Duties of the Presiding Officer.

It shall be the general duty of the Mayor, President of the Council or the presiding member of it:

(a) 

To open the session at the time fixed for the meeting, or at the time to which adjournment may be had, by taking the Chair and calling the members to order.

(am) 

To clear the Council floor (that part of the Council Chamber within the rail) of all unauthorized persons prior to convening the meeting of the Common Council. Authorized persons on the floor of the Council during meetings of the Council shall be the Mayor, Clerk, Aldermen, chief executive officers of municipalities attached to the City for school purposes, School Board Commissioners, City and School District staff personnel, members of the Boards, Commissions and Committees and members of the press. The Council may, from time to time, authorize additional persons on the Council floor.

(b) 

To announce, at the conclusion of the roll call, the fact of the presence of a quorum, or not, as the case may be.

(c) 

To announce the business before the Council in the order in which it is to be acted upon.

(d) 

To receive and submit, in proper manner, all motions and propositions presented by members.

(e) 

To put to vote the questions which are regularly moved or which necessarily arise in the course of the proceedings and to announce the result.

(f) 

To restrain the members while engaged in debate within the rules of order.

(g) 

To enforce, on all occasions, the observance of order and decorum among the members.

(h) 

To inform the Council, when necessary, or when referred to for that purpose, on any point of order or practice.

(i) 

To authenticate, by his signature, when necessary, all ordinances, resolutions, orders and proceedings of the meetings of the Council over which he presides.

(j) 

To name the members who are to serve on Committees when directed to do so in a particular case, or when it is a part of his general duty by these rules, or on any other occasion when it becomes necessary to do so.

(k) 

To represent and stand for the Council meetings over which he presides, declaring its will and in all things obeying its commands.

(l) 

The Mayor or other presiding officer of the Council shall preserve order and decorum; may speak to points of order in preference to others, rising from his seat for that purpose; and, he shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal by any member.

(m) 

The Mayor or other presiding officer of the Council may call a member to the Chair, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment.

(n) 

In the absence of the Mayor and President of the Council, one of its members shall be elected to preside temporarily until the return of the Mayor or President of the Council.

(o) 

The Mayor shall not vote on the call of yeas and nays, except in the case of a tie vote among the Aldermen, when he shall cast the deciding vote.

(p) 

The Mayor shall have the authority to exercise the general veto powers, as are prescribed in sec. 62.09(8)(c) of the Wisconsin Statutes.