The City Attorney shall be a law firm or an attorney and counselor
at law, duly licensed to practice law in the State of New York for
at least five (5) years prior to appointment. The City Attorney shall
be appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the Council. The City
Attorney shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor for a term that
shall not exceed four (4) years and shall commence with the appointment
of the Mayor at the beginning of the Mayor's term of office. The City
Attorney shall be the legal advisor of the Mayor and Council and all
city departments, boards and commissions. The City Attorney shall
conduct all cases in court wherein the City shall be a party plaintiff
or defendant or a party in interest and shall perform such other duties
as are required by law.
There shall be a Department of Finance, the head of which shall
be the Director of Finance, which shall be responsible for the management
and disbursement of all City revenues and other assets. The individual
so appointed to the position of Director of Finance shall have attained
certification as a certified public accountant, or shall have a graduate
degree in law, business, or public administration with a minimum of
five years of experience in public finance; or shall possess equivalent
qualifications, certification and experience necessary to perform
the duties of the office. Whether a candidate meets the requisite
experience and qualifications to serve as Director of Finance shall
be determined by the City Administrator.
There shall be a Public Works Department as organized.
The Fire Department shall be organized and staffed as set forth in City Code Chapter
31 and any amendments thereto. There shall be a full-time Fire Chief, who shall be a paid employee of the City appointed by the Mayor, subject to the consent of the Council. There shall also be one (1) or more unpaid Assistant Fire Chiefs, to be known as First Assistant Fire Chief and so on, who shall be appointed from the ranks of the volunteer firefighters pursuant to the provisions set forth in City Code §
31-9 and any amendments thereto.
The executive head of the Police Department shall be the Chief
of Police, who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the consent of
a majority of the Council, pursuant to the Civil Service Law.
The Assessor shall be appointed by the Mayor with consent of
a majority of the Council for a term as provided by the New York Real
Property Tax Law. The office of Assessor shall meet the qualification
standards set forth in the Real Property Tax Law.