Sec. 27. Rules of order of the council.
The rules of order and procedure of the Council with the
right of the body to suspend the same by a four-fifths vote, shall
be as follows:
(1) Parliamentary Rules.—The proceedings of the Council
except as its own rules may otherwise provide, shall be governed
by Roberts Manual of Parliamentary Rules; and no rule adopted
by the Council shall be suspended except by consent of four
members. Objection shall operate to postpone to the next meeting,
when this rule may be suspended by the vote of three members.
(2) The President or Presiding Officer to Enforce Rules;
etc.—The presiding officer shall enforce the rules of the Council,
preserve order and decorum, appoint all committees, not
otherwise provided for, and discharge such other duties as appertain
to his office.
(3) President to Decide Questions of Order.—The president
shall decide questions of order and may, without vacating his
chair, give his reasons for his decisions.
From any decision of the Chair, an appeal may be made to
the Council, the question being, "Shall the decision of the Chair
be sustained as the decision of the Council?".
Upon such appeal, no debate shall be allowed, if it refers to
a question of decorum, but, if it relates to the priority of business,
or to the relevancy, or applicability of propositions, the
appeal may be debated.
(4) President to State Questions of Order and Declare Result
of Votes.—Questions shall be distinctly put in the following
form, namely: "As many as agree that, etc., etc. (as case may
be), say `aye' and after the affirmative vote is given, "Those opposed
say `no.' " The president shall declare all votes.
(5) Members Not to Withdraw Without Leave.—After a
member, at any meeting, has been recorded as present, he shall
not without permission of the Council, absent himself from such
meeting until its adjournment.
(6) Members—Conduct in Addressing the Body. — Every
member shall confine himself to the question before the Council
and avoid all personal, or indecorous language. No discussion
of a sectarian, or political nature shall be allowed. No member
shall interrupt another while speaking, except to make a point
of order, the point to be briefly stated to the presiding officer.
(7) Members—Orders of Recognition by the President.—
When two members rise at the same time, the president shall
name the one to speak; but in all cases, the member first rising
and addressing the chair shall speak first.
(8) Members—Number and Length of Speeches.—No member
shall speak more than once on the same question until every
member choosing to speak shall have done so, nor more than
twice, nor for a longer time than fifteen minutes on any question
without the permission of the Council.
(9) Members—How Called to Order.—If in speaking any
member transgress the rules of the Council, the president shall
call him to order. If there be no appeal, the decision of the
Chair shall be submitted to. If the decision be in favor of the
member called to order he may proceed; if otherwise, he shall
not proceed except by leave of the Council.
(10) Members—Conduct While Sitting.—No member shall
while the Council is sitting, interrupt or hinder its business by
standing up, moving about, talking, expressing approval or disapproval
of any of the proceedings, or by any other conduct
tending to disorder or confusion.
(11) Non-Members to Address Council Only by Permission.
—No person who is not a member of the Council shall orally
address it, until leave to do so has been applied for through a
member of the Council and granted by it, or until invited so to
do by the presiding officer.
(12) Communications to Be in Writing.—No communication,
petition or request to the Council shall be entertained unless the
same be in writing, which must be filed with the clerk.
(13) Motions or Propositions to Be in Writing—To Be Stated
before Discussing—When They May Be Withdrawn.—Every motion
or proposition, except as are subsidiary or incidental, shall
be in writing, and shall be filed with the clerk. When a motion
is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the president before it
is debated. A motion or proposition may be withdrawn by the
mover, with consent of the second, at any time before it is decided,
amended or otherwise acted upon by the Council.
(14) Motions—Amendments Must Be Relevant.—No motion,
proposition, or subject different from that under consideration,
shall be admitted under color of amendment.
(15) General Ordinances to Be Read Twice before Passage—
Reading May Be Dispensed with by Majority Vote.—Every general
ordinance shall be read twice before its final passage. The
first reading shall be for information. If there is no objection
the ordinance shall be considered and voted upon. If there be objection
it shall be laid over to the next regular meeting when action
on same shall be taken. Any reading may be dispensed with
by unanimous consent.
(16) Ordinances to Be Repealed or Amended Only by Ordinance—Ordinance
to Take Effect from Date, Unless Otherwise
Provided.—No ordinance shall be amended or repealed except by
an ordinance regularly introduced and adopted, provided that suspension
of rules may be made by a motion.
Every ordinance shall take effect from the date of its passage
unless otherwise provided.
