§ 2-27. [Rules and procedures for the conduct of council proceedings.]

(a)

Agenda. All reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contract documents, or any other matters to be considered by the council are to be placed by the clerk on the agenda of the council no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday preceding the regular meetings. No item of business, except emergency matters, shall be considered at a regular meeting unless initiated by a council member. It will be the responsibility of the mayor and council to pick up the agenda materials. It is the responsibility of the mayor, officers and commissions to submit agenda materials to the city clerk no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the regular meetings. No contract shall be submitted for council action unless approval as to form and legality has first been approved by corporation counsel.

(b)

Regular meetings.

(1)

Call to order. The presiding officer shall take the chair at the hour appointed for all meetings and shall call the council to order.

(2)

Roll call and roll call vote. Before proceeding with the business of the council, the city clerk shall call the roll of members, and the names of those present and absent shall be entered in the minutes. In all roll call votes, the names of the members of the council shall be called in order of seniority of tenure in office.

No member of the council shall vote on any question in which he or she has a financial interest, other than the common public interest, or on any question concerning his own conduct, but on all other questions each member who is present shall vote when their name is called.

(3)

Order of business. All meetings of the council shall be open to the public except those which, by law, may be conducted in executive or closed session. At the hour set by law on the day of each regular meeting, the council, mayor, city clerk and corporation counsel, shall take their regular stations in the council chambers. The agenda of the council shall be prepared as follows:

a.

Call to order/roll call.

b.

Pledge of allegiance.

c.

Invocation.

d.

Awards, presentations and proclamations.

e.

Approval of minutes.

f.

Audience participation.

g.

Public hearings.

h.

Communications from department heads.

i.

Communications from officers.

j.

Communications from council members and commission liaison reports.

k.

Communications from mayor.

l.

Other commission business.

m.

Audience participation.

n.

Approval of payment of invoices.

o.

Adjournment.

(4)

Minutes. Minutes of the council meetings may be approved without reading if the city clerk has previously furnished each member with a copy thereof.

(5)

Awards, presentations and proclamations. Proclamations and any special awards or recognition may be presented at this point of the meeting.

(6)

Rules of debate by members of the council.

a.

Obtaining the floor. Every member desiring to speak shall address the chair and upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall be confined to the question under debate.

b.

Interruptions. A member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless to be called to order by the presiding officer, or as hereinafter provided. If a member, while speaking, is called to order, the member shall cease speaking until the questions of order are determined and if in order, shall be permitted to proceed.

c.

Procedure. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall be observed and shall govern procedure in all instances, unless modified by these rules. Corporation counsel shall serve as parliamentarian.

(7)

Persons in audience.

a.

Any person desiring to address the council shall first secure the permission of the presiding officer. Persons may address the council on any item of community business when the order of business moves to persons in audience.

b.

Individuals will be permitted to address the council only once and for five minutes on any given subject under persons in audience, unless more or less time is given by the council.

c.

Persons addressing the council shall give their names and street addresses in an audible tone of voice for the record.

d.

Total time permitted for persons in audience shall be limited to 30 minutes, unless extended by the council.

e.

The purpose of persons in audience shall be for the public to have input on any agenda items as well as any other item of community interest.

f.

The council shall take no action nor vote during persons in audience.

g.

Verbal questions from the audience may be answered, but questions will not be printed as part of the official council minutes.

(8)

Resolution, ordinances, motions.

a.

Formal resolutions and ordinances shall be reduced to writing before the vote is taken thereon.

b.

All official action of the council shall be by ordinance or resolution. All actions of the council which do not constitute ordinances shall be deemed to be resolutions. Action by resolution shall be limited to matters required or permitted to be so done by law pertaining to the internal affairs or concerns of the city government. All other acts of the council and all acts carrying a penalty for the violation thereof, shall be by ordinance. Each ordinance shall be identified by a short title and by a number, and by a code section number when the codification of ordinances is completed.

c.

