42
<br />dental, shall be in writing. When a motion is made and sec-
<br />onded, it shall be stated by the president before it is debated. A
<br />motion or proposition may be withdrawn by the mover, with
<br />consent of second, at any time before it is decided, amended or
<br />otherwise acted upon by tite Council.
<br />(14) Motions—Ameiidineiits Must Be Relevant.—No mo-
<br />tion, proposition, or subject different from that under consid-
<br />eration, shall be admitted under color of amendment.
<br />(15) Gcneral Ordinances to Be Read Twice before Passage
<br />—Reading May Be Dispcitscd with bit Majority Vote.—Every
<br />general ordinance shall be read twice before its final passage.
<br />The first reading shall be for information. If objection be made
<br />to the ordinance, the question shall be: "Shall the proposition
<br />be rejected ?" If there be no objections, or if on a vote the ob-
<br />jections be not sustained, the ordinance shall stand referred
<br />without debate to the Ordinance Committee, who shall report
<br />on the same at the next regular meeting of the Council, unless
<br />otherwise specially ordered. Upon the report of the Ordinance
<br />Committee and the second reading of the ordinance the ques-
<br />tion shall be open final passage, which must be determined by a
<br />majority vote. Any reading may be dispensed with by a major-
<br />ity vote.
<br />(16) General Ordinances to Be Referred to Committee and
<br />Go Over to Next Meeting, unless Otherwise Ordered by Two-
<br />Thirds.—No general ordinance shall be enacted, amended or
<br />repealed without being referred to the Ordinance Committee.
<br />nor until the next regular meeting after such ordinance, amend-
<br />ment or repeal is proposed, except by a vote of two-thirds of
<br />the entire Council.
<br />(17) Ordinonecs to Be Repealed or Amended Only by Or-
<br />dinance—Ordinance to Take .Effect from Date, unless Other-
<br />wise Prottided.—No ordinance shall be amended or repealed ex-
<br />cept by an ordinance, provided that the suspension of rales may
<br />be made by a motion. Every ordinance shall take effect from
<br />the date of its passage unless otherwise provided.
<br />(18) Style of Ordinances and Resolutions.—The style in
<br />which ordinances shall be enacted by the Council shall be as
<br />follows: "Be it ordained by the Council of Charlottesville,"
<br />(23) Majority Vote to Govcrtn unless Otherwise Ordered.—
<br />In all matters pending before the Council, a majority shall gov-
<br />ern, except in cases where it is otherwise specially provided.
<br />(24) Members Not to Vote When Personally or Pecuniarily
<br />Interested—In Other Cases to Vote unless Excused.—No mem-
<br />ber having an immediate personal or pecuniary interest in the
<br />result of any question before the Council shall vote thereon. In
<br />all other cases, every member present when a question is put,
<br />shall vote unless excused by the Council.
<br />(25) Yca and Nay Vote.—On the call of any member of the
<br />Council, the vote on any question may be taken by ayes and
<br />naves, and recorded, provided the demand be made before other
<br />business has been taken tip.
<br />(26) Dissent May Be Recorded.—Any member shall have
<br />the liberty to dissent from or protest against any ordinance, res-
<br />olution or order of the Council and have the reason of his dis-
<br />sent entered upon the record.
<br />(27) Motion to Reconsider.—In all cases a motion to re-
<br />consider will be entertained only when made by a member
<br />who voted with the prevailing side. A majority of those pres-
<br />ent can reconsider any vote, but the motion to do so shall be
<br />made at the same session of the Council during which such vote
<br />was taken. A motion to reconsider shall have precedence of all
<br />other questions, and when it has once been put and lost, it shall
<br />not be renewed. This rule, however, is subject to section 9,
<br />ante.
<br />(28) When Committccs Shall Report, and on What Matter.
<br />—Every committee shall, unless otherwise ordered, report at
<br />the next regular meeting upon the subject matter referred to
<br />it, or show good cause why such report is not made.
