The joint special committee on the joint rules of the City Council, having considered the matter, beg leave to report, in part, at this time, and submit here with the accompanying draft for adoption by the City Council as the rules for the

current year.

For the Committee,

JAMES H. DOYLE,
Chairman.

JOINT RULES AND ORDERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL,

JOINT STANDING COMMITTEES.

RULE 1. There shall be appointed at the commencement of the municipal year the following joint standing committees, the members of which shall be appointed by the respective branches in such manner as they may determine. Said committees shall respectively examine as often as they deem necessary the accounts of public moneys received and expended by the several departments. Each of said committees to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, namely :

1. A committee on the Art Department. 2. A committee on the Assessing Department. 3. A committee on the Auditing Department. 4. A committee on the Bath Department. 5. A committee on the Building Department. 6. A committee on the Cemetery Department. 7. A committee on the City Clerk Department. 8. A committee on the City Messenger Department. 9. A committee on the Clerk of Committees Department. 10. A committee on the Collecting Department. 11. A committee on the Election Department. 12. A committee on the Engineering Department. 13. A committee on the Fire Department. 14. A committee on the Health Department. 15. A committee on the Hospital Department. 16. A committee on the Institutions Departments. 17. A committee on the Lamp Department. 18. A committee on the Law Department. 19. A committee on the Library Department. 20. A committee on the Market Department. 21. A committee on the Music Department. 22. A committee on the Overseeing of the Poor Depart7ment. 23. A committee on the Park Department.

24. A committee on the Public Buildings Department. 25. A committee on the Public Grounds Department. 26. A committee on the Registry Department. 27. A committee on the Statistics Department. 28. A committee on the Street Department. 29. A committee on the Street Laying-out Department. 30. A committee on the Treasury Department, 31. A committee on the Vessels and Ballast Department. 32. A committee on the Water Department. 33. A committee on the Weights and Measures Depart777,670t. 34. A committee on the Wire Department.

There shall also be appointed annually, in like manner, the following joint standing committees to perform the duties assigned them :

1. A committee on Appropriations, to consist of eight members of the board of aldermen, and eight members of the common council, to whom shall be referred the estimates of the departments prepared annually, and any suggestions thereon from his honor the mayor. They shall report an order appropriating such sums as they deem necessary for the lawful public uses, and setting forth in detail, as far as convenient the purposes. 2. A committee on Claims, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred all claims against the city arising from the act or neglect of any of its departments. They shall report monthly the number and nature of the claims awarded or approved by them, and the amount of money awarded or paid in settlement thereof. 3. A committee on Finance, to consist of six members of the board of aldermen, and nine members of the common council, to whom shall be referred all applications for expenditures which involve a loan, or a transfer of any part of an appropriation named in the general appropriation order, or from the reserved fund, as provided in Rule 17. 4. A committee on Legislative Matters, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, who shall, unless otherwise ordered, appear before committees of the general court and represent the interests of the city; provided, said committee shall not unless directed So to do by the city council, oppose any legislation petitioned for by the preceding city council. It shall report in print to the city council all bills, resolves, and petitions presented to the legislature affecting the city of Boston or any department thereof. Such printed report shall be made at the next meeting of either branch after such application is made, or earlier, at the discretion of said committee. 5. A committee on Ordinances, to consist of the members of the committee on law department, to whom shall be referred all ordinances introduced in either branch, or transmitted to them by vote of any standing committee. Unless specially instructed, they shall pass upon the question of the form and legality of the ordinance so referred, they may append an order that such ordinance “ought not to pass,” and give their reasons therefor, or report such ordinance in a new draft. Such report shall be made in not over two weeks from the meeting at which the reference was ordered, or the ordinance received from a committee. 6. A committee on Police, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred all matters relating to the police department. 7. A committee on Printing, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, who shall have the charge of all printing, advertising, or publishing ordered by or for the city council, or either branch, as one of its contingent or incidental expenses, and the supply of all stationery or binding for the same purpose. The committee shall fix the number of copies to be printed of any document printed as above, the minimum, however, to be six hundred; and they shall have the right to make rules and regulations for the care, custody, and distribution of all documents, books, pamphlets, and maps by the city messenger. 8. A committee on Public Lands to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred all matters relating to public lands. 9. A committee on Schools and School-houses, to consist of five aldermen and eight councilmen, to whom shall be referred matters relating to the public schools, and requests of the school committee for additional school accommodations.

JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEES.

RULE 2. Every joint special committee ordered by the city council shall, unless otherwise provided in the order, be appointed in the manner provided in Rule 1.

JOINT COMMITTEES.

RULE 3. The member of the board of aldermen first named on every joint committee shall be its chairman; and, in case of his resignation or inability, the other members of the same board, in the order designated by the chairman of the board, and after them the members of the common council in the order named, shall act, as chairman. The chairman shall call meetings of the committee at his discretion, or at the written request of a majority of the members.

RULE 4. Every joint committee shall cause records of their proceedings to be kept in books provided for that purpose; and at every meeting of a committee the records of the previous meeting shall be read, unless otherwise ordered by the committee. In all such meetings of committees all votes shall, at the request of any member, be taken by yeas and nays and recorded.

RULE 5. No meeting of any committee shall, without the consent of all the members thereof, be called upon less notice than twenty-four hours from the time the clerk shall have mailed the notices or despatched them by special messenger.

RULE 6. Any joint committee may expend from the appropriation for contingent expenses an amount not exceeding two hundred dollars in any one year, for purposes connected with the duties of said committee for which no provision has been otherwise made.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEES.

RULE 7. In every case of disagreement between the two branches of the city council, if either branch shall request a conference, and appoint a committee of conference, the other branch shall also appoint such a committee, and such committees shall consist of not less than five members each. Both committees shall, at an hour to be agreed upon by their chairmen, meet and state to each other, verbally or in writing, as either shall choose, the reasons for the action of their respective branches in relation to the matter in controversy, shall confer freely thereon, and shall report to their respective branches.

REFERENCE TO COMMITTEES.

RULE 8. When an order or resolution relates to a subject which may properly be examined and reported upon by an existing committee of the city council, such order or resolution shall, upon presentation, be referred to such committee. Either branch of the city council may commit or recommit to a joint committee, but a reference with instructions shall require concurrent action.