2020-04-07 Ex 04TO:
FROM:
MEMORANDUM
DATE: October 10, 2019 Mayor Watford & Council Members
City Clerk Gamiote~ SUBJECT: Vice Mayor Research
In response to the October 1, 2019, inquiry of appointing a Vice Mayor, please see the following
research:
1. Due to the referendum changing from the city voters electing a mayor that is separate from the
five-member council, of which one was appointed to serve as the president of the council, the
mayor became one of the five-council members, the term mayor and president of the council
intertwine to mean the same position. Ref. Charter Section 13: ''The city council shall elect one of
their members to be president of the council and mayor."
2. The Charter is silent in the use of the term vice mayor. However, it uses the term mayor pro-
tempore. Pro-tempore means for the time being; or for a brief period.
Per Wikipedia: A common use of pro-tempore in the United States is in municipalities such as cities and
towns with regard to the position of the mayor. Some cities do not have a position of vice mayor, but rather
appoint a person from the city council to act as mayor pro-tempore (pro-tem) in the absence of the actual
mayor.
Per Charter Section 21: "In case of death, absence from the city, sickness or any other disability
or from any other cause, he is unable to discharge the duties of mayor and president of the city
council, the mayor pro-tempore shall discharge such duties, or until the office of mayor and
president of the council shall be filled by law as provided by ordinance."
Per Charter Section 22: " ... The members of the city council shall elect one of their number to
be president of the council and mayor, ... and in absence of the president, the members may
choose or elect one of their number president pro-tempore."
Since the Charter is silent on appointing an official vice mayor, and only recognizes a mayor pro-tem,
the council has followed the procedure to appoint another council member to discharge the duties of
the mayor for a specific meeting. In an effort to streamline the process and ensure attendance, the
current mayor will usually ask another council member to serve in this capacity. At the beginning of
the meeting, the council member will call the meeting to order, state the reason for the mayors
absence, then request objections or consensus to serve as mayor pro-tem for the remainder of the
meeting. According to Roberts Rules of Order, the proper procedure would be for the secretary of the
board (in our case the City Clerk) to call the meeting to order, state the reason for the absence of the
chair, then open the floor for nominations for a mayor pro-tempore. Upon election of that position, the
City Clerk would pass the gavel and both parties would change to their appropriate seats. Mayors
Douglas, Chapman, and Kirk preferred to streamline the procedure by having the person already in
the seat that would be chairing the meeting; this would also assist the City Clerk during the meetings
··at their Deputy was absent, and minutes not taken while serving as the temporary chair.
Should a situation arise where the period of appointing a pro-tempore mayor needs to be longer than
overseeing a meeting, that would be handled by the Council at that time (thankfully this has not
occurred in the last 30 years).