Page 1 #2036 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND SECTION FOURTEEN OF ORDINANCE NO. 1999, BEING THE ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING RULES AN DPROCEDURE FOR THE MAYOR-COUNCIL FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR THE CITY OF PRICHARD, ALABAMA NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PRICHARD, ALABAMA, as follows: SECTION ONE. Section Fourteen, Communication with Council, of Ordinance No. 1999 is hereby amended to read, in its entirety, as follows: “SECTION FOURTEEN: Communication with Council. (a) Public Hearings. Where required by law, or by unanimous consent of the Council, public hearings on matters before the Council shall be held by the Council at which taxpayers or residents of the City or their authorized legal representatives shall be permitted to present oral statements for or against the matter made a subject of the hearing. (1) Requests to appear at such a public hearing may be filed in writing with the City Clerk, who shall refer the same to the President of the Council prior to the hearing. Persons making these requests in writing shall, together with witnesses requested to appear by the Council, be heard prior to other persons who appear at the hearing. (2) Each person addressing any public hearing shall, when called, step up in front of the rail, give his name and address in an audible tone of voice for the records. No person shall speak more than twice on any matter before the Council, except by unanimous consent; and then not until every Council Member desiring to speak has had an opportunity to do so. (3) __No person shall speak more than six (6) minutes on any subject, and rebuttal speakers shall be limited to four (4) minutes, after an issue has been discussed by both sides, except by permission granted by majority vote. Those speaking on any subject will be limited to two (2) spokespersons on each issue, unless permission iS granted by unanimous consent of the Council Members present to allow others to speak. (4) The President must notify each speaker, before he/she has begun to speak, that said speaker will be limited to six (6) minutes on any subject, and additionally must also notify rebuttal speakers, before said speaker has begun to speak, that he/she will be limited to four (4) minutes on any subject. Page 2 (b) (©) Address to Council ~ General Public, Except as is provided for public hearings or unless waived by the unanimous consent of the Council, members of the public who are not members of the council may be allowed to address the council while it is in session, provided that said person has completed a Request to Address the Council form prior to the close of the agenda for the meeting at which said person desires to address the council. (1) For the purpose of this section, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed, herein: i) Agenda - shall mean the proposed order of business for each meeting of the council. ti) Close of the Agenda - shall mean the day and time set by the Council for all business and materials to be submitted to the council secretary for inclusion in the Agenda for the next meeting of the council.2. (2) Time Limit. A person permitted to address the council by the presiding officer shall be limited to six (6) minutes which period shall include the person’s comments, questions from members of the council and any response thereto. Address to Council — Special Briefings and Reports. Any member of the City Council, the Mayor or any person or entity desiring to provide the Council with a briefing, proposal or report regarding matters regarding economic or community development, health and safety, or similar proposal or report may make a written request to address the council, as follows: (1) The written request shall include: (i) a summary of the purpose and intent of the briefing, (ii) the number of persons expected to address the council, (iii) a good faith estimate of the time the presenter(s) expect will be required to complete the presentation; (iv) and eight (8) copies of any handout or written proposal expected to be distributed to the mayor and council during the presentation. (2) — The request should be made to the city council, attention Council President, not less than 10 days prior to the meeting at which the presentation is to be made. (3) Upon receipt of the request, the Council President shall present the request to the council at the council conference (or council meeting if no council conference is held) following receipt of the request. At that meeting the council shall decide whether to grant the request and, if so, determine at which meeting, regular or special, the request will be honored and the time Page 3 @ ) to be set aside for hearing the request. Notice of the decision of the council shall be given to the requester as soon as is practicable. Address to Council -_ Governmental Entities. Requests by Governmental entities to address the council should be presented to the presiding officer of the council and scheduled as soon as is practicable for a regular or special meeting as necessity requires and with notice as required by the Alabama Open Meetings Act. Disruptions, Good Name and Character. Citizens and other visitors attending city council meetings shall observe the same rules of propriety, decorum and good conduct applicable to members of the city council. The following rules shall also apply to citizens and other visitors attending the meetings of the city council or any committee thereof: (1) (2) (3) No person addressing the council shall be permitted to discuss the good name and character of an individual. Any person violating this rule while addressing the city council or while attending the city council meeting or any committee thereof shall be asked by the presiding officer to leave the room and if said person refuses to do so forthwith, said person shall be removed from the room if the sergeant-at-arms is so directed by the presiding officer, and the person shall be barred from further audience before the city council or committee during that session of the city council or committee. If the presiding officer fails to act, any member of the city council or committee member may move to require enforcement of the tules, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the city council shall require the presiding officer to act. Any person making personal, impertinent, profane or slanderous remarks or who speaks without permission or who becomes boisterous or exhibits or commits disorderly conduct as the same is defined in Section 13A-11-7 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, while addressing the city council or while attending the city council meeting or any committee thereof shall be asked by the presiding officer to leave the room and if said person refuses to do so forthwith, said person shall be removed from the room if the sergeant- at-arms is so directed by the presiding officer, and the person shall be barred from further audience before the city council or committee during that session of the city council or committee. If the presiding officer fails to act, any member of the city council or committee member may move to require enforcement of the rules, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the city council shall require the presiding officer to act. Unauthorized remarks from the audience, stamping of feet, whistles, yells, and similar demonstrations shall not be permitted by the presiding officer, who may direct the sergeant-at-arms to remove offenders from the room. Aggravated cases shall be prosecuted on appropriate complaint signed by the presiding officer. In case the presiding officer shall fail to act, any Page 4 member of the city council may move to require enforcement of the rules, f and the affirmative vote of the majority of the city council shall require the WY presiding officer to act. SECTION TWO. All other parts, sections, sentences, paragraphs, etc., of Ordinance No. 1999 not affected by this Amendment shall be and remain in full force and effect. SECTION THREE. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and publication as required by law. ADOPTED this the 39t* day of April, 2015. °) 7 a = 7 - SSIA EDWARDS, Presiding Officer APPROVED this the 39th day of April, 2015. ww ATTEST: yn. DARLENE PALMER LEWIS, City Clerk Ww