(A) The City Council may prescribe rules of procedure for government of its proceedings.
(B) The following rules of procedure shall be applicable to all City Council actions and proceedings.
(1) Rule 1. General Rules.
(a) Rules of Council. The Council shall determine its own rules, order of business, conduct of public meetings, and shall provide for keeping of minutes of its proceedings. These minutes shall be a public record.
(b) Written rules, order of business and procedure. The rules of business and procedure of the Council shall be in writing and be available to all interested citizens.
(2) Rule 2. Council Meetings. The Council shall meet regularly at least once in every month at such times and places as the Council may prescribe by resolution. Special meetings may be held on the call of the Mayor or of four or more members. All meetings shall be public. Executive sessions may be held for the purposes allowed by law. All public meetings and proceedings shall confirm to the requirements of A.R.S. §§ 38-431 and 38-431.09, inclusive.
(3) Rule 3. The Council Agenda; Staff Procedure. All reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, documents or other matters to be submitted to the Council shall be delivered to the City Clerk.
(a) The City Manager and Mayor shall review the agenda and background information material on the third day preceding the Council meeting (Monday, if the meeting is on Thursday). The Mayor may delete or add items to the agenda at his or her discretion, except those items specifically requested by three Council members.
(b) Following the agenda review, the agenda with the additions, deletions or other corrections shall be returned to the City Clerk who shall prepare the agenda in its final form.
(c) Copies of the agenda and background material shall be disseminated to the Mayor, City Council and city staff by the City Clerk.
(d) The agenda shall be made public in advance of the meeting by posting on the regular public bulletin board at City Hall. Such action shall be taken concurrently with the furnishing of the agenda to individual members of the City Council.
(4) Rule 4. The Council Agenda. The agenda’s order of business may contain the following items:
(a) Pledge of Allegiance;
(b) Invocation;
(c) Minutes:
1. Approval of Council meeting minutes; and
2. Acceptance of committee and board meeting minutes.
(d) Reports and announcements:
1. Mayor’s announcements; and
2. Manager’s announcements.
(e) Public appearances and participation: five minute time limit per citizen;
(f) Consent agenda: (NOTE: Consent agenda items may be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the non-consent agenda at the request of any Councilperson.)
1. Miscellaneous;
2. Award of bids;
3. Ordinances for introduction;
4. Ordinances for adoption;
5. Resolutions; and
6. Miscellaneous departmental reports.
(g) Non-consent agenda:
1. Miscellaneous;
2. Award of bids;
3. Ordinances for adoption; and
4. Resolutions.
(h) Manager’s business and staff reports;
(i) Council members’ business and reports; and
(j) Executive session.
(5) Rule 5. Presiding Officer. The Mayor or, in his or her absence, the Vice-Mayor shall take the Chair at the hour appointed for the Council to meet and shall immediately call the members to order. The presiding officer shall serve as Council Parliamentarian. The Clerk shall enter in the minutes of the meeting the names of the members present.
(6) Rule 6. Temporary Chairperson. In case of the absence of the Mayor and the Vice-Mayor, the City Clerk shall call the Council to order. If a quorum is found to be present, the Council shall proceed to elect, by a majority vote of those present, a Chairperson of the meeting.
(7) Rule 7. Decorum and Order. The presiding officer shall preserve decorum and decide all questions or order, subject to appeal to Council.
(a) During Council meeting, Council members shall preserve order and decorum and shall not delay or interrupt the proceedings or refuse to obey the orders of the presiding officer or the Rules of the Council. Every Council member desiring to speak shall address the Chair, and upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine himself or herself to the question under debate and shall avoid all personalities and indecorous language. A Council member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted while speaking unless called to order by the presiding officer or unless a point of order is raised by another Council member. If a Council member is called to order while he or she is speaking, he or she shall cease speaking immediately until the question of order is determined. If ruled to be in order, he or she shall be permitted to proceed. If ruled to be not in order, he or she shall remain silent or shall alter his or her remarks so as to comply with the rules of the Council. Council members shall confine their questions to the particular issues before the Council. If the presiding officer fails to act, any member may move to require him or her to enforce the rules and the affirmative vote of the majority of the Council shall require the presiding officer to act.
(b) The presiding officer shall have the authority to preserve decorum in meetings as far as the audience, staff members and city employees are concerned. The City Manager shall also be responsible for the orderly conduct and decorum of all city employees under his or her direction and control. Any remarks shall be addressed to the Chair and to any or all members of the Council. No staff member, other than the staff member having the floor, shall enter into any discussion either directly or indirectly without permission of the presiding officer.
