona fide purchasers, lessees or transferees of the property is concerned.
(3) Conferences with an attorney for the public body, concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent court action;
(4) Preparing for, conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment, or negotiations where release of information may be detrimental to the City upon an eighty percent vote of Council personnel present;
(5) Matters required to be kept confidential by Federal laws or rules or State statutes; or
(6) Specialized details of security arrangements where disclosure of the matters discussed might reveal information that could be used for the purpose of committing, or avoiding prosecution for, a violation of the law.
Any information discussed in executive sessions, under existing sunshine laws, shall remain a part of that session and shall not be revealed to anyone.
(e) No member shall leave Council while it is in session without the permission of the President of Council, and any member leaving without first obtaining such permission shall be guilty of contempt and may be dealt with for such contempt as provided in subsection (1) hereof.
(f) No member shall be required to remain in the Council chamber longer than one-half hour after the regular hour of meeting, or after the time to which Council stands adjourned, unless there is a quorum present and Council is called to order and proceeds to business.
(g) The order of business shall be as follows:
(1) Call to order
(2) Prayer or Pledge of Allegiance
(3) Roll call
(4) Minutes
(5) Citizens discussion
(6) Bid proposals
(7) Special order of business
(8) Communications
(9) Tabled items
(10) Reports from committees
(11) Reports from officers
(12) Reports from the City Manager
(13) Ordinances and resolutions
(14) Mayor and Council communications
(15) Adjournment.
The President may at any time permit a member to introduce an ordinance, resolution or motion out of the regular order, provided two-thirds of the members consent.
(h) Names of members shall be called in alphabetical order of their surnames whenever a vote is taken.
(i) Every member present at any lawful meeting of Council shall vote on any question on the calling of the yeas and nays on the question, unless the member has identified a conflict of interest which disqualifies him or her from voting, or unless excused by the majority of those Council members remaining. Any member not so excused, who refuses to vote on any question when the yeas and nays are being called on a question shall be guilty of contempt of Council, and may, for such contempt, be censured by a majority vote of Council, and the result of such vote shall be made a part of the record of Council and recorded in its journal.
(j) All bills, accounts, reports and petitions may be referred to a committee of one or more councilmen named by majority of Council.
(k) Unless the reading of the minutes of a Council meeting is requested by a member of Council, such minutes may be approved without reading if the Clerk has previously furnished each member of Council a copy thereof during the week prior to the next regular meeting, with ten additional copies available to those citizens who request a copy. The Clerk shall make such additional copies as are necessary over and above such ten additional copies.
(l) Robert's Rules of Order shall be used as authority on all questions of parliamentary law.
(m) These rules may be amended or altered or new rules adopted by the vote of all members elected to Council, at any meeting of Council, on the report of a proper committee to which the subject has been previously referred.
(n) When Council is in executive session, the President of Council shall be responsible for confining the discussion of Council to that subject matter specifically authorized to be discussed in executive session under subsection (d) hereof.
(o) Any Council member unable to attend a meeting of Council shall notify the Clerk of Council or the Council President in advance of such meeting.
(Ord. 2986. Passed 3-21-88.)
(p) Citizen discussion shall be a time set aside early on the agenda during a regularly scheduled Council meeting for the purpose of hearing any and all concerns of community residents. Citizens will stand and state their name and address for the record and may introduce any topic not listed under the category of "public hearing' at the same meeting. Responses may be made by any Councilperson or the administration, as applicable, or may be referred to the appropriate committee or the administration for further research and reply within a reasonable period of time. Detailed specific questions may be requested in writing. At Council's discretion, a citizen's presentation may be limited in length and restricted to one presentation per citizen on any one topic per meeting.
(q) A public hearing is included under the category of "special order of business." The sole purpose of such public hearing is to obtain either oral or written input from citizens regarding legislation to be decided at the same meeting. This is a final opportunity for Council to hear comments, pro or con, regarding specific legislation. Discussion may be permitted, but is not required, and at Council's discretion the duration of comments may be limited.
(Ord. 4202. Passed 5-4-92; Ord. 5818-19. Passed 4-1-19.)