§ 2.19. Council to be judge of qualifications of its members: procedure for removal.

The Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its members. If a member of the Council is charged with a ground for removal, as set out in Section 2.02, such charges shall be set for hearing not less than ten (10) nor more than thirty (30) days from the date on which the written charges are presented. At such hearing, the accused shall have the right to present evidence in his or her defense, but shall be disqualified from voting as to his or her innocence or guilt. At the conclusion of the evidence, a vote shall be taken, and upon the affirmative vote of four (4) Councilmembers, the accused member shall be removed from office and the member's seat declared vacant. The Mayor shall be authorized to vote on the matter of removal of a Councilmember pursuant to this Section 2.19 unless the Mayor is the person whose removal is the subject of the vote. The Council shall have the power to subpoena witnesses and require the production of records, but the decision of the Council in the exercise of such power shall be subject to review by the courts.

(Amd. no. 11, 4-3-1971; amd. nos. 8, 28, 1-21-1989; Ord. No. 3503, Exh. A, 5-15-2018 )