This page uses extracted PDF text. Text can misread numbers, dates or table columns. Check the PDF before quoting or interpreting it. Redacted areas remain redacted.
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Rules of Procedure During Council Meetings
Familiarity with and use of rules of procedure provide the means whereby the affairs of the Council can be
controlled by the general will of the members. Council meetings proceed in a controlled and predictable manner,
allowing the business of the citizens of Newport News to be handled in a direct, constructive, and democratic
manner. Rules of Procedure for Council meetings are set out in Chapter 2 of City Code and summarized below:
•
Obtaining the floor: A member desiring to speak at a meeting may, from his accustomed seat, obtain
the floor by addressing the presiding officer by his official title thusly: “Mr. Mayor,” or if a woman, “Madam
Mayor” and, if the member is entitled to the floor, the presiding officer assigns the member the floor by
announcing the member’s name.
•
Manner of speaking: No member shall speak on pending motions until he has been recognized by
the Mayor and, during the time allowed him, he shall confine himself strictly to the question before the
Council. No member shall, in debate, use any language or gesture calculated to wound, offend or insult
another member. No member, while speaking, shall be disturbed in any manner by private conversation
or otherwise.
•
Violations of order: For any willful transgression of the rules or for any repetition of a transgression, the
Mayor shall or any member may call the offender to order, in which case the member so called to order
shall immediately yield the floor unless permitted to explain. For flagrant or repeated violations of order,
especially if persisted in after the admonition of the presiding officer, a member shall be liable to the
censure of the Council and may, in addition thereto, be removed from the Council chamber by order of
the Mayor.
•
Order of questions: The Mayor shall propound all questions in the order in which they are moved, unless
the subsequent motion shall be previous in its nature.
•
Motions under debate: When a question is under debate, the Mayor shall receive no other motion than
to adjourn, to lay on the table, for the previous question, for the pending question, to postpone to a
certain day, to amend or to postpone indefinitely, which several motions shall have precedence in the
order in which they stand arranged.
•
Division and Amendment: If the question for decision includes several definite propositions, the same
may be divided upon demand of any one (1) Council member, but a motion to strike out and insert shall
not be divided, nor shall a motion to strike out, being lost, preclude either an amendment or a motion to
strike out and insert. No motion or proposition on the subject different from that under consideration shall
be admitted under color of amendment.
•
Form of question: The Mayor shall put a question, and questions shall be distinctly put and the following
form may be used: “As many as agree that, etc. (as the question may be) say `Aye”’ and, after the affirmative
vote is given, “Those opposed, `No”’
20 | PART TWO: CITY COUNCIL MEETINGSJump to an indexed page (52 of 52)