Alhambra Municipal Code Ch. 2.04 City Council

(A) Regular meetings. Except as hereinafter expressly set forth in division (B) of this section, the City Council shall meet regularly on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m., however, when the day for any regular meeting of the Alhambra City Council falls on a holiday, such meeting shall be held at the same hour on the next succeeding day that is not a holiday, or canceled at the discretion of the City Council. Such meetings shall be open to the public and shall be held in the Council chamber on the second floor of the city hall of the city unless otherwise noticed in accordance with state law. Such meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 54950 et seq., and sections amendatory and supplementary thereto.

(B) Special and emergency meetings. A special meeting or emergency meeting may be called at any time by the Mayor or by a majority of the members of the Council pursuant to the requirements and procedures set forth in Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 54950 et seq., and sections amendatory or supplementary thereto.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.010) (Ord. 3129, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3699, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3936, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4215, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4432, passed 2-10-03; Am. Ord. 4595, passed 2-27-12; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19; Am. Ord. 4828, passed 2-26-24)

The City Clerk shall prepare a written agenda and post the same pursuant to Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 54950 et seq.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.020) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3699, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4215, passed - - )

Promptly at the hour set by law on the day of each regular meeting, the members of the Council, City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk shall take their regular stations in the Council chamber and the business of the Council shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in the following order, except as may be otherwise requested by the City Manager or ordered by the Council:

(A) Call to order;

(B) Roll call;

(C) Recess to closed sessions, reconvene to open sessions at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted on the posted agenda;

(D) Flag salute;

(E) Ceremonials;

(F) Public comment for non-agendized items – time limit 30 minutes;

(G) Public hearings;

(H) Presentation items;

(I) Consent items, including, but not limited to, approval of minutes, authorization or award of bids, departmental reports and/or recommendations, personnel actions, demands; ordinances;

(J) Continuation of public comment for non-agendized items for those persons unable or electing not to speak during the first public comment period;

(K) Council communications/announcements/future agenda item requests;

(L) Adjournment.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.030) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3936, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3936, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4215, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4432, passed 2-10-03; Am. Ord. 4595, passed 2-27-12; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19; Am. Ord. 4850, passed 10-13-25)

The Mayor, or in his or her absence the Vice-Mayor, shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting, and shall immediately call the Council to order. In the absence of the Mayor and the Vice-Mayor, the City Clerk, or his or her deputy, shall call the Council to order, whereupon a temporary chairman shall be elected by the members of the Council present. Upon the arrival of the Mayor or Vice-Mayor, the temporary chairman shall immediately relinquish the chair upon the conclusion of the business immediately before the Council.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.040) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

The presiding officer shall preserve order at all regular and special meetings of the Council. He or she shall state every question coming before the Council, announce the decision of the Council on all subjects and decide all questions of order, subject, however, to an appeal to the Council, in which event a majority vote of the Council shall govern and conclusively determine such question of order. Meetings of the City Council and all city commissions shall be conducted consistent with the provisions of Rosenberg’s Rules of Order.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.050) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19)

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.060) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

Before proceeding with the business of the Council, the City Clerk or his or her deputy shall call the roll of the members, and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes. The presence of the City Manager and the elected officials shall be noted.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.070) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.080) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.090) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

('86 Code, § 2.04.100) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.110) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.120) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.130) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

A Councilman may request through the presiding officer, the privilege of having an abstract of his or her statement on any subject under consideration by the Council entered in the minutes. If the Council consents thereto, such statement shall be entered in the minutes.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.140) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.150) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.160) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3959, passed - - )

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.200) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

(A) Prior to addressing the Council, each person wishing to address the Council shall complete a card provided by the City Clerk for that purpose. Once the card is completed, it shall be returned to the City Clerk prior to the conclusion of the agenda item upon which such person desires to speak. Upon receipt of the card, the City Clerk shall deliver it to the presiding officer. The card shall become part of the record.

(B) The City Clerk shall prepare the card to solicit the following information by each person wishing to address the Council: the person’s name and address; whether he or she is speaking for himself or herself, an organization or another party (in which event the name of the organization or other party he or she represents should also be given); the agenda item he or she wishes to address; and a very brief description of the subject matter he or she wishes to present. Identifying information is not mandatory but is requested to facilitate the orderly running of the meeting and to allow for follow-up when needed.

(C) The maximum time for addressing the Council pursuant to this section shall be five minutes for each agendized item and for comments concerning non-agendized items; excepting that during the initial 30-minute timeframe for public comment for non-agendized items the individual speaker time shall be three minutes. Additionally, the total individual speaker time for consent agenda items shall be five minutes for those individuals speaking on one item and for those individuals speaking on more than one consent item, the total speaking time shall be ten minutes. However, the presiding officer may either extend or reduce the maximum time to such period of time as the Council may determine.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.210) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 3959, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19; Am. Ord. 4850, passed 10-13-25) Penalty, see § 1.12.010

(A) By Council members. While the Council is in session the members must preserve order and decorum, and no member shall, either by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the Council or disturb any member while speaking or refusing to obey the orders of the Council or its presiding officer, except as otherwise herein provided.

(B) By persons. Any person addressing the Council who refuses to stop speaking after his or her time has expired or any person who behaves in such a manner as to interfere with or impede the progress of the City Council meeting who, after a request by the presiding officer, refuses to cease such behavior may be removed from the City Council chambers upon direction of the presiding officer.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.220) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19)

The Chief of Police, or such member, or members, of the Police Department or Police Reserve as he may designate, shall be Sergeant-at-Arms of the Council meetings. He, or they, shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the Council meeting.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.230) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19)

No person, except city officials or their designees, shall be permitted within the rail in front of the Council chamber without the express consent of the Council.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.240) (Ord. 2889, passed - - ; Am. Ord. 4755, passed 9-23-19) Penalty, see § 1.12.010

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.250) (Ord. 2889, passed - - )

The City Council shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties. The City Council may adopt administrative regulations implementing this code section.

(‘86 Code, § 2.04.260) (Ord. 4169, passed - - )

Every member of the City Council of the city who retires after 12 years of service on the City Council shall in each year after their retirement receive the same medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance benefits that sitting City Council Members receive during each such year, but in no event shall any such benefits be less than substantially the same health care benefits received during his or her tenure on the City Council. Such benefits and the premiums therefor shall be paid by the city.

(Ord. 4336, passed 7-13-98)