Source: https://www.ecode360.com/6768303
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 05:59:39+00:00

Document:
§ 3-3 Charter provisions applicable.
§ 3-4 Organizational meeting; presiding officer.
§ 3-7 Conduct of business.
§ 3-8 Rules of procedure.
§ 3-10 Committees of Council.
§ 3-11 Official actions of Council.
§ 3-13 Compensation and expenses.
The first order of business shall be the election of Deputy Mayor of the Council and such other officers required by the Charter or as the Council may deem appropriate.
In the absence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor shall exercise the duties of the Mayor. In the absence of both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor at any meeting, the Council shall appoint a Mayor Pro Tem who shall have all the powers of the Mayor for that meeting.
Public. Meetings to be public; all meetings of the Council shall be open to the public as provided by law or Charter. All official votes of the Council shall be taken at a meeting advertised as open to the public.
Regular meetings. It shall be the duty of the Council to meet at least once a month. At the first meeting in January, Council shall establish the times for regular meetings and approve the schedule of meetings for the year. Council may adjourn to a stated time for general business or for special business. If no quorum is present at a regular or adjourned meeting, the majority of those who do meet may agree upon another date for a meeting and may continue to so agree until the meeting is held.
Special meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Mayor or upon written request of at least three members of Council. A written notice shall be mailed or delivered to each Council member giving at least 48 hours' notice of such special meetings. Such notice shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted. No other business shall be considered at such meeting by the Council. Presence at a meeting constitutes waiver of notice.
Emergency meetings. The Council may hold and take action at an emergency meeting at any time. Such emergency meetings may be called by the Mayor provided that a quorum is present as provided in the Charter, and a majority of the Council determines that the holding of such meeting and the taking of emergency action at that time is necessary to protect or promote the public health and safety of the municipality.
Executive sessions. The Council may hold executive sessions as permitted by law. No official action shall be taken by Council on any matter in executive session.
Quorum. A majority of the members of Council shall constitute a quorum. The Council shall conduct no business except in the presence of a quorum.
Majority action. Four affirmative votes of Council shall constitute a majority action for approval of all resolutions and ordinances unless otherwise stated in this Charter.
The proposed agenda for any meeting of the Council shall be prepared by the City Manager in consultation with the Mayor.
The proposed agenda for any stated meeting shall be forwarded to all members of the Council and be available to the public at least 72 hours prior to the stated monthly meeting. In addition, the agenda for the stated monthly meetings, adjourned monthly meetings, special meetings and, where possible, emergency meetings shall be posted in the municipal building.
The title of any ordinance or resolution to be considered shall be published as part of the agenda.
The published agenda may be amended at the meeting by a majority of the members present. No matters other than those on the agenda as amended shall be acted upon by the Council.
Supporting materials, including the full text of any ordinances or resolutions to be considered, will be provided to members of the Council and will be available in the office of the City Manager to the public. The materials are to be available at least 72 hours prior to the regular meeting, and, upon request, copies can be reproduced at a reasonable fee.
At the time appointed for any meeting of the Council, the Mayor shall take the Chair and call the meeting to order. If a quorum is present as provided in the charter, the Mayor shall proceed with the order of business prescribed for the meeting. If, upon the call of the roll, a quorum is not present, the Mayor shall order a recess for a period of 30 minutes, and, if a quorum has not developed by that time, the Mayor shall declare the meeting adjourned.
Presentation and approval of bills.
Reports of municipal officials, committees and special advisory groups.
If there is an item of obvious controversy or of wide public concern that has brought an overflow crowd to the meeting, the presiding officer has the authority to enter that item as the first item of new business (or unfinished business) on the agenda. When a group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council and to limit the number of persons addressing the Council on the same matter so as to avoid unnecessary repetition.
The presiding officer shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of business at each Council meeting and shall preserve order and decorum at such meetings.
The Council at its organization meeting shall adopt rules governing its procedure. The presiding officer shall announce all decisions of the Council and shall decide all questions of order without debate, subject however, to an appeal by any Council member. Any ruling by the presiding officer may be overruled by a majority of the members present.
Every member of the Council desiring to speak shall address the Chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine remarks to the question under debate, avoiding all indecorous language or reference to personalities. A member of the Council, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it is for the purpose of calling such person to order. If a member of the Council, while speaking, is called to order, that person shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined. When two or more members request the floor at the same time, the presiding officer shall name the one entitled to the floor.
Any roll call vote of members shall be called randomly, except that the Mayor shall be called last.
No member of the Council shall speak more than 10 minutes upon the same motion in the same meeting, nor for more than five minutes at a time, without the consent of the majority of the Council members present.
Roberts' Rules of Orders shall be followed at each Council meeting.
