Procedure and Miscellaneous Powers and Duties

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.

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.

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.

All regular and special meetings of the Council shall be open to the public and citizens shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard.

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.

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.

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.