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RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS.

confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personality. He shall sit down as soon as he is done speaking.

SEC. 15. No member in debate shall mention another member by name, but may describe him by the ward he represents, the place he sits in, or such other designation as may be intelligible and respectful.

SEC. 16. No member speaking shall be interrupted by another, but by rising to call to order, or to correct a mistake. But if any member, in speaking, or otherwise, transgress the rules of the Council, the President shall, or any member may call to order; in which case the member so called to order, shall immediately sit down, unless permitted to explain; and the Council, if appealed to, shall decide on the case, but without debate.

SEC. 17. When any member shall violate any of the rules and orders of the Council, and the Council shall have determined that he has so transgressed, he shall not be allowed to speak, unless by way of satisfaction for the same, until he has made satisfaction.

SEC. 18. No member shall speak more than twice on the same question, without leave of the Council, nor more than once until all other members choosing to speak shall have spoken.

SEC. 19. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be considered by the Council, and not otherwise; and no member shall be permitted to submit a motion in writing, until he has read the same in his place, and it has been seconded.

SEC. 20. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but

5. To commit;

6. To amend; or

7. To postpone indefinitely;

which several motions shall have precedence in the order. in which they are here arranged.

SEC. 21. Every motion shall be reduced to writing if the President direct, or any member of the Council request it.

SEC. 22. When a motion has been made and carried in the affirmative or negative, any member may move a reconsideration, and if seconded it shall be open to debate, and disposed of by the Council, and if the motion is made at the same meeting, or if notice be given that a motion to reconsider will be made at the next meeting a majority of

OF COMMUNICATIONS, COMMITTEES, &c.

17

the members present may pass a vote of reconsideration; but no more than one motion for the reconsideration of any vote shall be permitted.

SEC. 23. No person shall be permitted to stand up, to the interruption of another, whilst any member is speaking, or pass unnecessarily between the President and the person speaking.

SEC. 24. No member shall vote, or serve on any Committee, in any question in which he has an interest distinct from the public. Every member who shall be in the room when a question is put, shall give his vote, unless the Council for special reasons shall excuse him. Any mémber desiring to be so excused on any question, shall make application to that effect before the Council is divided, or before the calling of the yeas and nays; and such application shall be accompanied by a brief statement of reasons, and shall be decided without debate.

SEC. 25. A motion for commitment, until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment of the main question.

SEC. 26. All motions and reports may be committed or re-committed, at the pleasure of the Council.

SEC. 27. The division of a question may be called for, where the sense will admit it.

SEC. 28. Where the reading of a paper is called for, and the same is objected to by any member, it shall be determined by a vote of the Council.

SEC. 29. No standing rule or order of the Council shall be suspended, unless three-fourths of the members present shall consent thereto; nor shall any rule or order be repealed or amended, without notice being given of the motion therefor, at the preceding meeting, nor unless a majority of the whole Council shall concur therein.

SEC. 30. Every member shall take notice of the day and hour to which the Council stands adjourned, and shall give his punctual attendance accordingly.

OF COMMUNICATIONS, COMMITTEES, REPORTS, AND

RESOLUTIONS.

SEC. 31. All memorials and other papers addressed to the Council, shall be presented by the President, or by a member in his place, who shall explain the subject thereof, and they shall lie on the table, to be taken up in the order in which they were presented, unless the Council shall otherwise direct.

SEC. 32. Standing Committees shall be appointed on

3

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OF COMMUNICATIONS, COMMITTEES, &c.

the following subjects, viz: on Elections and Returns, and on Bills in the Second Reading; each to consist of three members.

SEC. 33. All messages to the Mayor and Aldermen shall be drawn up by the Clerk, and sent by the Messenger.

SEC. 34. There shall be a Standing Committee of three members, to be called the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading, to whom all Bills shall be referred which may be passed to a second reading at this Board; and it shall be the duty of the said Committee carefully to examine such Bills, to see that they are in technical form, and that their provisions are not repugnant to the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, or to the Charter and Ordinances of the City, and to make report of them to the Council, before the time assigned for their second reading.

SEC. 35. All Ordinances shall have two several readings before they shall be finally passed by the Council, and no Ordinance, Order, or Resolution, imposing penalties, or authorizing the expenditure of money, shall have more than one reading on the same day.

SEC. 36. All Committees of this Council shall consist of three members, unless a different number be especially ordered; and no report shall be received from any Committee, unless agreed to in Committee actually assembled.

SEC. 37. The seats of the Common Council Board shall be numbered and determined by lot; and no member shall change his seat but by permission of the President.

SEC. 38. No Committee shall sit during any meeting of the Council, without special leave.

JOINT RULES AND ORDERS.

I.

In all cases of disagreement between the two Boards, when either Board shall request a conference and appoint a Committee for that purpose, the other Board shall also appoint a Committee to confer-which Committees shall forthwith meet—provided both branches are then in session, otherwise as soon as convenient-and state to each other the reasons of the respective Boards for and against the amendment, and confer freely thereon.

II.

When either Board shall not concur in any ordinance or other paper sent from the other Board, the Board so nonconcurring shall give notice thereof to the other Branch.

III.

All by-laws passed by the City Council shall be termed Ordinances, and the enacting style shall be "Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Salem."

IV.

In all votes, when either or both branches of the City Council express anything by way of command, the form of expression shall be "Ordered;" and whenever either or both branches express opinions, principles, facts, or purposes, the form shall be "Resolved."

V.

No committee shall act by separate consultation, and no report shall be received unless agreed to in committee actually assembled.

VI.

All reports and other papers submitted to the City Council shall be written in a fair hand; and no reports or other endorsements shall be written upon the memorials or other papers referred to the Committees of either Board.

The following Joint Standing Committees shall be annually appointed, viz:

A Committee on Finance;

A Committee on Public Property;

A Committee on Accounts;

A Committee on the Fire Department;
A Committee on Printing;

A Committee on Public Instruction.

VIII.

All joint committees may report by ordinance, resolve, or otherwise, and may make their reports to either Board. And it shall be the duty of all committees, to whom any subject may be referred, to report upon the same at the next meeting after such reference, or to report progress on the same whenever called on so to do by any member of the City Council.

IX.

No vote by which an order, resolve, or ordinance has been passed in its final stage, shall be reconsidered in either Board after the same has been finally acted upon in the other Board, unless the motion for reconsideration be made, or notice given at the same meeting at which the vote to be reconsidered passed. And when any order, resolve or ordinance shall have been finally rejected, no other substantially the same, shall be introduced by any Committee or member, during the same municipal year, without the consent of two-thirds of the members present.

X.

When the two Boards are both in session, it shall be the duty of each before adjourning to give notice of their intention so to do, to the other branch of the City Council.