Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SUBSECTION 220.03(c) AND ENACTING NEW SECTION 220.08 OF CHAPTER 220, "COUNCIL" OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES.
Executive Summary: City Council will consider changes to their Rules that would amend the Order of Business for regular meetings to include an Invocation, as proposed by Councilmen Williams and Wooldredge.
Body
Legislative History
Chapter 220, previously a codification of Ordinance No. 74-53 and Ordinance No. 77-9, was repealed in its entirety and re-enacted by Ordinance No. 95-19 in 1995. It was again repealed in its entirety and re-enacted by Ordinance 97-212 in 1998. Since then, Section 220.03(c) has been amended by Ordinance No. 02-111 in 2002, Ordinance No. 07-47 in 2007, and Ordinance No. 14-72 in 2014.
An invocation was included in Council Rules with the 1995 revisions (post-merger) but was removed with Ord. No. 97-212 (passed in 1998). See attached.
Council minutes dating back to the 1970's all reflect that after the Call to Order, "Everyone present joined in the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and [a Council member] offered the opening prayer." It appears that different Council members would volunteer to say the prayer at each Council meeting. According to Mary Ann George, former Clerk of Council, in the later years until the Rules changed in 1998, then Councilman John Krum would recite a simple prayer, asking for blessings before each Council meeting. She does not recall the prayer ever being offered by local clergy.
Purpose & Explanation
Based on a recent Supreme Court ruling providing that city councils and other public boards are free to open their meetings with a prayer, Councilmen Williams and Wooldredge propose changing Subsection 220.03(c) of Chapter 220, "Council", of the Codified Ordinances of Hudson to include an invocation at the beginning of regular Council meetings. A draft Ordinance is attached for Council's review.
Timing Considerations
Proposed changes would be effective th...
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