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CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Council Voting
Every member who shall be present when any question is put, including the presiding officer, shall vote unless
excused by the Council; provided, however, that no member of the Council shall participate in the vote on any
ordinance, resolution, motion or vote in which such member has a personal interest, as defined by the State and
Local Government Conflict of Interests Act (COIA), unless an exception under COIA applies.18
No ordinance, resolution, motion or vote shall be adopted by the Council except at a meeting open to the
public and, except motions to adjourn, to fix the time and place of adjournment and other motions of a purely
procedural nature, unless it shall have received the affirmative votes of at least four (4) members. All voting,
except on procedural motions, shall have the ayes and nays recorded in the journal.
No ordinance can be passed or resolution adopted that appropriates money or creates indebtedness or directs
the payment of any sum of money, except by concurrence of four-sevenths of all members elected to Council.19
After a vote is announced, no member shall change his vote without the consent of the Council. The right to
change a vote shall be limited to the current meeting and not continue for any subsequent meeting.
Ordinances and Resolutions
A copy of each ordinance or resolution, legibly written or printed, will be furnished to each Council member
when introduced unless there is unanimous consent to waive the requirement.
All ordinances and resolutions passed by Council take effect on the tenth day following their passage, unless
another date is specified therein and except as otherwise provided in the City Charter.20
OPEN MEETING LAW
FOIA generally requires that all meetings of the Council as well as most other public bodies, such as Planning
Commissions, Boards of Zoning Appeals, School Boards, Redevelopment and Housing Authorities, be open to
the public. It is important to note that committees appointed by Council or any other public body subject to the
FOIA must also be open to the public. Therefore, all committees appointed by Council, whether composed of
selected members of Council or of non-council persons or a mixture, and regardless of number are subject to the
FOIA’s public meeting requirements.
FOIA provides that in order to constitute a “meeting” a quorum must be present. Therefore, FOIA applies to
regular meetings as well as gatherings of three or more Council members where City business is discussed.
18
City Code Sec. 2-53, Va. Code Secs. 2.2-3112, 2.2-3101
19
City Code Sec. 2-55
20
City Code Sec. 2-57
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