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RULES GOVERNING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR PERIOD 1/05/2010 - 1/10/2012 1 Updated 1/19/2010 Sec. 1. Regular meetings Time: The City Council shall hold regular meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.. Place: All regular meetings of the City Council shall be held in the Council Chambers of the City Building. Any unfinished items remaining on the agenda will be carried over to the next regular meeting or will be addressed at a special meeting. Matters that are appropriate for executive session and which are to be held on evenings of regular City Council meetings shall be scheduled immediately following Other Business as the final item on the meeting agenda, except in situations when the City Administrator deems it to be in the best interest of the City to hold the executive session at another time. Items shall appear on the agenda in the following standard order of business: Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Moment of Silence Ceremonial Presentations and Recognitions Acceptance of meeting minutes Public Comment period - any member of the public may offer comments regarding issues pertaining to Lewiston City Government; maximum time limit for the full comment period shall be 15 minutes Consent Agenda Public Hearings (licenses, ordinance adoptions or amendments, other) Policy Manual adoptions or amendments Items requiring adoption or approval Discussion items (no action required) Reports and Updates Any other city business Councilors, staff or members of the public may have relating to Lewiston City Government Sec. 2. Special meetings All special meetings shall be called in accordance with Article II, Section 2.10 of the City Charter. Sec. 3. Agenda All agenda items must be in the office of the City Clerk no later than 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to a regular meeting. A consent agenda shall be prepared for all regular meetings of the City Council. The consent agenda shall be adopted by a yea and nay vote. ---PAGE BREAK--- RULES GOVERNING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR PERIOD 1/05/2010 - 1/10/2012 2 Updated 1/19/2010 Sec. 4. Presiding officer - call to order The Mayor, or in the absence of the Mayor, the Council President, shall call the meetings to order. In the absence of the Mayor and Council President, the City Clerk shall call the Council to order, whereupon a temporary chairman shall be elected by the members of the Council present. Sec. 5. Parliamentary Procedure "ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER" shall be regarded by the Council as the proper authority for parliamentary procedure in conduct of its meetings for the ensuing year, except as otherwise provided herein, or by Charter and may be suspended by a majority vote of the city council at any time. Reconsideration of Items - When an item is voted on by the Council, it shall be in order for any member who voted on the prevailing side to move a reconsideration thereof, during the same meeting or at the immediate next regularly scheduled Council meeting, but not afterwards. No motion to reconsider a vote taken at a previous meeting shall be in order for consideration at the immediate next regularly scheduled Council meeting unless an item to that effect is scheduled on the agenda for such meeting or unless five of the members consent to such reconsideration. Sec. 6. Committees of the Council There shall be the following Committee of the Lewiston City Council The Housing Committee develops and recommends policy to the City Council on housing initiatives, code enforcement, and in conjunction with the Planning Board, zoning policies and all other matters related to housing. This committee will be co-chaired by two Councilors. There shall be two Councilors appointed by the Council President, two staff members assigned by the City Administrator, one member of the Empower Lewiston Board of Directors, one member from the Lewiston/Auburn Landlord Association, one member of the Lewiston Housing Authority staff and one citizen appointed by the Mayor. Citizen appointments shall be for a two year term, to coincide with the biennial Council year. The Council President shall designate a chairman and alternate chairman amongst the Councilors serving on the Committee. Before any item which requires action by the Committee shall be taken to the Council, it first must be acted upon by the committee which shall submit its recommendation unless otherwise voted by a majority of the city council members present. ---PAGE BREAK--- RULES GOVERNING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR PERIOD 1/05/2010 - 1/10/2012 3 Updated 1/19/2010 From time to time as issues demand, ad hoc Council committees may be formed by the action of the City Council. Action by Committee The Committee shall not act by separate consultation, and no report shall be received unless agreed to in Committee actually assembled, and signed or agreed upon by a majority of the Committee. It is to be the duty of the Committee, to whom any subject may be referred, to report at the earliest possible date. Sec. 7. Action on Ordinances All ordinances shall be submitted in accordance with Article II, Section 2.11 of the City Charter. All proposed ordinances shall be read by title only unless any member of the Council requests a full reading of the ordinance. No ordinance, excluding emergency ordinances, shall be passed until it has been read on two separate days, except when the requirement of a reading on two separate days has been dispensed with by the Council. When passed by the Council, an ordinance shall be attested by the City Clerk; and it shall be immediately filed and thereafter preserved in the office of the City Clerk. Sec. 8. Action on budget I. Community-Shared Assumptions and Principles The City Council has full authority and responsibility in law to set the municipal budget. The City Council, in consultation with the School Committee, shall approve the specific portions of