<br />(29) Meetings of Committees; How Called; Chairniai;
<br />Quorum.—The members of a committee shall meet on the call
<br />of the chairman, who shall be the first named person on the
<br />committee. In the absence of the chairman the person named
<br />second on the committee shall be recognized as the chairman, a
<br />majority shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of busi-
<br />ness. The standing committees of the Council shall meet at
<br />least once in each month, prior to the regular meeting of the
<br />and that in which resolutions shall be passed shall be "Be it re-
<br />solved by the Council of Charlottesville."
<br />(19) Motion—Order of Prod dare.—\'hen a question is
<br />under debate no motion shall be entertained unless specially
<br />provided for, except the following, which shall take precedenCe
<br />in the order given:
<br />1. To Adjourn, to be made without preliminary remarks and
<br />deckled without debate.
<br />2. To Uy on the Table, to be decided without debate.
<br />3. For the Previous Question, to be decided without debate.
<br />4. To Postpone, either indefinitely, or to a clay or hour cer-
<br />tain.
<br />5. To Refer, or Recommit.
<br />6. To Substitute, or Amend.
<br />7. To Adopt, or Approve.
<br />(20) Motion to Adjourn—When in Ordcr.—A motion to
<br />adjourn shall always be in order except when a member has
<br />the floor, when the Council is engaged in voting, when the
<br />previous question has been ordered, or when the motion to ad-
<br />journ has been put and lost and no other business has inter-
<br />vened.
<br />Any member who obtains the floor during a debate and sub-
<br />mits no other motion or remark, may move for the previous
<br />question, which motion, if seconded, shall forthwith be put to
<br />the Council. Two-thirds of the members present shall be re-
<br />quired to order the main or previous question.
<br />(21) Previous Question—How Put.—The previous question
<br />shall be in this form: "Shall the main question now be put?"
<br />If carried, its effect shall be to end all debates and bring the
<br />Council to a direct vote upon a motion to co►ntnit, if pending;
<br />then upon pending amendments, if any; and then up(m the main
<br />question. If the motion for the previous question he not car-
<br />ried, debate may continue as if the motion had not been made.
<br />(22) Filling Blanks in Certain Ordinances.—In filling blanks
<br />in ordinances or resolutions involving money or time, the ques-
<br />tion shall be put first upon the largest sum or longest time.
<br />Council, for the purpose of outlining the work in their respec-
<br />tive departments and for the consideration and preparation of
<br />such matters as may be necessary to present to the Council; and
<br />to this end it shall be competent for the Mayor to convene the
<br />several committees at the city hall.
<br />(30) Retorts of Comnnittees to Be in 1kriting.--The reports
<br />of a committee shall be in writing, signed lry at least two mem-
<br />bers; and the papers referred, as well as all written )pinions in
<br />reference thereto from the City Attorney (or solicitor ) shall be
<br />returned with the reports. Nothing in this rule shall be con•
<br />strited to prevent the return of minority reports.
<br />(31) Quarterly and Annual Retort.—All standing committees
<br />of the Council shall make written reports of their respective de-
<br />partments to the Council quarterly, and an annual report at the
<br />regular meeting in September of each year, and the latter report
<br />shall be for the fiscal year. Such reports, when ad„pted, shall
<br />be annually published with the reports of the officers of the city.
<br />(32) Claims against City—Whets They May Be Acted on,
<br />Verification of Application for Remission or Repayment of Fine
<br />or Tax.—No claim against the city shall be acted upon at any
<br />meeting of the Council, except by unanimous consent, unless the
<br />same has been considered and reported on by the Committee on
<br />Finance and Claims. Every application for a remission or re•
<br />payment of a fine or tax shall be verified by oath of the aPPli'
<br />cant, and, without special order, shall stand referred to the,
<br />Committee on Finance and Claims.
<br />(33) Rules for the Construction of Statutes.—The rules for
<br />the "Construction of Statutes" as given in the Code of Virginia,
<br />shall, so far as applicable, govern the construction of these or"
<br />dinances and of all other ordinances and resolutions of the
<br />Council.
<br />(34) Calendar of Unfinished Business.—A calendar of all
<br />referred and deferred petitions and communications to the City
<br />Council shall be kept for the use of the president of the Council.
<br />(35) Order of Business.—At every regular meeting of the
<br />Council the order of business shall be as follows:
<br />1. Roll call.
<br />2. Reading of minutes. The journal of the preceding meet-
<br />
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