Reedley Municipal Code Ch. 5 City Council

The regular meetings of the city council shall be held at the city hall council chambers on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, at the hour of seven o'clock (7:00) P.M.; provided, that if any regular meeting shall fall on a holiday, Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, then such meeting shall be canceled, unless the city council: a) at a previous meeting, shall by order entered in its minutes, direct that a meeting shall be held; or b) a special meeting is called. (Ord. 97-04, 4-8-1997)

The agenda shall be prepared by the city manager, in consultation with the mayor. The city manager shall deliver a copy of the agenda for each meeting to each council member as far in advance of the meeting as time will permit. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

A. Roll Call: Before proceeding with the business of the city council, the city clerk or his deputy shall call the roll of the members, and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes.

B. Quorum: A majority of all the members elected to the city council shall constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting of the city council. When there is no quorum, the mayor, mayor pro tempore or any member of the city council shall adjourn such meeting or, if no member of the city council is present, the city clerk shall adjourn the meeting. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

A. Unless a reading of the minutes of a city council meeting is requested by a member of the city council, such minutes may be approved without a reading if the city manager has previously furnished each member with a copy thereof.

B. As soon as possible after each city council meeting, the city manager shall send typewritten copies of the minutes of such meeting to each member of the city council at his residence or such other place as he may designate. Thereafter, the reading of such minutes at any following meeting may be dispensed with, and they shall be approved without any further proceeding. Their approval shall be authenticated by the signature of the presiding officer, attested by the city clerk. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

A. Procedures And Time: Each person addressing the city council shall step up and shall give his name and address in an audible tone of voice for the record and shall limit his address to three (3) minutes unless otherwise prescribed by the presiding officer. All remarks shall be addressed to the city council as a body and not to any member thereof. No person other than the city council and/or staff and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a member of the city council, without the permission of the presiding officer. No question shall be asked a council member or any city official present except through the presiding officer.

B. Disruption Of Meetings: Any person in the audience who uses profane language at a city council meeting, or language tending to bring the city council or any of its members into contempt, or any person who persistently interrupts the proceedings of the city council, or refuses to keep quiet or take his seat when ordered to do so by the presiding officer, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine or by imprisonment as prescribed in the state law for misdemeanors. Upon instructions of the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of any police officer present to place such person under arrest or remove the person from the city council chambers. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

The following procedural rules shall be observed at all meetings of the city council:

A. Except in those cases for which the city council has established rules to the contrary, reference shall be had to "Robert's Rules Of Order".

B. The mayor, mayor pro tempore or such other member of the city council as may be presiding, may move, second and debate as are by these rules imposed on all members and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a councilmember by reason of his acting as the presiding officer.

C. Every member desiring to speak shall address the chair, and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine himself to the question under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous language.

D. A member once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it be to call him to order, or as herein otherwise provided. If a member, while speaking, be called to order, he shall cease speaking until the question of order be determined, and, if in order, he shall be permitted to proceed.

E. The councilmember moving the adoption of an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the debate. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

A. Presiding Officer: The mayor of the city council or, in his absence, the mayor pro tempore, shall take the chair precisely at the hour appointed for the meeting, and shall immediately call the city council to order. In the absence of the mayor, and the mayor pro tempore, the city clerk, or his deputy, shall call the city council to order, whereupon a temporary chair shall be elected by the members of the city council present. Upon the arrival of the mayor or mayor pro tempore, the temporary chair shall immediately relinquish the chair upon the conclusion of the business immediately before the city council.

B. Duties: The presiding officer shall preserve order at all meetings of the city council. He shall state every question coming before the city council, announce the decision of the city council on all subjects and decide all questions of order, subject, however, to an appeal to the city council, in which event a majority vote of the city council shall govern and conclusively determine such question of order. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

When a vote on any motion is called for, the mayor or other presiding officer may call for a voice vote and may determine whether any such motion carried or failed; any member of the city council, however, may call for a roll call vote on any motion. All votes on motions for passage of any ordinance or resolution shall be called for by the city clerk by calling the name of each member present including the mayor; each member shall be recorded as voting "aye" unless when his name is called he votes "no" or declares he is not voting. Unless a member of the city council states he is not voting because of a personal interest in the subject matter under discussion, his silence shall be recorded as an affirmative vote. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989)

A. Monthly Compensation. Each member of the city council shall receive, as salary, the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per month, as prescribed in the Government Code, which shall be payable at the same time and in the same manner as the salaries are paid to other officers and employees of the city. The council members may receive such benefits for retirement, health and welfare and federal social security to those received by other employees, as the city council may determine by resolution.

B. Expense Reimbursement 2 : The salaries prescribed herein are and shall be exclusive of any amounts payable to each member of the city council as reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred by him in the performance of official duties for the city. (Ord. 728, 12-12-1989; amd. Ord. 2024-010, 11-12-2024)

Commencing with the regular municipal election in 2004 and at each regular municipal election thereafter until changed in accordance with law, members of the city council shall be elected "from districts" in five (5) districts. The term "from districts" means the election of members of the legislative body who are residents of the district from which they are elected by the voters of the entire city. (Ord. 2002-04, 7-23-2002)

At the regular municipal election in 2004, city council members for districts 1, 3 and 5 shall be elected and shall hold office for four (4) years. At the regular municipal election in 2006, the city council members for districts 2 and 4 shall be elected and shall hold office for four (4) years. (Ord. 2002-04, 7-23-2002)

ARTICLE A. DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

SECTION:

The districts have approximately equal populations, and meet the city council's goals of respecting communities of interest represented by the geographic areas of the city (historic downtown, northern neighborhoods, eastside neighborhoods, and south-westside neighborhoods), using major thoroughfares and city streets as boundaries, achieving reasonable compactness and contiguity of territory, and observing the mandates of the United States constitution, the federal voting rights act, and the constitution and laws of the state of California. (Ord. 2012-001, 4-10-2012)

Following each federal decennial census, the Council shall, by resolution, adopt boundaries for all of the Council districts of the City so that the Council districts shall be substantially equal in population as required by the United States Constitution and California elections Code section 21500, et seq., as may be amended. (Ord. 2012-001, 4-10-2012; amd. Ord. 2023-02, 1-24-2023)

The term of office of a council member who has been elected and whose term of office has not expired shall not be affected by establishing district boundaries or by any change in the boundaries of the district from which he or she is elected. (Ord. 2002-04, 7-23-2002)