RULES OF COUNCIL
The following rules shall constitute the rules of
Council:
(A) Rule 1. When any member of the Council or the
public is about to speak on or deliver any matter to the Council,
he shall respectfully address himself to the Chair, and on being
recognized shall confine himself to the question before the Council,
avoiding personalities.
(B) Rule 2. When two or more persons arise at once,
the Chair shall name the member entitled to speak.
(C) Rule 3. If any Council member, in speaking or
otherwise, transgresses the rules of the Council, the Presiding
Officer shall, or any member may, call him to order. The member
so called to order, or another Council member, may appeal, and the
Council shall, if appealed to, decide the case without debate. If
the decision is in favor of the member called to order, he may proceed,
but not otherwise. If the case requires it, a member so called to
order may, after an appeal that fails, be liable to censure or other
such punishment as the Council may impose.
(D) Rule 4. If a member is called to order for words
spoken in debate, the member calling him to order shall indicate
the words excepted to, and they shall be taken down in writing at
the Clerk's desk and read aloud to the Council.
(E) Rule 5. A member may speak as often on the same
question as necessary, but the mover of a proposition shall in any
case be entitled to close the debate.
(F) Rule 6. While the Chair is putting the question
or addressing the Council, no member shall walk out of the chamber.
When a member is speaking, no member shall walk between such member
and the Chair.
(G) Rule 7. No member shall be recognized to speak
unless in his seat, nor permitted to speak until recognized by the
Chair.
(H) Rule 8. Every motion made by the Council and entertained
by the Chair shall be reduced to writing on the demand of the Chair
or any member, and shall be entered on the minutes with the name
of the member making it, unless withdrawn at the same meeting.
(I) Rule 9. When a motion has been made, the Chair
shall state it, or (if in writing) cause it to be read aloud by
the Clerk before debate of the motion; it shall then be in possession
of the Council, but may be withdrawn at any time before a decision
or amendment.
(J) Rule 10. When a question is under debate, no motion
shall be received but to adjourn, to lay on the table, for the previous
question (which motions shall be decided without debate), to postpone
to a day certain, to refer or to amend, or to postpone indefinitely;
which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which
they are here listed.
(K) Rule 11. The motion to adjourn and the motion
to fix a time to which the Council shall adjourn shall always be
in order, the latter motion taking precedence over the former.
(L) Rule 12. The motion to lay an amendment on the
table shall not affect the subject which it is proposed to amend.
(M) Rule 13. The previous question shall be put in
this form: "Are you ready for the question?" It shall be admitted
when demanded by a majority of the members present, and its effect
shall be to put an end to all debate and to bring the Council to
a direct vote on the motion to commit, if such motion has been made;
if this motion does not prevail, then on pending amendments, and
then on the main question.
(N) Rule 14. The motion to postpone to a day certain
can be amended by altering the time or day.
(O) Rule 15. The motion to refer may be amended by
altering the committee or by giving instructions.
(P) Rule 16. A motion to amend and motions to amend
amendments shall be in order, and it shall also be in order to offer
a further amendment by way of a substitute to which one amendment
or more may be offered, but either may be withdrawn before amendment
or decision is reached thereon.
(Q) Rule 17. No motion or proposition postponed indefinitely
shall be taken up again at the same or next succeeding regular meeting.
(R) Rule 18. A question shall be divided on the demand
of any member, without requiring an amendment, if it includes two
or more distinct propositions.
(S) Rule 19. When a motion has been made and carried
or lost, it shall be in order for any member of the majority at
the same meeting or the succeeding regular meeting to move for the
reconsideration thereof, and such motion shall take precedence over
all other motions except a motion to adjourn, and debate thereon
shall be in order where the main question is debatable, but not
otherwise.
(T) Rule 20. Where a motion to reconsider has been
passed in the affirmative, the question immediately becomes the
business of the Council.
(U) Rule 21. A motion to reconsider a vote may be
tabled, but a motion to reconsider a vote laying a motion to reconsider
on the table shall not be in order.
(V) Rule 22. When a resolution is offered or a report
or other matter presented, the Presiding Officer may take the reception
thereof for granted unless objection is made, in which instance
a formal motion shall be required.
(W) Rule 23. Appeals, questions of order, objection
to the consideration of a question, the reading of papers, leave
to withdraw a motion, and suspension of the rules are questions
which shall take precedence over and be decided before the questions
giving rise to them, which several questions cannot be amended;
all questions of order that may arise pending a question that is
not debatable must be decided without debate.
(X) Rule 24. Ordinances and resolutions shall be numbered
in order as they are passed, but dispatched in order as they are
introduced, unless the Council shall direct otherwise.
(Y) Rule 25. Every ordinance shall be read two times
before its passage.
(Z) Rule 26. The first reading of an ordinance shall
be by title only, unless any member of the Council requests that
the ordinance be read in full.
(AA) Rule 27. No ordinance shall be passed on the
same day, or at the same meeting that it is introduced, except by
unanimous consent, and then only in case there are present and voting
at least two-thirds of all the members of the Council, as is set
forth in IC 36-4-6-13.
(BB) Rule 28. The second reading of the ordinance
and reading of resolutions shall be by title only. After the completion
of the reading of the title, the reader shall briefly state the
subject matter or contents of the ordinance or resolution unless
the subject matter or contents is evident from the reading of the
title itself.
(CC) Rule 29. Following the second reading, the ordinance
shall be ready for the committee report, public hearing, and action
by the Council. Following the reading of resolutions, they shall
be ready for public hearing and action by the Council. Prior to
taking a vote on the proposed ordinance or resolution, the presiding
officer shall request that anyone who wishes to speak in favor of
or against the proposed ordinance or resolution shall state his
name and address for the record.
(DD) Reserved.
(EE) Rule 31. No proposition to rescind or change
any standing rule or order of the Council shall be passed at the
same meeting it is submitted; nor shall any proposition having the
force and effect of a by-law or a standing rule or order relating
to the governing of the Council or the duties of any of the city
officers be passed except in the form of an ordinance, and according
to the forms prescribed for the passage of ordinances.
(FF) Rule 32. The rules and practices of Roberts
Rules of Order shall govern the Council in all cases to which they
are applicable and not inconsistent with the standing rules and
orders of the Council.
(GG) Rule 33. All proposed ordinances and resolutions
shall be filed with the Clerk, and must be submitted to each and
every Council member at least 72 hours prior to the next regular
meeting of the Common Council if they are to be considered at that
meeting. An exception to this rule can be made by a majority of
the members present at the meeting.
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