the school budget in accordance with the applicable sections of MRSA 20-A, and shall establish the mill rate on the combined overall budget for all city and school budgets. The School Committee has full authority and responsibility in law to develop the school budget and to establish educational policy in accordance with the applicable sections of MRSA 20-A. Direct communication between the participants in these processes is preferable to relying on third party transmission. Budgets for the School Department and other municipal offices will be developed with full and complete communication between the City Council and the School Committee. In addition to the regular public sessions presented by the City Council and the School Committee, there will be an appropriate number of joint public work sessions consistent with the limitations prescribed by statute and the charter. The final budget will be presented to the public in a joint session. ---PAGE BREAK--- RULES GOVERNING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR PERIOD 1/05/2010 - 1/10/2012 4 Updated 1/19/2010 Public communication on the budgetary process will be open and extensive, and, wherever possible, be jointly made by the City Administrator and Superintendent or the Council and the School Committee. The City Council shall submit the approved School Budget for a budget validation referendum and the School Committee shall determine the allocation of the approved school budget among the cost centers of the cost center summary budget format in accordance with those provisions outlined in MRSA 20-A. Budgetary development addresses not only the next fiscal year, but is also part of a strategic, long-range process and is viewed in that context. The City Council and the School Committee will cooperate in the development of a strategic, integrated, long-range plan which will involve the whole community. Broad-based, strategic, long-range community planning is vital to the process. II. The Superintendent and the City Administrator There will be meetings on a regular basis throughout the year. Each will share budget information with as much detail as available at appropriate stages in the budgetary development process. Special emphasis will be given to sharing relevant factual information about personnel, program development, facilities support and strategic development. There will be annual joint "State of the (City), (Schools)" presentation at an appropriate event, e.g., a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. III. City Council and School Committee The City Council and the School Committee agree to meet jointly prior to the budgetary season to discuss visions, goals and objectives for the coming year. Each will share budget information with as much detail as available at appropriate stages in the budgetary development process. Special emphasis will be given to sharing relevant factual information about personnel, program development, facilities support and strategic development. The City Council and the School Committee will have a regular agenda item at its meetings, "Report from the (City Council/School Committee). This will be facilitated by the City Council representative to the School Committee, thereby enhancing that role in the collaborative process. Sec. 9. Travel by Council Members Any member of the City Council who will not be serving an additional term in office shall refrain from out-of-state travel, in an official capacity, following the November Municipal Election. ---PAGE BREAK--- RULES GOVERNING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR PERIOD 1/05/2010 - 1/10/2012 5 Updated 1/19/2010 Sec. 10. Action by Councilors A majority vote of the City Council or approval by the council president, or Mayor in the absence of the council president, is required in order for an individual Councilor to obtain an opinion from the City Attorney. Sec. 11. Suspension of rules Any of the foregoing rules may be suspended, amended or repealed providing a majority of the members of the Council vote therefore. Sec. 12. Institutional Cooperation The following procedures, defined by the L/A Together Commission, outlines the protocol for joint meetings with the City of Auburn officials. 1. There will be a joint committee of four councilors, two from Lewiston and two from Auburn. This will be a regular standing committee of each council. The committee will meet at least each quarter of the fiscal year, with the chair alternating between Lewiston and Auburn councilors. The committee will consider and recommend joint cooperative policies and programs to the respective councils. The committee will prepare the agenda on the basis of consultations with municipal departments for the quarterly joint meetings of the Lewiston and Auburn city councils. 2. The city councils of Lewiston and Auburn will meet in joint session on the Tuesday after Labor Day, the Tuesday after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Tuesday after President’s Day, the Tuesday after Patriot’s Day and the regular joint budget session in May. The mayors will alternate as the chair. The agenda will be prepared by the joint committee. The councils will consider policies and programs of cooperation to improve services to the citizens of both communities. 3. The City Administrator of Lewiston and the City Manager of Auburn will meet regularly (at least once each quarter) to develop cooperative planning, policies, and programs of joint action for the cities. They shall report to their respective councils in January and July of each year on the nature and substance of their discussions, as well as results of cooperative actions taken. Sec. 13. Workshops Workshop meetings shall be held when deemed appropriate and necessary. Workshop meetings should be focused on the Councils’ formulation of policy based upon general topic discussions of current issues or project orientated. Citizens are welcome, and highly encouraged, to attend and participate in workshops, however, discussion maybe limited by the Mayor, if deemed appropriate.