§ 2-133. Operations; procedures.

(a)

Record of actions. In accordance with applicable state law, each standing committee of the council shall keep minutes of meetings, which shall include a complete written record of all its actions and a record of the votes on any question. Also, in accordance with applicable state law all official reports received by the committee shall be retained and filed along with the minutes. At least one electronic legible copy of such minutes of meetings shall be publishable in readable form on the official City of Atlanta website.

(b)

Rules. The rules of the council shall be the rules of the committees insofar as applicable. However, motions made in committees, once a quorum is present, shall be carried by a majority of votes cast, and abstentions or failures to vote shall not constitute votes cast for the purpose of this section. Committees may adopt and from time to time amend additional rules not inconsistent with this division, upon a majority vote of committee members present.

(c)

Quorum. A minimum of four councilmembers assigned to a standing committee shall be necessary to constitute a quorum. The transaction of the official business of each standing committee cannot be conducted without the presence of a quorum. Whenever a quorum is not present, the standing committee may receive reports, information, and/or presentations, but cannot take official action. However, once a quorum is established at any meeting of a standing committee, any member of said standing committee that thereafter abstains from voting or does not vote on a particular matter for any reason shall still be considered to be present for purposes of maintaining the quorum.

(d)

Duty to bring ordinances and resolutions to vote by council. It shall be the duty of each committee chair to take all steps necessary to bring all ordinances and resolutions voted upon by the applicable committee to a vote by the council. Matters held for further deliberation by committees may be called to the floor for a vote by the sponsor of the legislation if the legislation has been held in committee for two or more meeting cycles. Matters held for further deliberation by committees, whether personal paper or committee paper, may be called to the floor for a vote regardless of the number of meeting cycles it has remained held in committee, but only by the vote of the body to enter into the committee of the whole.

(e)

Items of legislation resulting in tie vote. Items of legislation which when voted on result in a tie vote on all applicable motions to approve, adverse, hold, or file, and do not receive a majority vote on any dispositive motion, shall remain held in committee.

(f)

Applicability of the Georgia Open Meetings Act. All meetings of a standing committee, or of a subcommittee created by a standing committee, including regular and special called meetings, shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Georgia Open Meetings Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1, et seq.).

(g)

Committee briefings, hearings and work sessions. All briefings, hearings and work sessions conducted by a standing committee, whether or not a quorum is present, shall be conducted in accordance with the Georgia Open Meetings Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1 et seq.). However, in the presence of a quorum, official action shall not be taken during any such briefings, hearings or work sessions.

(h)

Annual report. It shall be the duty of the chair of each standing committee of the council to have prepared by the last council meeting in March an annual report on the activities of that committee during the preceding year. Such report shall be presented in writing to the president and to all members of the council during the last regularly scheduled meeting of the council in March. Such report may include a brief synopsis of all major legislative business transacted by the committee as well as a brief description of any goals adopted by the committee.

(Code 1977, § 1-1026; Ord. No. 1999-8, §§ 1—3, 1-27-99; Ord. No. 2006-40, § 1, 6-14-06; Ord. No. 2009-36(09-O-1062), § 1, 6-24-09; Ord. No. 2011-10(11-O-0445), § 1, 3-30-11; Ord. No. 2013-28(13-O-1049), § 1, 6-26-13; Ord. No. 2016-38(16-O-1546) , § 2, 11-16-16; Ord. No. 2016-49(16-O-1650) , § 3, 12-14-16)