Vermilion City Council

The Clerk of Council is appointed and may be removed by Council. The Clerk keeps an accurate and complete journal of the proceedings of Council and performs such other duties as Council may require. She prepares the meeting agendas, minutes of meetings, and official correspondence. She assists the citizens of the community as well as the city employees with their questions and requests for public records, such as Records of Proceedings, Ordinances/Resolutions, monthly agendas, and other documents.

In addition, the Clerk of Council is in charge of posting ordinances (recent laws or legislation) at the City of Vermilion, Ritter Public Library, Fire Station #2, Brownhelm Town Hall Garage, Vermilion City Hall, Municipal Court/Council Facility, Vermilion City Garage. She also prepares and updates the City of Vermilion Employee Roster, submits notices for Public Hearings regarding rezoning and vacating street requests, inputs adopted ordinances/resolutions in a data file stored on computer, and any other duties requested of her.

Overview

Vermilion City Council consists of seven members elected for two years. Their terms begin on the first day of January following their elections. Five of these council members are elected by the electors of the Wards of the City of Vermilion and two are elected by the electors of the city at large.

City Council meets in regular session at the Council Chambers located at 687 Decatur Street on the first and third Mondays of each month. Committee meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Committees of the Council consist of a Legislative Committee; Finance Committee; Health & Safety Committee; Streets, Buildings & Grounds Committee; Employee Relations Committee, Utilities Committee and Municipal Court Committee.  All meeting dates and times are subject to change: Please check with the clerk of council to confirm monthly meeting schedule or check your local cable channel and newspaper for meeting dates.

All members of Council are residents of the Municipality for at least two continuous years prior to their election and have also been residents of the ward from which they are elected for a period of at least one continuous year prior to their election. All Council members elected at large are residents of the Municipality at large and all members elected by electors of the wards shall continue to be residents of the wards from which they were elected. A member of Council does not hold any other public office, except as otherwise provided in the City Charter or by ordinance enacted thereunder, and that of Notary Public or membership in the State Militia or reserve corps of the United States.

Any member of Council who shall cease to possess, or who violates any of the qualifications herein enumerated shall forfeit his office, but failure to maintain said qualifications shall not render void or ineffective any action of Council in which such member has participated.

At 8 p.m. on the second day of January of each even-numbered year (or if such date is Saturday or Sunday, then the following Monday), the Council meets in the Council Chamber for the purpose of organization. The Council adopt its own rules, regulations and/or by-laws except as otherwise provided in the City Charter.

All meeting dates and times are subject to change: Please check with the clerk of council to confirm monthly meeting schedule or check your local cable channel and newspaper for meeting dates.

President and President Pro Tem

The President of Council shall be elected at a general election by the electorate of the City and the other Council at Large position so elected by the electorate shall automatically become the President Pro-tem of Council, who shall preside at meetings of council in the absence of the President of Council.  The President of Council elected at the November 2007 election shall serve a term of two (2) years.  When the Mayor is absent or inaccessible or for any reason is unable to perform his duties as Mayor, then the President of Council shall become the acting Mayor, and  while so acting shall have and exercise all of the powers of the Mayor, but he shall not thereby cease to be a member of Council.  In the event the President of Council is absent or inaccessible or for any reason is unable to perform his duties as acting Mayor, the President pro tem of Council shall become the acting Mayor, and while so acting shall have all the powers and duties of the Mayor, but he shall not thereby cease to be a member of Council.  In case of a vacancy of the office of Mayor, which vacancy occurs more than 180 days prior to the next regular Municipal election at which the Mayor is to be elected, a special election will be held at the earliest period allowed by law to elect a Mayor to fill the unexpired term of the person who vacated the office of Mayor.  Until such special election is held, or if the office of Mayor becomes vacant 180 days or less immediately prior to the next regular Municipal election at which the Mayor is to be elected, the President of Council shall become the acting Mayor, and while so acting shall have and exercise all of the powers of the Mayor, but he shall not thereby cease to be a member of Council.  If the office of President of Council becomes vacant, any vacancies in Council shall first be filled in the manner provided in Section 6 of this Article, and then a new President of Council shall be chosen by Council.

The President of Council shall have all the powers, duties, functions, obligations and rights of any other member of Council, including the right to vote; shall preside at all meetings of Council; and shall appoint the various committees of Council, coordinating the work of the various committees appointed by him. (Amended 11-7-06)

Council Meetings

The Council holds at least one regular meeting in each calendar month. A majority of the members of the Council constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Council, but a lesser number may adjourn the meeting from time to time and compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance. At any meeting at which a quorum is present, any ordinance or resolution may be passed or adopted, or any other action may be taken, by the affirmative vote of four members of the Council unless a larger number be required by the provisions of the City Charter. The Clerk of Council keeps a record of its proceedings in a journal in which the yea or nay vote of each Councilman voting on an ordinance, resolution or other measure may be recorded. All meetings of the Council are open to the public and its journal is available for public inspection at all reasonable times, except that the President of Council or the Mayor, upon oral request, or any four Councilpersons who shall deliver a request in writing to the Council Clerk, may cause Council to meet in a closed executive session according to the procedures and limited to the subject matter contained in the general statutes of the State of Ohio as may be amended from time to time, popularly known as the Ohio Sunshine Law.

General Ordinances

The Council may by ordinance make provision for:

(a)The time and place of regular meetings of the Council;

(b)The method of calling special meetings of the Council;

(c)The form and method of enactment of its ordinances and adoption of its resolutions except that no ordinance or resolution of a general or permanent nature or granting a franchise, creating a right, involving the expenditure of money or the levying of a tax, or for the purchase, lease, sale or transfer of property shall be passed unless it has been read in full on three different days unless the requirement for such reading be dispensed with by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of Council;

(d)The method of giving public notice of the enactment of its ordinances and adoption of its resolutions and of any other of its acts or proceedings which it deems proper to publish;

(e)The procedure for making public improvements and levying assessments, including the procedure for combining two or more public improvements, and the levying of assessments therefor, in one proceeding if the Council finds that it will be economical and practical to undertake such improvements jointly;

(f)The advertising and awarding of contracts;

(g)Such other general regulations as the Council may deem necessary.

Effective Date of Ordinances and Resolutions

Each ordinance or resolution providing for (a) the appropriation of money, (b) an annual tax levy, (c) improvements petitioned for by the owners of a majority of the foot frontage of property abutting upon the improvement or by the owners of a majority of the area to be assessed for the improvement, and (d) any emergency ordinance or resolution necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety shall take effect, unless a later time be specified therein, upon its signature by the Mayor. No other ordinance or resolution shall go into effect until thirty days after its final passage by the Council. Each emergency measure shall contain a statement of the necessity of such emergency action and shall require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Council for its enactment. No action of the Council (a) relating to the zoning ordinances or resolutions of the City, (b) providing for the surrender or joint exercise of any of its power, (c) granting franchise, or (d) contracting for the supply to the City or its inhabitants of the product or service of any utility, whether municipally owned or not, shall be taken as an emergency measure. (Amended 11-8-66.)