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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02527 ORD - 05/24/1949AN ORDINANCE SETTING OUT THE RULES OF PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE CITY COUNCIL; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. WHEREAS, Section 5, Of Article VII of the City Charter provides that the City Council shall "determine its own rules of procedure; may punish its members for disorderly conduct; may compel the attendance of its members; and may impeach a member for the causes and in the manner herein provided for impeachment of the Mayor. "; and, WHEREAS, at the present time there is no ordinance in effect which sets out the rules of procedure to be followed by the Council, but the Council has in the past customarily followed certain rules, which rules have never been embodied in an ordinance; end, WHEREAS, there is at the present time considerable confusion as to what the rules actually are, and there is disegreement in many respects as to such rules. NObr, THEREFOR% BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS; Section 1. The following rules shall govern the proceedings of the City Councilt Rule 1. Meetings. The City Council shall meet in the Council Chamber in regular session every Tuesday afternoon at 4 o1clock P. M. and at such other times as it may be called by the Mayor, the Mayor Pro -tem, the City Manager, or by call of a majority of the members thereof. No notice is required for the regular meeting or for the scheduled resumption of any adjourned or re- oessed meeting, but when a special meeting is called, personal notice shall be given to each member of the Council, if pos- sible, but personal notice to a majority o£ the members shall always to sufficient for special meetings. S Rule 2. Presiding Officers. The Mayor shall preside at all meetings of the City Coancdl, or if for any reason he is absent, sick or unable to act, then the Mayor Pro -tem shall preside and shall exercise all of the powers and discharge the duties of the Mayor. The Mayor may relinquish the chair to any one of the Commissioners who shall act as chairman at the will of the Mayor, and in the event the Mayor has relinquished the chair during such, relinquishment he shall participate in the proceedings of the Council to the same extent as any other Councilman. Rule Order of Business. The proceedings of the City Council s 11 L• be as follows: (1) Calling the roll and marking absences. (2) Adopting and, if necessary, correcting the minutes. Providing, that the minutes for each month can be adopted and, if necessary, corrected at the first meeting of the succeeding month. (3) Receiving petitions. (4) Receiving reports of the various department heads, of boards and of committees. (5) Unfinished Business. (6) New business. (7) Considering and passing of bills, ordinances and resolutions. (8) This order of business is not compulsory unless required by a majority vote of the Council at the particular meeting of the Council. Rule 1I. Decorum. The members of the City Council shall be seated except when addressing the chair, provided that the members of the Council need not stand when addressing the chair unless they so desire, and no member Of the Council shall be interrupted while speaking, without his consent, except by a call to order of the chair, or to correct a statement of fact. The presiding officer of the Council may fine any member guilty of indecorum or dis= orderly conduct in the Council not more than $10.00, or place such person under arrest. Rule 5 Secretary. The City Secretary shell act as the clerk o theTf. o�uncil, and it shall be his duty to act as reading and recording clerk to the Council and to certify the correctness of the minutes and of the journal. Rule 6. Questions of Order. All questions of order shell be decided by the presiding o fieer, with right of appeal from his decision to the City Council, the majority of whom may override his decision. Rule 7. Dyes and Nose. Any member may call for the ayes and noes, and i£ called for, the Secretary shall record the result of the vote in the minutes. Rule 8. Motion. All oral motions must be seconded before being put by the ch and upon the request of any member shall be reduced to writing by the party making the same. Written motions shall require no second. Rule 9. Suspension of the Rules. The rules, any one or all, may e suspended by a majority vote of all the members of the Council. Rule 10. Attendance. The members of the Council shall attend the regular an special meetings or, failing to do so, they may be arrested and compelled to attend by the presiding officer of the Council. The Council may impose a fine of not more than $10.00 upon any member failing to attend a meeting, Rule 11. Readings Required of Ordinances and Resolutions. This matter is fu11y covered by various Charter Provisions and such Charter Provisions are controlling. Rule 12. Confirmston. The voting on confirmations or appoint - men s ma y the Mayor, or for officers of the City, may be by oral ballot except that upon the request of any one or more members of the Council vote shall be by written ballot. All voting shall require a majority of the Council to confirm or elect. Rule 13. Motion to Reconsider. Any member who voted with the pre - vai ing si a on any question may move the reconsideration not later than the next regular meeting after the vote was taken, and it shall require a two- thirds vote of the City Council to reconsider. Rule 14. Power of Presiding Officer. The Mayor or Mayor Pro - tem, as the case may be, shall preside at all meetings of the City Council, and shall be invested with all the power and discharge all of the duties usually incumbent upon a presiding officer as well as those prescribed in these rules and the City Charter. The presiding officer shall be entitled to vote on all matters and must veto in case of a tie, or in case his vote is necessary in order to permit the presiding officer and two members to act for the City, unless otherwise provided herein or in the City Charter. Rule 15. Robertts Rules of Order. The rules of procedure, as abated in Robert's Rules of Or er, shall govern the proceedings of the City Council, unless in conflict with the rules hereby adopted or in contravention of some charter provisions; provided, however, that the provisions of the City Charter shall prevail over any provision of these rules or of Robert's Rules of Order. SECTION 2. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby expressly repealed. SECTION 3. Because of the matters set out in the preamble and the whereas clauses of this ordinance, there has been created a public emergency and imperative public necessity requiring the suspension of the Charter rule providing that no Ordinance or Resolution shall be passed finally on the date it is introduced, and that such ordinance or resolution shall be read at three several meetings of the City Council, and the Mayor having declared that such public emergency and public necessity exist, and having requested that said Charter Rule be suspended, and that this Ordinance take effect and be in Hill force and effect from and after its passage, IT IS ACCORDINGLY So ORDAINED. PASSED AND APPROVED this 2 T day of May, A. D. 1949. ATTEST: (j 1, City Secretary APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM: City Attor MAYOR City of Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi, Texas YYlt�, 1949 TO THE MEMBERS OF TEE CITY COUNCIL Corpus Christi, Texas Gentlsmen: For the reasons set forth in the emergency clause of the foregoing ordinance, a public emergency and imperative necessity exist for the suspen- sion of the Charter rule or requirement that no ordinance or resolution shall be passed finally on the date it is introduced, and that such ordinance or resolution shall be read at three meetings of the City Council; I, there- fore, hereby request that you suspend said Charter rule or requirement and pass this ordinance finally on the date it is introduced, or at the present meeting of the City Council. Respectfully, MAYOR City of Corpus Christi, Texas The Charter rule was suspended by the following vote: Leslie wasserman Jack DeForrest Barney Cott Sidney E. Herndon George L. Lomman —owing The above ordinance was passed by the fold vote: Leslie Wasserman OU1,G -1— Jack DeForrest Barney Cott Sidney E. Herndon (,{ c George L. Loan "Y-1 _ 0�5� 1