(1)
Amendments to this Charter shall be made in the manner
provided by the constitution of the state in Article of Amendment,
Article XXVIII, section 8;
(2)
It shall not be necessary for the full text of the
Charter or amendments to the Charter to be printed upon the ballot.
Any digest or description thereof or any question or statement which
substantially expresses the purpose or identifies the subject matter
to be voted upon shall be sufficient. When any question is to be submitted
to the voters, the town council shall approve the statement of the
question as it shall appear upon the ballot.
To the extent that any specific provision contained
in this charter conflicts with any provision expressed in general
terms, the specific provision shall prevail.
If any one or more articles, sections, clauses,
sentences or parts of this Charter shall for any reason be questioned
in any court, and shall be adjudged unconstitutional or invalid, such
judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remaining provisions
hereof but shall be confined in its operation to the specific provisions
so held unconstitutional or invalid, and the inapplicability or invalidity
of any article, section, clause or provision of this Charter in any
one or more instances or circumstances shall not be taken to affect
or prejudice in any way its applicability or validity in any other
instance.
(1)
Any powers, duties and functions which are required
by law to be exercised, performed or administered by a particular
officer or officers of the town shall be carried out by the officer
or officers who by this Charter or by ordinance or by law are responsible
for the same, regardless of the title or designation of the office.
(2)
All elected and appointed officers of the Town of
Johnston shall be qualified electors of said town except as otherwise
provided in this Charter.
(3)
The term of office of all officers, members of boards,
commissions and committees of the town appointed with the approval
of or appointed or elected by the town council shall be concurrent
with the term of the town council unless otherwise provided in this
Charter or by ordinance.
(4)
No person shall be eligible to hold any paid office
or employment in the town government who holds any other town office,
or civil office, legislative, executive or judicial, in either the
state or federal government, except that of notary public, justice
of the peace, or member of the national guard or armed forces reserve
and except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
(5)
No employee of the town shall hold an elective office
in the town government while he is in the employ of the town.
(6)
All paid personnel holding office or employment in
the town government, other than an elective office, shall be required
to engage in the actual work of their offices or employment during
regular business hours to the extent that their services may be necessary
for the full and complete discharge of their duties. The town council
upon recommendation of the mayor, shall determine which officers and
employees of the town shall not be required to devote their full time
to the duties of their respective offices, except as provided by this
Charter.
(7)
The membership of no appointive board, commission
or committee other than a town council committee shall be composed
entirely of members of the same political party, and any minority
member or members shall be a bona fide representative of his party.
Recommendation of candidates for appointment as minority membership
shall be made by the respective town party chairman, who will submit
a list of five times the number required to fill such post, from which
list the selection must be made.
(8)
No officer or employee of the town government including
the members of the school committee shall be financially interested
in the profits of any contract, job, work, or service to be performed
for the town, or in the voluntary sale or lease to the town of any
land, property, material, supplies or equipment other than as the
beneficiary of a patent or copyright or bond or as a minority stockholder
with ownership of not exceeding five per cent of such stock outstanding.
Any town officer or employee found guilty of a willful violation of
this provision shall be personally liable to the town to the extent
that the town suffers loss thereby.
Every officer of the town shall, before entering
upon the duties of his office, take and subscribe to the following
oath or affirmation, to be filed and kept in the office of the town
clerk;
"I (name) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that
I will be true and faithful unto this town, and support the laws and
ordinances hereof as well as the laws and the constitution of the
State of Rhode Island and of the United States of America; and that
I will well and truly execute the office of (naming the office) for
the term for which I have been elected (or appointed), or until another
be engaged in my place, or until I be legally discharged therefrom,
so help me God (or `This affirmation I make and give upon peril of
the penalty of perjury')."
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The town council shall require a bond, in such
amount and with such surety as this Charter or the town council may
specify, from all persons entrusted with the collection, custody or
disbursement of any of the town money and may require such bond from
such other officials and employees as the town council may deem advisable
and all as required by law. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid
by the town unless provided otherwise.
Unless, and as, otherwise provided by law and
this Charter all records and accounts of every office, department
and agency of the town shall be open for inspection to the public
at all reasonable times and under reasonable regulations established
by the town council, except records and documents the disclosure of
which would tend to defeat the lawful purpose which they are intended
to accomplish. A copy of all such rules or regulations made by any
department or agency, except those which relate to this internal organization
or management shall be filed in the office of the town clerk.
The town council, not later than January 1,
1966, and at least every tenth year thereafter, shall cause to be
prepared a revision or codification of the ordinances of the town
which are appropriate for continuation as local laws of the town.
Such revision or codification shall be prepared under the supervision
of the town solicitor, but the town council may authorize the town
solicitor to contract for the services of persons or organizations
experienced in the revision and codification of ordinances and statutes.
The town council and school committee districts referred to in article II, section 5, shall be as designated in attachment No. 1 to this Charter until such time as the districts designated therein are revised in accordance with the provisions of this Charter.