(a) Unless otherwise provided by these rules, the procedure for council meetings, and any committee or subcommittee of the council, shall be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised.

(b) Members of the council are encouraged to avoid invoking the finer points of parliamentary procedure found within Robert’s Rules of Order when such points will obscure the issues before the council and confuse members of the public.

(c) Whenever these rules and Robert’s Rules of Order conflict, these rules shall govern. Whenever these rules and Robert’s Rules of Order are silent on an issue or question, the mayor, or whoever is chairing the meeting, shall decide the issue or question.

(a) The members of the council are the mayor and city councilors as outlined in the charter. A majority of the council constitutes a quorum. Vacancies in an office count towards determining a quorum.

(b) In the event a quorum is not present, the members of the council present shall adjourn the meeting.

(a) The mayor shall preside over all meetings, retaining all duties and privileges of any councilor, and shall not be denied any right or privilege by reason of their position as presiding officer.

(b) In the mayor’s absence the council president shall preside over the meeting.

(c) If both the mayor and council president are absent from a meeting, the following procedure shall be utilized to determine who is the presiding officer:

(a) City Administrator. The city administrator shall attend all meetings of the council, unless excused by the council or mayor, and is permitted to participate in any discussion; however, the city administrator has no authority to cast a vote in any decision rendered by the council.

(b) City Attorney. The city attorney shall, either in person or by a deputy, attend all meetings and work sessions of the council, unless excused by the mayor, wherein they will serve as the parliamentarian, advising the presiding officer on any questions of order.

(c) City Recorder. The city recorder shall be the clerk for the council, keeping minutes of meetings and performing such other duties at the meeting as ordered by the presiding officer, council, or city administrator.

(d) Chief of Police. The chief of police, or their designee, shall attend each council meeting, unless excused by the mayor or city administrator, serving as the sergeant-at-arms, for the purpose of retaining order and decorum, carrying out all lawful orders or instructions upon direction of the presiding officer or upon any other procedure specifically provided by these rules.

(e) Other Officers and Employees. Any member of the city council may request that the city administrator direct any employee to attend a council meeting to confer with the council on matters relating to the city.

(a) A vacancy in the council shall be filled by appointment by a majority of the council. The appointee’s term shall run from the time of their qualifying for the office after the appointment and until the expiration of the term of the predecessor who has the office vacant.

(b) When a council vacancy occurs, the city council shall, in its sole discretion, identify the method and manner by which it will fill the vacancy in accordance with these rules and the North Bend Charter.