Proceedings of the Council at Any Meeting

After the signing of the minutes as aforesaid, the order of business of an ordinary meeting shall be as follows, or as near thereto as may be practicable;

But, for the greater convenience of the Council, at any particular meeting thereof, it may be altered by resolution to that effect—

1. Reading of copies of letters sent by the authority of the Council;
2. Reading letters received, and considering and ordering thereon;
3. Reception and reading of petitions and memorials;
4. Presentation of reports of committees;
5. Payments;
6. Ordinary business;
7. Orders of the day, including subjects continued from proceedings of former meetings;
8. Extraordinary business, and new rules and regulations;
9. Other motions of which previous notice has been given;
10. Notices of motion;

And the order of business at a special meeting shall be the order in which such business stands in the notice thereof.

4. Whenever a division shall be demanded by any Councillor, the Councillors voting in the affirmative shall first hold up their hands, and then those voting in the negative shall hold up their hands, and the result be declared by the chairman.

5. All addresses to the Governor shall be presented by the Mayor and Town Clerk, unless otherwise ordered by the Council.

Motions.

6. All notices of motion shall be dated and numbered, and given by the intending mover to the Town Clerk at the close of the meeting of Council, or if not required by law to be given at a meeting, then three clear days prior to the next meeting of Council, and the Town Clerk shall enter the same in the notice of motion book in the order in which they may be received.

7. No member shall make any motion initiating a subject for discussion, but in pursuance of notice given as prescribed in the last preceding clause.

8. No motion, except that for receiving the same, shall, unless under some urgent circumstance, be made on any petition, memorial, or other like application, until the next ordinary meeting of Council after that at which it has been presented.

9. Except by leave of the Council, motions shall be moved in the order in which they have been received and recorded by the Town Clerk in the notice of motion book, and if not so moved or postponed, shall be struck out.

10. No motion entered in the notice of motion book shall be proceeded with in the absence of the Councillor who gave notice of the same, unless by some other Councillor producing written authority from him to that effect.

11. No motion for an address or petition shall be entertained unless the mover shall, at some previous meeting, have submitted a draft of the same.

Order, &c., of Debate.

12. Any Councillor desirous of making a motion or amendment or taking part in discussion thereon, shall rise and address the Chairman, and shall not be interrupted unless called to order, when he shall sit down until the Councillor (if any) calling to order shall have been heard thereon, and the question of order disposed of, when the Councillor in possession of the chair may proceed with the subject.

13. Any Councillor desirous of proposing an original motion or amendment, must state the nature of the same before he addresses the Council thereon.

14. No motion or amendment shall be withdrawn without the leave of the Council.

15. No motion or amendment shall be discussed or put to the vote of the Council, unless it be seconded; but a Councillor may, however, require the enforcement of any Standing Order of the Council by directing the Mayor’s or Chairman’s attention to the infraction thereof.

16. A Councillor moving a motion shall be held to have spoken thereon, but a Councillor merely seconding a motion shall not be held to have spoken upon it.

17. The Councillors in meeting of Council shall designate each other by their official titles, namely, that of Mayor, Chairman, or Councillor, as the case may require.

18. If two or more Councillors rise to speak at the same time, the Mayor or Chairman shall decide which is entitled to priority.

19. The Mayor or Chairman shall rise in addressing the Council to discuss any question, and shall not leave the Chair on such occasions.

20. No Councillor shall speak a second time on the same question, unless entitled to reply, or in explanation, when he has been misrepresented or misunderstood.

21. The Mayor or Chairman when called upon, shall decide on points of order or practice which he deems applicable to the case without discussing or commenting on the same, and his decision as to order or explanation in each case shall be final.

22. No Councillor shall digress from the subject matter of the question under discussion, or comment upon the words used by any other Councillor in a previous debate; and all imputations of improper motives and all personal reflections on Councillors shall be deemed highly disorderly.

23. Whenever any Councillors shall make use of any expression disorderly or capable of being applied offensively to any other Councillor, the Councillor so offending shall be required by the Mayor or Chairman to withdraw his expression and to make a satisfactory apology to the Council.

24. A Councillor called to order shall sit down, unless permitted to explain.

25. Any Councillor using offensive or disorderly language, and having been twice called to order or to withdraw or apologise for such conduct, and refusing so to do, shall be guilty of an offence.

26. Any person not being a Councillor who shall, having been admitted to any meeting of the Council, be guilty thereat of any improper or disorderly conduct, or who shall not leave when lawfully requested by the Mayor or Chairman so to do, may be forthwith removed by him, and shall be deemed guilty of an offence.

27. Any Councillor not attending in compliance with an order for a call of the whole Council, without reasonable excuse to the satisfaction of the majority thereof, shall be guilty of an offence.

28. Any Councillor may of right demand the production of any of the documents of the Council applying to the question under discussion.

29. The Council shall vote by show of hands, and any Councillor present and not voting, not being disabled by law from so doing, shall be guilty of an offence.

30. The Mayor or Chairman shall in taking the sense of the Council put the question first in the affirmative, then in the negative, and the result thereof shall be recorded in the minutes.

31. At every meeting of the Council all motions, whether original motions or amendments, shall be...