§ 11-43A-24 — Regular Public Meetings of Council; Adjourned, Called, Special, or Other Meetings; Quorum; When Vote of Majority of Quorum Sufficient; When Vote of Majority of Council Required; Procedure; Record of Proceedings; Journal; Unanimous Consent for Passage of Certain Ordinances at Meeting Where Introduced; Publication of Ordinances

The council shall hold regular public meetings as may be prescribed by its own rules, provided that a regular hour and day shall be fixed by the order of said council and publicly announced. It may hold such adjourned, called, or special or other meetings as the business of the municipality may require. The mayor when present, and in his absence the assistant mayor, shall preside at all meetings of said council. A majority of the whole qualified membership of the council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any and every power conferred upon said council. The affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum shall be necessary and sufficient for the passage of any resolution, rule, or ordinance or the transaction of any business of any sort by the said council or the exercise of any of the powers conferred upon it by the terms of this article except that no resolution or ordinance of a general and permanent nature and an ordinance granting a franchise shall be adopted except by a vote of a majority of the whole number elected to the council. No resolution or ordinance granting any franchise, appropriating any money for any purpose, providing for any public improvements, any regulation concerning the public health, or of any other general permanent nature shall be enacted except at a regular public meeting of the council or an adjournment thereof. Every ordinance introduced shall be in writing and read in full unless in accordance with the rules of procedure theretofore adopted before any vote thereon shall be taken and the yeas and nays shall be recorded. A record of the proceedings of every meeting of the council shall be taken and prepared by the municipal clerk and the records of the proceedings of the meeting shall, when approved by the council, be signed by the mayor and the clerk and entered in the journal. The journal shall be kept available for inspection by all persons at all reasonable times. No ordinance of permanent operation shall be passed at the meeting in which it was introduced except by unanimous consent of all members of the council present and such unanimous consent shall be shown by the yea and nay votes entered upon the minutes of said meeting, provided, however, that if all members of the council present vote for the passage of the ordinance and their names are entered on the record as voting in favor thereof, it shall be construed as giving unanimous consent to the action taken upon such ordinance at the meeting at which it is introduced. Publication of ordinances shall be had as provided in Section 11-45-8.

Legislative History

(Acts 1982, No. 82-517, p. 851, §24.)