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RULES AND ORDERS

OF THE

BOARD OF ALDERMEN.

SECTION 1. The Chairman of the Board in the absence of the Mayor shall take the chair at the hour to which the Board shall have adjourned, and shall call the members to order, and a quorum being present, shall cause the minutes of the preceding meeting to be read; and in the absence of the Mayor and Chairman, the senior member present shall preside as chairman pro tempore.

SECT. 2. He shall preserve decorum and order; may speak to points of order in preference to other members; and shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the Board, by motion regularly seconded; and no other business shall be in order till the question on the appeal shall have been decided.

SECT. 3. He shall declare all votes, but if any member rises to doubt a vote, the Chairman shall cause a return of the members voting in the affirmative, and in the negative, without debate on the question.

SECT. 4. He may read sitting, but shall rise to state a motion or put a question to the Board.

SECT. 5. When the Chairman shall desire to vacate the chair, to speak to a question, he shall appoint the member who shall take the chair, and he may, at any other time, call any member to the chair, but such substitution shall not continue beyond an adjournment.

SECT. 6. On all questions and motions whatsoever, the Chairman shall take the sense of the Board by yeas and nays, provided any member shall so require.

SECT. 7. The Chairman shall propound all questions in the order in which they are moved, unless the subsequent motion shall be previous in its nature, except, that in the naming sums and fixing times, the largest sum and longest time shall be put first.

SECT. 8. After a motion is stated or read by the Chairman, it shall be deemed to be in possession of the Board, and shall be disposed of by vote, but the mover may withdraw it at any time before a decision or amendment.

SECT. 9. When a question is under debate, the Chairman shall receive no motion, but to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone to a day certain, to commit, to amend, or to postpone indefinitely; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they stand arranged; and a motion to strike out the enacting clause of an Ordinance shall be equivalent to a motion to postpone indefinitely.

SECT. 10. The Chairman shall consider a motion to adjourn as always in order except on an immediate repetition; and that motion, and the motion to lay on the table, or to take up from the table, shall be decided without debate.

SECT. 11. When a vote has passed, it shall be in order for any member to move a reconsideration thereof, at the same or the succeeding meeting, but not after

ward, except upon papers returned from the Mayor; and when a motion for reconsideration is decided, that vote shall not be reconsidered.

SECT. 12. Every member when about to speak, shall rise and respectfully address the Chair; shall confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personalities; and shall resume his seat when he has finished. No member shall speak out of his place, without leave of the Chairman.

SECT. 13. No member speaking, shall be interrupted by another, but by rising to a call to order.

SECT. 14. No member shall be permitted to vote, or serve on any Committee, on any question where his private right is immediately concerned, distinct from the public interest.

SECT. 15. Every member, who shall be present when a question is put, where he is not excluded by interest, shall give his vote, unless the Board for special reasons, shall excuse him; application to be so excused, on any question, must be made before the Board is divided, or before the calling of the yeas and nays, and such application shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons, and shall be decided on without debate.

SECT. 16. Every motion shall be reduced to writing, if the Chairman shall so direct.

SECT. 17. Any member may require the division of a question, when the sense will admit of it. A motion to strike out and insert, shall be deemed indivisible; but a motion to strike out, being lost, shall not preclude amendment, or a motion to strike out and insert.

SECT. 18. No motion or proposition, of a subject different from that under consideration, shall be admitted under color of amendment.

SECT. 19. Motions and Reports may be committed or recommitted, at the pleasure of the Board.

SECT. 20. When a vote is doubted, the members for, and against the question, when called on by the Chairman, shall rise and stand till they are counted.

SECT. 21. All questions relating to priority of busi-. ness to be acted upon, shall be decided without debate. SECT. 22. When a motion is made to refer any subject, and different Committees are proposed, the question shall be taken in the following order :

1st. To a Standing Committee of the Board;
2d. To a Select Committee of the Board;
3d. To a Joint Standing Committee;
4th. To a Joint Select Committee.

SECT. 23. The following Standing Committees of the Board to consist of three members each, shall be appointed by the Chairman:

Committee on Armories and Military Affairs-Bridges -Cemeteries-Common and Public Squares-County Accounts-Fire Department-Faneuil Hall (to be composed of the Committee on Public Buildings on the part of this Board)-External Health-Internal Health —Lamps, Bells, and Clocks-Laying out and widening Streets-Licenses-Jail-Market-Paving and Repairs of Streets-Sewers and Drains-Steam Engines and Furnaces. All other Committees unless otherwise provided for or specially directed by the Board shall be appointed by the Chairman or the Chairman pro tempore.

SECT. 24. At every regular meeting of the Board the order of business shall be as follows:

1. Communications from His Honor the Mayor. Presentation of petitions, memorials and remon

2.

strances.

3. Papers from the Common Council. 4. Reports of City Officers.

5. Reports of Committees.

6. Motions, orders and resolutions.

And the above order of business shall not be departed from but by the votes of a majority of the members of the Board present.

SECT. 25. Each Committee elected on the part of this Board shall organize at its first meeting by the choice of a Chairman, and shall report the same to this Board, and in all cases where the Chairman appoints a Committee unless otherwise provided for, the member first named shall be Chairman, and in his absence the member next in order, who shall be present, shall be Chairman pro tempore.

SECT. 26. Committees of the Board, to whom any matter is specially referred, may be required to report within four weeks, or ask for further time.

SECT. 27. The foregoing rules shall not be altered, amended, suspended or repealed at any time except by the vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board present at the time.

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