Any resident may provide comments to the Council during the allotted public participation segment of the meeting. Every citizen shall provide his or her name and address prior to making any statement.
Any person making offensive, insulting, threatening, insolent, slanderous or obscene remarks or who becomes boisterous or who makes threats against any person or against public order and security while in the Council chamber shall be forthwith barred by the presiding officer from further audience at the meeting unless permission to continue be granted a two-thirds majority vote of the Council members present and voting.*(*Note: A two-thirds majority vote shall consist of 2/3 of the Council members then present and voting. If this number is a fractional number, it shall be rounded to the next higher number.) Subsequent similar conduct shall be grounds for barring a person for any number of future meetings as established by action of Council.
The Council may, at any time, provide for special committees to assist with the carrying out of its function. The presiding officer shall appoint the Chairperson for each such committee. Each committee so designated by the Council shall elect its officers and provide for written rules governing its procedure. Any such committee appointed by the Council shall, thereafter, report to the Council at the regular stated meetings of that body.
Official actions of Council may be taken by approval of an ordinance, of a resolution or by motion. All ordinances and resolutions must be in written form. All actions of a legislative character shall be taken by ordinance. All other actions of Council shall be by resolution or motion, unless otherwise required by the Charter, or in the ordinance establishing the rules of councilmanic procedure. All final action in approving ordinances or resolutions shall be by roll call vote, and the vote of each member of Council shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting.
Adopt or amend an administrative code or abolish any department, office or agency of the municipality.
Adopt or amend a code establishing a personnel system.
Establish, alter or abolish rate charges for any utility or other service.
Convey or lease or authorize the conveyance or lease of any lands of the City of Latrobe.
Amend or repeal any ordinance previously adopted unless such previous ordinance could have been taken by resolution or motion.
Establish wages, hours or fringe benefits of any positions of the City of Latrobe.
Create any standing commission, board, authority or any other similar agency.
Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for adoption. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its tide. The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be: "The City of Latrobe hereby ordains:" Any ordinance which repeals or amends an existing ordinance shall set out in full the ordinance, sections or subsection to be repealed or amended and shall indicate matter to be omitted by enclosing it in brackets or by strike-out type and shall indicate new matter by underscoring or by italics.
An ordinance at the time of its introduction, the member of the Council introducing the ordinance, or anyone who may be designated to do so shall give a brief description of the ordinance, whereupon it shall be laid upon the table until presented for reconsideration at a subsequent meeting on the motion of any member of the Council. At the time of such introduction of an ordinance, or shortly thereafter, and in any event more than three days prior to the meeting which such ordinance will be considered for passage, each Council member shall be supplied with a written copy of the ordinance and copies of the same also shall be kept on file in the office of the Council Secretary. An ordinance may be passed at the meeting at which it is introduced unless tabled to the next regular meeting or special meeting set forth by Council.
Zoning Ordinance and amendments thereto.
Adoption of the Zoning Map and amendments thereto.
Land development and land use regulations.
New taxes or increases in the rates of existing taxes. No prior public notice shall be necessary for the reenactment of taxes levied annually at the same rate.
New or increases in service charges.
Copies of ordinances. Copies of ordinances shall be available to all persons requesting them upon payment of a reasonable reproduction charge.
A copy of each adopted code of technical regulations as well as of the adopting ordinance shall be authenticated and recorded.
Authentication. Every ordinance shall contain the date of its enactment, and its enactment shall be verified by the signature of the Mayor and Council Secretary who shall affix the Official Seal of the City of Latrobe to the original copy of each ordinance.
Publication and effective date of ordinances. After adoption, all ordinances shall be published one time in a newspaper circulating generally within the City of Latrobe. Only the title and a general summary of the substance of the ordinance need be published. Publication shall occur within 30 days of the enactment of the ordinance. The effective date of the ordinance shall be the publication date unless a later date is specified in the ordinance or required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Recording of ordinances and resolutions. All ordinances and resolutions of the City of Latrobe shall be entered verbatim in permanent separate record books for ordinances and resolutions. No ordinance shall be considered in force until the same is recorded in the Ordinance Book. The Ordinance Book and the Resolution Book shall be open and available for public inspection at reasonable hours. These books shall be in the custody and control of the Council Secretary, and all entries made therein shall be at the direction of the Council Secretary.
Penalty. Fine limits may be established by ordinance to the extent of the maximum fine that may be levied by any non-Charter municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as that limit is from time to time established by the General Assembly. Any ordinance may provide that for continuing violations, each day that a violation exists may be regarded as a separate offense and punishable as such.
Is included in an itemized list presented prior to payment.
The appointment, supervision, tenure and duties of the Council Secretary shall be as provided in the Charter. Under special circumstances, to be determined by resolution, the Council may employ the services of legal counsel and such other staff as it deems appropriate.

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