There shall be a Board of Public Safety, to consist of six members, each of whom shall be appointed by the Mayor. The term of office of the members shall be for three years each, except that the members of the Commission first appointed shall be for such terms that the term of two Commissioners shall expire annually thereafter. The appointment shall be made no later than April 1. Not more than three members of the Board shall belong to any one political party. The Commissioners shall meet at the City Hall, at least one day in each month, and at such other times as they may designate. A majority of such appointed Commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
6.4.1 The Board shall have custody and management, including disposition and discipline, of Police and Fire Departments, and of the property thereof; and shall have the general direction and supervision of the expenditures of all moneys appropriated to said departments.
6.4.2 The Board shall have full jurisdiction over traffic control in the City of Glens Falls.
6.6.1 The Board shall be empowered, and it shall be its duty to adopt rules and bylaws for its government; to establish and prescribe the duties, ordain, promulgate and enforce proper rules, regulations and orders for the good government and discipline of the Police and Fire Departments, transmit to the Common Council a copy of the same, and cause a suitable number of copies thereof to be printed for the use of the departments.
6.6.2 The aforesaid rules and regulations shall be submitted to the Mayor and have his approval before they shall become operative, except that should the Mayor veto any of said rules and regulations, his veto may be overridden by the unanimous vote of the full Board.
6.6.3 The Commissioners shall each have the power of a policeman.
6.8.1 The Police and Fire Departments shall, as to their membership and component parts, remain as now constituted until changed by action of the Board. The number of officers or members of either of said departments shall not be increased or diminished without the approval of the Common Council.
6.8.2 The Board shall appoint, as vacancies in said departments occur, all officers and members thereof, and classify and apportion them into grades to conform to law.
6.8.3 The Board shall have power to appoint special policemen, who shall hold their office by virtue of such appointment for such period as the Board shall direct, and shall be subject to the provisions of this charter, and may be removed at the pleasure of the Board.
6.8.4 Special policemen shall forthwith take the oath of office and shall thereupon become vested with all powers and shall discharge all the duties of policemen under this charter and the statutes of this state, subject such limitations and restrictions as the Board shall fix and prescribe.
6.8.5 The Board shall appoint a Chief of each department through whom it may promulgate the respective rules, regulations and orders; and who shall have the immediate direction and control of the respective departments, subject to the authority of the Board.
6.8.6 The Board shall make all appointments, promotions and change of status of officers and members of the departments, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Laws of this state. It shall formulate a plan whereby the salaries of officers and members of the departments may be advanced from time to time, and in furtherance of such plan may, in the discretion of the Board, adopt a graded merit system. It shall recommend, subject to the approval of the Common Council, and subject to the minimum salary provisions of the following paragraph, the salary and wage scale for all officers and members, regular and special, of each department.
6.8.7 The minimum salaries for police and Fire Departments shall be as follows.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Chief of Police
$6,500.00
Police of Captains
$6,000.00
Sergeants of Police
$5,500.00
Detectives
$5,500.00
Policewoman-stenographer
$4,400.00
Patrolmen (starting salary)
$4,400.00
Patrolmen (after one year of service)
$4,700.00
Patrolmen (after two years of service)
$5,000.00
Temporary patrolmen
$4,400.00
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Chief
$6,500.00
Assistant Fire Chiefs
$6,000.00
Fire Captains
$5,500.00
Master Mechanic
$5,500.00
Electrician
$5,760.00
Firemen (starting)
$4,400.00
Firemen (after one year of service)
$4,700.00
Firemen (after two years of service)
$5,000.00
Temporary Firemen
$4,400.00
6.10.1 No person shall be appointed to membership in the Police or Fire Departments, or continue to hold membership therein who is not a citizen of good moral character or who has ever been convicted of a felony.
6.10.2 A violation of these provisions in any manner shall forthwith make their appointment null and void.
6.10.3 No policeman or fireman shall be appointed who is over 40 years of age, and each member shall be relieved when he shall reach 65 years of age, except as otherwise provided by the Board.
The Chiefs and members of the respective departments, appointed as aforesaid, shall have issued to them respectively a warrant of appointment signed by a majority of the Board and countersigned by the City Clerk, stating the date of his appointment, which shall be his commission, and he shall take the oath of office and subscribe the same in a book kept for that purpose.
All members of the Police and Fire Departments, subject to the power of removal herein specified, shall hold their respective offices during good behavior or until by age or disability they shall have become permanently incapacitated to discharge their duties, but any member thereof may be retired by the Board as provided by law.
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Editor's Note: Former Section 6.16, Political activity prohibited, was repealed 3-15-1990 by Res. No. 67. On 3-23-1990, the Mayor vetoed said amendment. The Common Council overrode the Mayor's veto 4-5-1990 with Res. No. 84.