The following are hereby adopted as Rules of Council:
(a) Regular Meetings, Time. Regular Meetings of Council shall be held at such place as Council shall designate in the City on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., except when such Thursday is a legal holiday. During the month of August, Council may, at its discretion, recess its Regular Meetings and may provide for Special Meetings during such period to be called by the Council President or any four (4) Members of Council. All meetings of Council, whether Regular or Special, shall be open to the public. By Resolution or Motion concurred in by a majority of the Members of Council, any Regular Meeting may be continued to any later period prior to the date of the next Regular Meeting which such adjourned meeting shall be considered a Regular Meeting; however, any absentee shall be notified personally by written notice, served personally, or at his regular place of residence, at least twelve (12) hours prior to the date and hour of the meeting.
(1) Council Attendance. Charter provision Article IX - Personnel, Section 9.32 - Removal by Council, Item #7 provides that Council may punish, suspend or remove from office any Member of Council or any employee or officer to whom Council may appoint a successor for absence without justifiable excuse from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of Council. A justifiable excuse for not attending Regular Meetings of Council would be due to: death of a family member, family or personal illness, accident, scheduled vacations and other unusual or unforeseen circumstances.
(2) Procedure for Excused Absences. Council members shall be required to contact the City Clerk's office prior to the Regular Meeting of Council requesting he/she be excused from the meeting and stating the reason for such absence unless unforeseeably impossible. The Clerk shall inform the Council of the reason for the member's absence. Upon passage of a motion by a majority of the members present, the absent member shall be considered excused and the Clerk will make an appropriate notation in the minutes. If the motion is not passed, the Clerk will note in the minutes that the absence is unexcused.
(Ord. 2016-5. Passed 4-14-16.)
(b) Special Meetings. The Council President or any four members of Council may call a special meeting upon at least twenty-four hours notice to each member, served personally, or left at his usual place of residence. Any such request for the calling of a special meeting and the notice thereof shall state the subject or subjects to be considered at the meeting, and no other subject or subjects shall be considered there, except on the approval of four or more of the members of Council in attendance at the special meeting. A member of Council who shall attend the special meeting shall be held to have waived the notice required by this rule. (Ord. 1971-5. Passed 1-14-71.)
(c) Committees. The following Committees are hereby established as Standing Committees for Council: 1) Finance, 2) Rules and Legislation and 3) Working Committee of Council.
(1) Council shall elect its chairman of each of its Standing Committees not later than the second regular meeting after the Organization of Council. Each elected chairman shall appoint at least two other members of Council as members as his/her committee. At any meeting of Council, the President of Council may appoint any Special Committee which may be created or authorized by Council.
(2) In addition to the Standing Committees of Council, Council representatives shall also be appointed to represent Council on the following Boards/Commissions:
A. One representative and one alternate assigned to the Planning Commission and Architectural Board of Review.
B. One representative assigned to Recreation Commission.
(Ord. 2020-09. Passed 2-21-20.)
(d) Order of Business. The business of all regular meetings of Council shall be transacted in the following order:
(1) Call to Order.
(2) Pledge of Allegiance.
(3) Roll Call of Council.
(4) Public Presentations of Resolutions, Commendations, and Proclamations.
(5) Disposition of the Council Journal(s).
(6) Council Correspondence and Miscellaneous Reports.
(7) Public Portion #1 - Recognition of persons present requesting to be heard by Council concerning anything pertaining to that meeting's agenda.
(8) Mayor's Report.
(9) Law Director's Report.
(10) Finance Director's Report.
(11) City Engineer's Report.
(12) Reports of Standing and Special Committees.
(13) Unfinished Business.
(14) Legislation.
(15) New Business.
(16) Public Portion #2 - Recognition of persons present requesting to be heard by Council concerning any comments, issues or concerns.
(17) For the Good of the Order.
(18) For the Good of the Community.
(19) Adjournment.
The failure of Council to follow the above schedule of procedure shall not affect the validity of any legislation adopted by Council. Council shall not be required to consider any legislation presented to it for passage at any meeting of council unless such legislation has been submitted to each member of council at least two days prior to the date of the meeting at which it is proposed to be considered. Any such legislation which has not been submitted at least two days prior to the meeting as herein provided shall only be acted upon by Council at the meeting upon the affirmative vote of five Members of Council waiving this rule and consenting to consider such legislation.
(Ord. 2020-07. Passed 1-23-20.)
(e) Robert’s Rules of Order. In the absence of a rule or the requirements to conform to a general law, the procedure of Council shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order; provided however, that members of Council shall have the right to debate and discuss motions for the suspension of the rules of Council. (Ord. 1981-7. Passed 4-23-81.)
(f) Amendments. These rules may be repealed, amended or altered, or new rules adopted by a vote of Council concurred in by a majority of the members of Council at any regular meeting, provided the subject of the repeal, amendment or alteration has been referred to the business of such meeting at a previous meeting. (Ord. 1971-5. Passed 1-14-71.)