[HISTORY: Derived from Ch. I, Part 2, of
the 1964 Code of Ordinances of the City of Monessen. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
[Amended 1-20-1966 by Ord. No. 626; 4-30-1970 by Ord. No.
11-1970; 4-30-1976 by Ord. No. 15-1976; 1-15-2014 by Ord. No.
2-2014; 8-13-2014 by Ord. No. 4-2014; 1-26-2015 by Ord. No. 1-2015]
A.
The regular meeting place of the City Council of the City of Monessen,
a City of the Third Class, shall be the Monessen Municipal Complex,
1 Wendell Ramey Drive, Monessen, Pennsylvania 15062.
B.
Regular meetings shall be held on the fourth Monday of each month
at 7:00 p.m.; except, however, when the fourth Monday of the month
shall be a legal holiday, then the meeting shall be held on the following
day or such other time as determined by the City Council, at the same
time and place.
The standing rules of order for conducting the
business of Council shall be as follows:
A.
Precisely at the hour fixed by rule or adjournment,
three members being present, the President shall take the chair, call
the meeting to order and proceed to business.
B.
Should three or more members be present at the hour
fixed and the President absent, the Director of Accounts and Finance
shall serve for that meeting or until the President shall appear.
C.
Should a quorum not assemble at the hour fixed or
within a reasonable time thereafter, the members present shall be
competent to adjourn from time to time until a quorum may be obtained.
D.
The order of transacting business shall be as follows:
|
Calling of the roll of members
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Reading and correcting the minutes
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Unfinished business
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Reports of Departments
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Reports of special committees
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E.
A motion made must be seconded and then repeated distinctly
by the President or read aloud by the Clerk before it is debated,
and every motion shall be reduced to writing.
F.
A member having made a motion shall have liberty to
withdraw it, with leave of his second, before any debate has been
had, but not after debate without consent of Council.
G.
Consideration of any question may be postponed to
a fixed time, or the question may be suppressed altogether by an indefinite
postponement.
H.
A motion once voted down cannot be renewed at the
same meeting.
I.
An amendment may be moved on any motion or previous
amendment; but no more than one amendment to an amendment shall be
entertained. The question shall be first taken on the latest amendment
and on the original motion last.
J.
When a motion under debate is composed of two or more
parts, constituting independent questions, any two members may require
it to be divided and have a vote taken on each part.
K.
When any business is brought regularly before the
Council, the consideration thereof shall not be interrupted except
by a motion for adjournment, to lie on the table, for the previous
questions, for postponement, for commitment or for amendment, which
shall have preference in the order stated.
L.
A motion for adjournment shall always be in order
(except when a vote is being taken or a member is addressing Council)
and shall be decided without debate.
M.
Two or more members may move the previous question,
rising for that purpose; when all debate shall be precluded. Yet the
call for the previous question shall not cut off any pending amendment,
but the vote shall be taken, without debate, on the amendments in
their order, and finally on the main question.
N.
A motion for reconsideration can only be entertained
when made and seconded by members who voted with the majority on the
original question.
O.
When a blank is to be filled, the question shall be
first taken on the largest sum, the greatest number and the most remote
day.
P.
On questions of order, adjournment, postponement or
commitment of the previous question, no member shall speak more than
once. On all other questions, each member may speak twice, but not
oftener without express leave being granted by Council.
Q.
No member shall be interrupted while speaking, unless
he is out of order or for the purpose of correcting mistakes.
R.
No member shall be allowed to indulge in personal
reflections.
S.
When a member acts in any respect in a disorderly
manner, it shall be the privilege of any member, and the duty of the
President, to call him to order.
T.
When a member considers himself aggrieved by a decision
of the President, it shall be his privilege to appeal to the Council,
and the vote on such appeal shall be taken without debate.
U.
No member should decline voting without weighty reason;
yet silent members must be considered as acquiescing with the majority
of those who vote on any question.
V.
When the President has commenced taking a vote, no
further debate or remark shall be admitted, unless there has evidently
been some mistake, in which case the mistake shall be rectified, and
the President shall recommence taking the vote.
W.
The first member recognized by the President as desiring
to speak has the right to the floor.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 17-3, Absences from
Council meetings, adopted 2-28-2019 by Ord. No. 1-2019, was repealed
10-13-2020 by Ord. No. 9-2020.
[Added 10-13-2020 by Ord.
No. 9-2020]
A.
Establishment of per-meeting compensation.
(1)
Upon the subsequent taking of office of the Mayor or any Council
member, the compensation of each such Mayor or Council member shall
be based on attendance, on a per-meeting basis. The compensation of
each such Mayor or Council member shall only be payable for attendance
at duly advertised public meetings, including regular meetings, work
session meetings, and special meetings. Any such Mayor or Council
member who is unexcused and attends no regular, work session, or special
meeting in a calendar month shall forfeit 1/12 of the annual compensation
to which such Mayor or Council member would otherwise be entitled.
Any such Mayor or Council member who attends at least one regular,
work session, or special meeting in a calendar month or has been excused
from attending all meetings in a calendar month shall not forfeit
any compensation for such calendar month.
(2)
The Mayor or any Council member shall be excused from any meeting
for which he or she is unable to be in attendance for the following
reasons: illness or disability of the member of Council; care for
the ill or newborn in the member's immediate family; emergency;
and family or business travel. The Mayor or any Council member requesting
to be excused from any meeting shall notify City Council, through
the Mayor, City Administrator, or City Clerk, of such request and
the reason for such request prior to such meeting, unless emergency
or other circumstances make it impossible or impractical for such
Mayor or City Council member to provide such advance notice.