All proposed ordinances shall be in writing and shall be prepared by the corporation counsel or shall be submitted to the corporation counsel for approval as to form and legality.

1.

An ordinance may be placed on the agenda for initial consideration. The presiding officer shall identify the ordinance by number and title. After discussion, a motion is in order to continue the ordinance to the next regular meeting, unless specifically provided otherwise. This is known as giving the first reading, by title only.

2.

Amendments or modifications. An ordinance may be modified or amended by council prior to the second reading. Any modifications or changes shall be incorporated in the final reading of the ordinance.

3.

Emergency ordinance. No ordinance shall be passed at the same meeting at which it is introduced, unless the same is declared to be an emergency ordinance by an unanimous vote of the council.

4.

Final adoption. The second and final reading is given by the city clerk at the direction of the council. Any and all amendments to the ordinance shall be incorporated in the final reading.

5.

In the event an ordinance is continued to a certain date or time, it will automatically appear on the agenda for that meeting.

(9)

Voting. A vote upon all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken by "yes" and "no" vote and entered upon the records, except that where the vote is unanimous it shall only be necessary to so state. Motions shall require a majority of members constituting a quorum, and the "yes" and "no" votes shall be entered in the minutes. An "abstention vote" shall be recorded as a "non" vote.

No member of the council shall vote on any question in which he or she has financial interest, other than the common public interest, or on any question concerning his own conduct, but on all other questions each member who is present shall vote when his name is called. When a member has abstained from voting, he shall disclose his reason for abstaining.

(10)

Citizen petitions to be filed with the city clerk. All citizens petitions shall be filed with the city clerk and presented to council at the next regular meeting. The full copy of the petition shall be retained by the city clerk as a public record.

(11)

Decorum.

a.

By council members. While the council is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither by conversation nor otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the council nor disturb any member while speaking, or refuse to obey the orders of the presiding officer, except as otherwise herein provided.

b.

By other persons in attendance. Any citizen or person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks or who shall become boisterous while addressing the council or behave in such a manner as to disrupt meeting proceedings, shall be asked by the presiding officer to leave the meeting and in the event such citizen or person will not leave and continues to disturb and disrupt such assembly, such person may be subject to the provisions of the section of the City Code pertaining to riotous conduct and disturbing the peace.

(12)

Enforcement of decorum. The presiding officer may designate a sergeant-at-arms who shall be a member of the police department for the meetings, and who shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the meetings.

(13)

Adjournment. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and decided without debate. It will require a motion and second.

(c)

Study session.

(1)

The city clerk shall within ten days of the first study session of the council in each fiscal year, publicly post/publish a list stating the dates, times and places of all its regular study sessions.

(2)

Study sessions shall be scheduled as needed by council at a date, time, and place to be determined.

(3)

An agenda will be provided on all items to be discussed and shall be used as official minutes of said session. Said agenda shall include the date and time of the study session.

(4)

All study sessions will be open to the public. Posting of the agenda will be done at least 18 hours prior to the meeting on the public bulletin board in the municipal building.

(5)

Public discussion at study sessions: Public input into agenda items at a study session shall be permitted, however, any persons desiring to speak must be recognized by the presiding officer at the beginning of the agenda item. Discussion may then be permitted. The presiding officer may limit the time for public input to five minutes in order to expedite the discussion on the agenda items.

(6)

The following order of business is hereby adopted:

a.

Call to order.

b.

Discussion of the agenda for the upcoming regular council meeting or the items referred to the study session by council resolution.

c.

Other business.

d.

Adjournment.

(7)

No formal business shall be conducted nor shall motions be made at a study session.

(8)

The council may also establish additional work sessions as it deems appropriate, which shall be posted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, following the procedures set forth in subsections (3) through (7), above.

(Ord. No. 632, art. I, §§ 1—3, 2-16-00; Ord. No. 757, art. I, 7-18-12)