(c) Citizens attending Council meetings shall also observe the same rules of propriety, decorum and good conduct applicable to members of the Council. Any person making personal, impertinent and slanderous remarks or who becomes boisterous while addressing the Council, or while attending the Council meeting, shall be removed from the room if the Sergeant-at-Arms is so directed by the presiding officer. Unauthorized remarks from the audience, stamping of feet, whistles, yells, and similar demonstrations shall not be permitted by the presiding officer, who shall direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove such offenders from the room. Should the presiding officer fail to act, any member of the Council may move to require him or her to enforce the rules, and the affirmative vote of the majority of the Council shall require the presiding officer to act. Any member of the public desiring to address the Council must first prepare a “citizen information card” in the form attached as Exhibit 1 to the ordinance codified in this section and on file in the office of the City Clerk and give the card to the City Clerk. The City Clerk will give the “citizen information cards” to the presiding officer for recognition of the public speaker. Any member of the public desiring to address the Council shall be recognized by the presiding officer, shall state his or her name and address in an audible tone for the record, and shall limit his or her remarks to the questions under discussion. Any remarks shall be addressed to the Chair and to any or all members of the Council and be limited to five minutes.
(8) Rule 8. Right of Appeal. Any member may appeal to the Council from a ruling of the presiding officer. If the appeal is seconded, the member making the appeal may briefly state his or her reason for the same, and the presiding officer may briefly explain his or her ruling, but there shall be no debate on the appeal, and no other member shall participate in the discussion. The presiding officer shall then put the question, “Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?” If a majority of the members present vote “Aye”, the ruling of the Chair is sustained, otherwise it is overruled.
(9) Rule 9. Limitation of Debate. No member of the Council or public shall be allowed to speak more than once upon any one subject, until all Council members have had an opportunity to speak, nor for a longer time than five minutes, without the leave of the presiding officer. Citizen groups shall be represented in presentation to the Council by one of its members.
(10) Rule 10. Roll Call Vote. If necessary, the roll shall be taken for yeas and nays upon any questions before Council. It shall be out of order for members to explain their votes during the roll call. There shall be no additional debate or speaking on the subject after the vote is taken.
(11) Rule 11. Motions to be Stated by Chair; Withdrawal. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be so stated by the Chair before debate commences. A motion may not be withdrawn by the mover without the consent of the member seconding it.
(12) Rule 12. Motion to Adjourn, When Not in Order, Not Debatable. A motion to adjourn shall be in order at any time, except as follows:
(a) When repeated without intervening business or discussion;
(b) When made as an interruption of a member while speaking;
(c) When the previous question has been ordered; and
(d) While a vote is being taken. A motion to adjourn is debatable only as to the time to which the meeting is adjourned.
(13) Rule 13. Motion to Lay on Table. A motion to lay on the table shall preclude all amendments or debate on the subject under consideration. If the motion shall prevail, the consideration of the subject may be resumed only upon motion of a member voting with the majority of the members present.
(14) Rule 14. Division of Question. If the question contains two or more divisible propositions, the presiding officer may, and upon request of a member shall, divide the same.
(15) Rule 15. Amend an Amendment. A motion to amend an amendment shall be in order, but one to amend an amendment to an amendment shall not be introduced. 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.
(16) Rule 16. Reconsideration. After the decision on any question any member who voted with the prevailing side may move a reconsideration of any action at the same or the next succeeding meeting; provided, however, that, a resolution authorizing or relating to any contract may be reconsidered at any time before the final execution thereof. A motion to reconsider shall require a majority vote of all Council members, whether present or not, not disqualified from voting by a conflict of interest, but in no event by less than four affirmative votes.
(17) Rule 17. Rescind. After the time for reconsideration has expired, any member who voted with the prevailing side may move to rescind any action. A motion to rescind shall require a majority vote of all Council members, whether present or not, not disqualified from voting by a conflict of interest, but in no event by less than four affirmative votes.
(18) Rule 18. Suspend the Rules. These rules may be suspended by a two-thirds vote of all Council member whether present or not.
(19) Rule 19. Amend the Rules. These rules may be amended with previous notice by a majority vote of all Council members whether present or not. A motion to amend these rules without previous notice shall require a two-thirds vote of all Council members whether present or not.
(20) Rule 20. What Other Rules Shall Govern. The rules of parliamentary practice, comprised in Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern the Council in all cases to which they are applicable; provided, they are not in conflict with these rules.
(Prior Code, § 2-1.05) (Ord. 763, passed - -1997; Ord. 890, passed - -2007; Ord. 938, passed 12-12-2014)