A. Mayor or President to Preside. The mayor, or in his absence the president of the council, who shall be elected at the first regular meeting each year, shall at the hour stated call the meeting to order. In case of absence of the mayor and the president of the council, the clerk-treasurer shall call the meeting to order and the aldermen present shall elect one of their number president pro tempore.

B. Duties. The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum, decide all questions of order, and conduct the proceedings of the meeting in accordance with the parliamentary rules contained in “Robert's Rules of Order, 9th Edition (1990),” unless otherwise provided by statute or by these rules. Any member may appeal from a decision of the presiding officer, but no appeal shall be debatable. An appeal shall be sustained by a two-thirds vote of the members present exclusive of the presiding officer. The presiding officer may speak upon any question or make any motion if he vacates the chair and designates an alderman to preside temporarily. (Amended during 1997 codification; prior code § 2-2-3)