(17) Style of Ordinances and Resolutions.—The style in
which ordinances shall be enacted by the Council shall be as follows:
"Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Charlottesville,"
and that in which resolutions shall be passed shall be "Be
it resolved by the Council of the City of Charlottesville."
(18) Motions—Order of Procedure.—When a question is under
debate no motion shall be entertained unless specially provided
for, except the following, which shall take precedence in
the order given:
1. To adjourn, to be made without preliminary remarks, and
decided without debate.
2. To lay on the table, to be decided without debate.
3. For the previous question, to be decided without debate.
4. To postpone, either indefinitely, or a day or hour, certain.
5. To refer, or recommit.
6. To substitute, or amend.
7. To adopt or approve.
(19) Motion to Adjourn—When in Order.—A motion to adjourn
shall always be in order except when a member has the
floor, when the Council is engaged in voting, when the previous
question has been ordered, or when the motion to adjourn has
been put and lost and no other business has intervened.
Any member who obtains the floor during the debate and submits
no other motion or remark, may move for the previous question,
which motion, if seconded, shall forthwith be put to the
Council.
(20) Previous Question—How Put.—The previous question
shall be in this form: "Shall the main question now be put?" If
carried, its effect shall be to end all debates and bring the Council
to a direct vote upon a motion to commit, if pending; then
upon pending amendments, if any; and then upon the main question.
If the motion for the previous question be not carried, debate
may continue as if the motion had not been made.
(21) Filling Blanks in Certain Ordinances.—In filling blanks
in ordinances or resolutions involving money or time, the question
shall be put first upon the largest sum or longest time.
(22) Majority Vote to Govern unless Otherwise Provided.—
In all matters pending before the Council, a majority shall govern
except in cases where it is otherwise specially provided.
(23) Aye and No Vote.—On the call of any member of the
Council, the vote on any question may be taken by ayes and noes,
and recorded, provided the demand be made before other business
has been taken up.
(24) Dissent May Be Recorded.—Any member shall have the
liberty to dissent from or protest against any ordinance, resolution
or order of the Council and have the reason of his dissent
entered upon the record.
(25) Motion to Reconsider.—In all cases a motion to reconsider
will be entertained only when made by a member who voted
with the prevailing side. A majority of those present can reconsider
any vote, but the motion to do so shall be made at the same
session of the Council during which such vote was taken. A motion
to reconsider shall have precedence of all other questions,
and when it has once been put and lost, it shall not be renewed.
This rule, however, is subject to section 8, ante.
(26) When Committees Shall Report, and on What Matter.—
Every committee shall, unless otherwise ordered, report at the
next regular meeting upon the subject matter referred to it, or
show good cause why such report is not made.
(27) Meetings of Committees — How Called — Chairman —
Quorum.—The members of a committee shall meet on the call of
the chairman, who shall be the first named person on the committee.
In the absence of the chairman the person named second on
the committee shall be recognized as chairman. A majority shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(28) Reports of Committees to Be in Writing.—The reports
of a committee shall be in writing, signed by at least two members,
and the papers referred, as well as all written opinions in
reference thereto from the City attorney shall be returned with
the reports.
(29) Rules for the Construction of Statutes.—The rules for
the "Construction of Statutes" as given in the Code of Virginia
shall, so far as applicable, govern the construction of these ordinances
and of all other ordinances and resolutions of the Council.
(30) Calendar of Unfinished Business.—A calendar of all
new, referred and deferred petitions and communications to the
City Council, shall be kept by the Clerk of the Council and copies
shall be furnished by him to the members of the Council, City
Attorney and City Manager at least six hours prior to each meeting
of the Council at such time as notice is given.
(31) Order of Business.—At every regular meeting of the
Council the order of business shall be as follows:
1. Roll call.
2. Reading of minutes. The journal of the preceding meeting
shall be read, and no objection being made, shall be approved and
signed by the person presiding. Such ordinances as may have
been adopted at the preceding meeting and copied in the ordinance
book shall also be read, unless reading is dispensed with, and no
objection being made, shall be approved and signed by the person
presiding.
3. Petitions and communications. After their purport has been
briefly stated by the member offering same the Council may consider
the same, or otherwise dispose of them.
4. Reports and communications from City officers, including
financial statements.
5. Reports of committees.
6. Ordinances for second reading.
7. Offering of original resolutions, orders and ordinances.
8. Miscellaneous and unfinished business.
The order of business shall not be departed from except by
unanimous consent.
(32) Special Order of Business.—When any matter is made
the special order for a future meeting, it shall at such meeting
take priority of all other business except the reading of the minutes
of the last meeting.
