Procedure and Miscellaneous Powers and Duties
Section 6.1. regular meetings.
The council shall provide by resolution for the time and
place of its regular meetings and shall hold at least two
such meetings each month. A regular meeting shall be held
on the Monday following each regular city election.
Section 6.2. Special meetings.
Special meetings shall be called by the Clerk on the written
request of the Mayor or any three members of the Council on
at least twenty-four hours written notice so each member of
the Council, served personally or left at his usual place
of residence, but a special meeting may be held on shorter
notice if all members of the Council are present or have waived
notice thereof in writing.
Section 6.3. Business of special meetings.
No business shall be transacted at any special meeting of
the Council unless the same has been stated in the notice
of such meeting. However, other than the enactment of an ordinance,
any business which may lawfully come before a regular meeting
may be transacted at a special meeting if all the members
of the Council present consent thereto, and all of the members
absent file their written consent.
Section 6.4. Meeting to be public.
All regular and special meetings of the Council shall be
open to the public and citizens shall have a reasonable opportunity
to be heard.
Section 6.5. Quorum; adjournment of meeting.
A majority of the members of the council in office shall
be a quorum for the transaction of business at all council
meetings, but in the absence of a quorum a lesser number may
adjourn any meting to a later time or date, and in the absence
of all members the clerk may adjourn any meeting for not longer
than one week.
Section 6.6 Compulsory attendance and conduct at meeting.
Any three or more members of the Council may by vote either
request or compel the attendance of its members and other
officers of the city at any meeting. Any member of the Council
or other officer who when notified of such request for his
attendance fails to attend such meeting for reason other than
confining illness or absence from Washtenaw and Monroe Counties
shall be guilty of misconduct in office, unless excused by
the Council. The presiding officer shall enforce orderly conduct
at meetings and any member of the Council or other officer
who shall fail to conduct himself in an orderly manner at
any meeting shall be deemed guilty of misconduct in office.
Any police officer designated by the presiding officer of
the meeting shall serve as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Council
in the enforcement of the provisions of this section.
Section 6.7. Organization and rules of the council
The Council shall determine its own organization, rules and
order of business subject to the following provisions:
(a) A journal of the procedure of each meeting in the English
language shall be kept by the Clerk and shall be signed by
the presiding officer and Clerk of the meeting.
(b) A vote upon all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken
by "Yes" and "No" vote and entered upon
the records, except that where the vote is unanimous it shall
only be necessary to so state.
(c) No member of the Council shall vote on any question in
which he has a financial interest, other than the common public
interest, or on any question concerning his own conduct, but
on all other questions each member who is present shall vote
when his name is called, unless excused by the unanimous consent
of the remaining members present. Any member refusing to vote
except when not so required by this paragraph, shall be guilty
of misconduct in office.
(d) In all roll call votes the names of the members of the
Council shall be called in alphabetical order, and the name
to be called first shall be advanced one position alphabetically
in each successive roll call.
(e) There shall be no standing committees of the Council.
Section 6.8 Investigations.
The Council or any person or committee authorized by it for
the purpose, shall have power to inquire into the conduct
of any department office or officer and to make investigations
as to matters in which the municipality has an interest. The
Council for the purposes stated herein, may summon witnesses,
administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses and
the production of books, papers and other evidence.
Failure
on the part of any officer to obey such summons or to produce
books, papers and other evidence as ordered under the provisions
of this section, shall constitute misconduct in office.
Failure on the part of any employee or other person
to obey such summons or to produce books, papers, or other
evidence as ordered under the provisions of this section,
shall constitute a violation of this charter and such person
when found guilty of such violation by a competent tribunal
may be punished by a fine of not to exceed one hundred dollars
$100.00) or imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days or
both, in the discretion of the Court.
It is
provided further that, in case of failure on the part of any
person to obey such summons or to produce such books, papers
and other evidence as so ordered, the council may invoke the
aid of the Circuit Court of the county having jurisdiction
in requiring obeyance of such summons or production of such
books, papers and other evidence.
The Circuit Court in such County, in case of contumacy
or refusal to obey such summons, or to produce such books,
papers and other evidence may issue an order requiring such
person to obey such summons or to produce such books, papers
and other evidence, to also give evidence touching the matter
in question, and any failure to obey such order of the court
may be punished by such Court as contempt thereof.
Section
6.9. Public health and safety.
The council
shall see that provision is made for the public peace
and health, and for the safety of persons and property.
The council may create by ordinance a board
of health and until such adoption thereof, the mayor
shall appoint a health officer who shall possess all
powers, privileges and immunities granted to board
of health by statute, and who shall perform such duties
as may
be prescribed by statute, the charter, the mayor and/or
the council, and whose compensation shall be fixed
by the council.
