branches of the city council express anything by way of command, the form of expression shall be "ordered"; and whenever either or both branches express opinions, principles, facts, or purposes, the form shall be "resolved."

SECT. 7. In the present and every future financial year, the specific appropriations for the several objects enumerated in the general appropriation bill shall be deemed and taken to be the maximum amount to be expended by the several committees having the charge thereof, for the entire financial year, and shall be expended with a proper regard thereto; and, after the annual order of appropriations shall have been passed, no subsequent expenditures shall be authorized for any object, unless provision for the same shall be made by special transfer from some of the appropriations contained in such annual order, or by expressly creating therefor a city debt, in either of which cases the order shall not be passed unless two-thirds of the whole number of each branch of the city council shall vote in the affirmative, by vote taken by yea and nay.

And any joint standing or special committees may expend from the appropriations provided by the city council an amount not exceeding two hundred dollars.

SECT. 8. In all contracts or expenditures to be made under the authority of the city council, whenever the estimates shall exceed the appropriations specially made therefor, or whenever any committee shall have expended the sum specially appropriated

for its use in the order of appropriation for the year, and in either case shall require a further sum, it shall be the duty of such committee, having such matter in charge, to submit the fact to the city council for instructions, accompanied with a detailed statement, in print, of the cause or causes which have created the necessity for such application, and the object for which the same is needed. And no contract shall be made or expenditure authorized in either case, unless by a specific vote of the city council, first making the necessary provision for the payment resulting therefrom;1 and no debt shall be created, or transfer from one special appropriation to another be made, until such report or statement shall have been submitted to the city council by the committee requiring the same.

SECT. 9. Joint standing committees shall cause records to be kept of their proceedings in books provided by the city for that purpose. The committee from neither branch of the city council shall act by separate consultations; and no report shall be received unless agreed to in committee actually assembled.

SECT. 10. It shall be the duty of every joint committee to whom any subject may be specially referred to report thereon within four weeks, or to ask for further time.

1 Committees not only have not the right to make expenditures for any purpose beyond the amount which has been previously appropriated for it; but they have not the right to expend the appropriation, or any part of it even, unless that right is first conferred upon them by the body from which they are appointed.

December, 1858.

JOHN P. HEALY, City Solicitor.

SECT. 11. All reports and other papers submitted to the city council shall be written in a fair hand, and no report or indorsement of any kind shall be made on the reports, memorials or other papers referred to the committee of either branch. All reports shall be signed by the writers thereof, unless otherwise directed by the committee; and the clerk of committees shall make copies of any papers to be reported by committees, at the request of the respective chairmen thereof.

SECT. 12. No chairman of any committee shall audit or approve any bill or account against the city for any supplies or services which shall not have been ordered or authorized by the committee, nor shall he approve for payment any bill or account except by vote of the committee.

SECT. 13. No bills shall be approved by the committee on accounts for refreshments or carriage hire furnished to any member of the city government, unless said bills are approved by the chairman of a standing or special committee of the city council, or either branch thereof, duly authorized by vote of such committee; in which cases, said bills shall be paid from the appropriation to which they are incident: and the committee on accounts shall not pass any bill, unless it is approved, as provided in this and the preceding section.

SECT. 14. All bills for refreshments or carriage hire, incurred more than three months previous to the date of their presentation, shall go before the city council for approval.

RULES AND ORDERS

OF THE

COMMON COUNCIL.

DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT.

SECTION 1. The president shall take the chair precisely at the hour to which the council shall have adjourned; shall call the members to order; and, on the appearance of a quorum, he shall cause the minutes of the preceding meeting to be read, and proceed to business.

SECT. 2. He shall preserve decorum and order; may speak to points of order in preference to other members; and shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the council, by motion regularly seconded, and no other business shall be in order till the question on the appeal shall have been decided.

SECT. 3. He shall declare all votes; but, if any member rises to doubt a vote, the president shall cause a return of the members voting in the affirmative and in the negative, without further debate on the question.

SECT. 4. He shall rise to address the council, or to put a question; but may read sitting.

SECT. 5. In all cases the president may vote.

SECT. 6. When the council shall determine to go into a committee of the whole, the president shall appoint the member who shall take the chair. The president may at any other time call any member to the chair, but said substitution shall not continue beyond an adjournment.

SECT. 7. On all questions and motions whatsoever, the president shall take the sense of the council by yeas and nays, provided one-fifth of the members present shall so require.

SECT. 8. The president shall propound all questions in the order in which they are moved, unless the subsequent motion shall be previous in its nature, except that, in the naming sums and fixing times, the largest sum and longest time shall be put first.

SECT. 9. After a motion is stated or read by the president, it shall be deemed to be in possession of the council, and shall be disposed of by vote; but the mover may withdraw it at any time before a decision or amendment.

SECT. 10. When a question is under debate, the president shall receive no motion but to adjourn, to lay on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit, to amend, or to postpone indefinitely, which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they stand arranged; and a motion to strike out the enacting clause of an ordinance shall be equivalent to a motion to postpone indefinitely.

SECT. 11. The president shall consider a motion