[Amended 7-15-2025 by L.L. No. 5-2025[1]]
A. 
There shall be elected by the qualified electors of the City a Common Council consisting of the Mayor and six Councilors, a City Judge, a City Justice and four Supervisors. All elective City officers shall be elected for a two-year term except the Supervisors, who shall be elected for the same term of office as Supervisors of the towns of Madison County and the City Judge and City Justice who shall be elected for six-year terms. One Councilman shall be elected by the qualified electors of each of the six wards. The qualified electors of the First, Second and Third Wards shall together elect two Supervisors. The qualified electors of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Wards shall together elect two Supervisors.
B. 
No person shall be elected to any City office unless he shall at the time be a resident elector of the City, nor to the office of Councilman unless he shall at the time be a resident elector of the ward for which he is elected, nor to the office of Supervisor, unless he shall be at the time a resident elector of one of the wards for which he is elected. Whenever any officer of this City shall cease to be a resident of the City or of the district or ward for which he was elected or appointed, his office shall thereby become vacant.
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law was subject to mandatory referendum and approved by the electors of the City of Oneida 11-4-2025.
A. 
The City of Oneida shall have such appointive officers as are provided in this Charter or as required by law or established or authorized by the Common Council. The term of office of all full-time appointive officers shall be for an indefinite term except as otherwise provided in this Charter or other provision of law. The terms of part-time appointive officers shall be for two years and shall commence at the same time as that of elective City officials except as otherwise provided in this Charter or other provision of law.
No Councilman shall, at the same time, hold any elective office under the government of the State of New York or any political subdivision thereof, nor shall be hold any appointive office or position of employment of the City except as specifically provided in this Charter or other provision of law.
Every appointment to a City office must be made by a certificate in writing signed by the appointing officer, or if it is made by a board, commission, agency or the Common Council, by the presiding officer thereof, and such certificate shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk.
Each officer of the City shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take and file with the City Clerk the constitutional oath of office; and where required by ordinance or resolution of the Common Council, he shall file an official bond with such sureties and in an amount as the Common Council shall direct. All bonds shall be filed in the City Clerk's office, and the premiums for all such bonds shall be paid by the City.
Any vacancy in an elective office, other than by the expiration of the term of office, shall be filled by the Mayor. Any person appointed to an elective office to fill a vacancy shall have the same qualifications as are required of a person elected to the office. The term of office of an officer appointed to fill the vacancy in an elective office shall be until the commencement of the municipal year next succeeding the first general election at which the vacancy can be filled after the happening of the vacancy. All vacancies in appointive offices shall be filled by the appointing authority for the balance of the unexpired term.
The appointing authority shall have the power to remove any officer or employee appointed by him at any time except as otherwise provided by law or this Charter and in accordance with all provisions of law applicable thereto. In those cases where the appointing authority is the Common Council, board, agency or commission, the Common Council, board, agency or commission shall have the power to remove any of its appointive officers or employees by a majority vote of its full membership and in accordance with all provisions of law applicable thereto.
The Common Council shall have the power at any time to fix and change the salaries or compensation for all officers and employees of the City. Any fees or compensation for the performance of their duties in the execution of their City office or employment paid to and received by such officers or employees from any source shall be the property of the City and shall be paid or turned over by the officer or employee receiving the same to the City Chamberlain unless this Charter or the Common Council specifically authorizes the retention of such fees or compensation.
Payment or reimbursement, in whole or in part, to officers or employees for their expenses of moving to assume employment with the City of Oneida is hereby authorized, subject to the approval of the Common Council and to such conditions and requirements as it may impose thereon.
A. 
If, as a result of an attack, actual or imminent, or series of attacks by an enemy or a foreign nation upon the United States causing or which may cause substantial damage or injury to civilian property or persons in the City of Oneida in any manner by sabotage or the use of bombs, shellfire or atomic, radiological, chemical, bacteriological or biological means or other weapons or processes, or if as a result of natural or peacetime disaster the office of the Mayor becomes vacant or the Mayor, by reason of disability or absence from the City, shall be prevented from attending to the duties of the office of the Mayor, and the Deputy Mayor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of Mayor or be absent from the City, and there shall not be a majority of the members of the Common Council able, because of disability or absence from the City, to select one of their number to act as Mayor, or as for any other reason they are unable to select one of their number to act as Mayor, then the Councilor longest in service as such Councilor shall act as Mayor during such vacancy, disability or absence. Should such Councilor longest in service be unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of Mayor or be absent from the City, the Councilor next longest in service shall so act as Mayor during such disability or absence, and if he is unable to discharge such powers and duties or is absent from the City, the Councilor next longest in service shall so act as Mayor during such disability or absence, and such progression shall continue so long as such disability or absence continues and there are Councilors to act as Mayor.
[Amended 7-2-2013 by L.L. No. 3-2013]
B. 
Such person shall have for such period the same powers and be subject to the same limitations as are hereinafter specified for the Deputy Mayor acting as Mayor.
[Amended 12-19-2000 by L.L. No. 6-2000]
C. 
Should two or more Councilors able to so act have the same length of service as such Councilors, the one to act as Mayor shall be selected by lot.
D. 
If a vacancy shall occur in any elective office of the City in the event of such extraordinary emergency, the Mayor, or person filling that position, shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy until the commencement of the political year next succeeding the first annual election after the happening of the vacancy.
E. 
If any City officer except the Mayor, Councilor or Supervisor shall, from sickness, absence, suspension from office by the Common Council or from any other cause, be unable to discharge the duties of his office, in the event of or during such extraordinary emergency, the Common Council or if vacancies have reduced its membership to less than a majority then a majority of the remaining members of the Common Council shall appoint an individual to discharge such duties during such disability, and the person so appointed shall have and exercise all the powers and discharge all the duties and be subject to all of the provisions of law applicable to the officer whose place they shall supply or to the officer or the duties of the office at which they are appointed and shall receive such salary as shall be fixed by the members of the Common Council making such appointment.
[Amended 7-2-2013 by L.L. No. 3-2013; 7-18-2023 by L.L. No. 6-2023[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law was subject to mandatory referendum and approved by the electors of the City of Oneida 11-7-2023.
F. 
If the office of the Mayor and of all the Councilors shall from sickness, absence, suspension from office or from any other cause be vacated and there is no one to discharge the duties of the office of Mayor, in the event of and during such extraordinary emergency, it is hereby established the continuity of leadership which requires the office of Mayor to be filled at all times. Next in order of succession to the last Councilor for the purpose of acting as Mayor shall descend in the following order upon the following City officials dependent on their availability and presence in the City in the order named: City Manager, City Comptroller, City Attorney, Fire Chief and Police Chief.
[Amended 12-19-2000 by L.L. No. 6-2000; 7-2-2013 by L.L. No. 3-2013; 7-18-2023 by L.L. No. 6-2023[2]]
[2]
Editor's Note: This local law was subject to mandatory referendum and approved by the electors of the City of Oneida 11-7-2023.