Council: Procedures, powers and duties
Section 6.1. Regular meetings
The council shall provide for the time and place of its regular meetings and shall hold at least two (2) such meetings each month.
Section 6.2. Special meetings.
Special meetings shall be called by the clerk on the written request of the mayor, or any two members of the council on at least six (6) hours’ written notice to each member of the council served personally or left at his usual place of residence, but a special meetings may be held on shorter notice if all members of the council are present or if the absent members of the council have waived notice thereof in writing.
Section 6.3. Business of special meetings.
No business shall be transacted at any special meetings of the council unless the same shall have been stated in the notice of such meetings. However, any business which might lawfully come before a regular meetings may be transacted at such special meeting if all the members present consent thereto.
Section 6.4. Meetings to be public.
All regular and special meetings shall be open to the public and citizens shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
Section 6.5. Quorum.
Three(3) members of the council shall be a quorum for the transaction of business at al meetings of the council. In the absence of the council. In the absence of a quorum, any number of members less than a quorum may adjourn any regular or special meeting to a later date.
Section 6.6. Attendance; conduct; sergeant-at-arms.
Any three or more members of the council may be vote either request or compel the attendance of its members and other officers of the city at any meeting. Any members of the council or other officer, who when notified of such request for his attendance, fails to attend such meeting for reasons other than confining illness or extenuating circumstances shall be deemed guilty of misconduct in office unless excused by the council. The presiding officer shall enforce orderly conduct at meetings and any councilman 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.
Section 6.7. Organization, rules and order of business.
The council shall determine its own organization, rules and order of business subject to the following provisions:
(a) A journal of the proceedings 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 one 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 majority consent of the remaining members present. Any member refusing to vote except when not so required by this paragraph, may 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.
Section 6.8. Investigation into conduct of office, employee, etc.; power to summon and compel attendance of witness and production of evidence.
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, officer or employee of the City of Fremont, and to make investigations as to matters in which the municipality has an interest, The council, for the purpose 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 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 employee when found guilty of such violation by a competent tribunal may be punished by a fine of not to exceed five hundred dollars, or imprisonment not to exceed ninety 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 Newaygo County in requiring obeyance of such summons or production of such books, papers, and other evidence.
Section 6.9. Public peace, health and safety; composition and powers of board of health.
The council shall see that provision is made for the public peace and health, and for the safety of persons and property. The council shall constitute the board of health of the city, and it and its officers shall possess all powers, privileges, and immunities granted to boards of health by statute. Top
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