Copyrighted by SPRINGDALE CODE & Municipal Code Corporation, 1998.

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Sec. 2-26. Meetings--Rules governing conduct.

(a) The city council shall hold two regular council meetings per month, on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located in the Springdale City Administration Building. Special meetings of the city council may be called by the mayor or by any three aldermen, provided that the notice requirements of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act are complied with.

(b) The city council shall have the authority to adopt such rules governing its meetings as it may deem expedient. Except as provided by rules adopted by the city council, in all matters of parliamentary procedure Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern and apply.

(c) The city council's rules and order of business shall be observed in all cases, unless suspended temporarily for a special purpose of an emergency nature by a vote of all members present. Any member may move at any time for the suspension of any rule, and such motion must be seconded to entitle it to consideration.

(d) If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the rules of the council, the presiding officer shall, or any member can, call him to order; in which case the member so called to order shall immediately cease discussion unless permitted by the presiding officer to explain; and the council if appealed to shall decide the question without debate. If the decision is in favor of the member so called to order, he shall be at liberty to proceed; if otherwise, he shall not proceed without leave of the council to proceed in order.

(e) A member about to speak shall respectfully address the chair, and shall not commence to speak until recognized by the presiding officer. When two or more members request to speak at the same time, the presiding officer shall determine which one is recognized.

(f) Every member while speaking shall confine himself to the subject under debate, shall refrain from personalities and shall not refer to any other member of the council except in a respectful manner.

(g) Unless a member who has the floor yields for that purpose, no member shall interrupt another while speaking, except to propound a parliamentary inquiry or make a point of order.

(h) No member shall speak more than twice or for more than 15 minutes continuously to any one question, except that one or more additional periods of 15 minutes may be granted by majority consent. The reading of papers desired by any member shall be read by himself or by the city clerk within the member's time limitation unless permission for the clerk to read such paper outside the time limitations is granted by a majority.

(Code 1973, § 2-1; Ord. No. 3953, § 1, 9-12-06)

State law reference(s)--Council (in first class cities) shall determine its own rules and keep a journal thereof, A.C.A. § 14-43-501; except as otherwise provided by law, all meetings supported by public funds, shall be public, A.C.A. § 25-19-106.

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