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