All legislative powers of the city shall be vested in a Council
consisting of a Mayor and five Councilpersons who shall be elected
as hereinafter provided and who shall hold office for a term of four
years or until the succeeding Council takes office. The regular term
of Councilpersons shall expire on the second Monday in May following
the election of their successors.
[Amended 7-10-2017 by Charter Res. No. 2017-10]
Councilpersons shall be at least 21 years old, shall have resided
in the city for at least two years immediately preceding their election
and shall be qualified voters of the city.
Each Councilperson shall receive a salary which shall be equal
for all Councilpersons and shall be as specified from time to time
by a resolution passed by the Council in the regular course of its
business; provided, however, that the salary specified at the time
any Council takes office shall not be changed during the period for
which that Council was elected. The resolution making any change in
the salary paid to the several Councilpersons, either by way of increase
or decrease, shall be finally resolved prior to the municipal election
for the members of the next succeeding Council and shall take effect
only as to the members of the next succeeding Council.
The Council shall meet at 7:30 p.m. on the second Monday in
May following the election for the purpose of organization, after
which the Council shall regularly meet at such times as it may prescribe,
but not less frequently than once each month. Special meetings shall
be called at the request of the Mayor or a majority of the members
of the Council. All meetings of the Council shall be conducted in
accordance with the provisions of Title 10, Subtitle 5 of the State
Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
At the first meeting after an election the Council shall elect
from among its members a Mayor Pro Tem who shall serve in the absence
or disability of the Mayor and shall perform the duties of the Mayor
during such absence or disability. In the event of a vacancy in the
office of Mayor for any cause, the Mayor Pro Tem shall serve as Mayor
for the remainder of the term of this office.
A majority of the members of the Council shall constitute a
quorum for the purposes of transacting any and all business or actions,
except for the passage of ordinances. An ordinance shall not be passed
without the favorable votes of a majority of the whole number of members
elected to Council and shall be further subject to the veto powers
of the Mayor.
The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business.
It shall keep a journal of its proceedings and enter therein the yeas
and nays upon final action on any question, resolution or ordinance
or at any other time if required by any one member. The journal shall
be open to public inspection.
Vacancies in the Council shall be filled as provided in § C-515B
of this Charter.
A.
No ordinance shall be passed at the meeting at which it is introduced.
At any regular or special meeting of the Council held not less than
six nor more than 70 days after the meeting at which an ordinance
was introduced, it shall be passed, or passed as amended, or rejected,
or its consideration shall be deferred to some specified future date.
B.
In cases of emergency the above requirements may be suspended by
the affirmative votes of four members of the Council.
C.
The Mayor, in case he or she disapproves of any ordinance passed
by the Council, may refuse to approve the same and shall return it
to the Council at its next meeting, with his or her reasons for withholding
his or her signature therefrom, and if said ordinance, when again
put upon its passage, shall receive the votes of 4/5 of the members
of Council, it shall become a valid ordinance without the signature
of the Mayor.
D.
Every ordinance shall become effective at the time of approval by
the Council. The title of the ordinance shall be published, and the
ordinance shall be on file in the city office for public review.
Ordinances shall be permanently filed by the Clerk and shall
be kept available for public inspection.
