Any City Officer or Employee who has a substantial financial interest, direct or indirect or by reason of ownership of stock in any corporation, in any contract with the City or in the sale of any land, material, supplies or services to the City or to a contractor supplying the City shall make known that interest and shall refrain from voting upon or otherwise participating in his capacity as a City Officer or Employee in the making or performance of such contract. Any City Officer or Employee who willfully conceals such a substantial financial interest or willfully violates the requirements of this Section shall be guilty of malfeasance in office or position. Violation of this Section with the knowledge expressed or implied of the person or corporation contracting with or making a sale to the City shall render the contract or sale voidable by the City Manager or the City Council.
A. 
Activities Prohibited.
1. 
No person shall be appointed to or removed from, or in any way favored or discriminated against with respect to any City position or appointive City Administrative Office because of race, sex, political or religious opinions or affiliations.
2. 
No person shall willfully make any false statement, certificate, mark, rating or report in regard to any test, certification or appointment under the personnel provisions of this Charter or the rules and regulations made thereunder, or in any manner commit or attempt to commit any fraud preventing the impartial execution of such provisions, rules and regulations.
3. 
No person who seeks appointment or promotion with respect to any City position or appointive City Administrative Office shall directly or indirectly give, render or pay any money, service or other valuable thing to any person for or in connection with his test, appointment, proposed appointment, promotion or proposed promotion.
4. 
No person shall orally, by letter or otherwise solicit or assist in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political party or political purpose whatever from any person holding any compensated appointive City position.
5. 
No person who holds any compensated appointive City position shall make, solicit or receive any contribution to the campaign fund of any political party or any candidate for public office or take any part in the management, affairs or political campaign of any political party, but he may exercise his right as a citizen to express his opinions and to cast his vote.
B. 
Penalties. Any person who by himself or with others willfully violates any of the provisions of Paragraphs (1) through (4) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days, or both. Any person who by himself or with others willfully violates any of the provisions of Paragraph (5) shall be guilty of an offense and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00). Any person convicted under this Section shall be ineligible thereafter to hold any City office or position and, if an officer or employee of the City, shall immediately forfeit his office or position.
A. 
Proposal of Amendment. Amendments to this Charter may be framed and proposed:
1. 
In the manner provided by law, or
2. 
By ordinance of the Council containing the full text of the proposed amendment and effective upon adoption, or
3. 
By the voters of the City, or
4. 
By report of a Charter Commission created by ordinance.
Proposal of an amendment by the voters of the City shall be by petition containing the full text of the proposed amendment and shall be governed by the same procedures and requirements prescribed in Article VIII for initiative petitions until such time as a final determination as to sufficiency of the petition is made, except that there shall be no limitation as to subject matter and that the petition must be signed by qualified voters of the City equal in number to at least twenty percent (20%) of the total number of qualified electors registered to vote at the last regular City election. The Petitioners' Committee may withdraw the petition at any time before the thirtieth (30th) day immediately preceding the day scheduled for the City vote on the amendment.
B. 
Election. Upon delivery to the City election authorities of the report of a Charter Commission or delivery by the City Clerk of an adopted ordinance or a petition finally determined sufficient, proposing an amendment pursuant to Subsection (A), the election authorities shall submit the proposed amendment to the voters of the City at an election. Such election shall be announced by a notice containing the complete text of the proposed amendment and published in one (1) or more newspapers of general circulation in the City at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the election. The election shall be held not less than sixty (60) and not more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the adoption of the ordinance or report or the final determination of sufficiency of the petition proposing the amendment. If no regular election is to be held within that period, the Council shall provide for a special election on the proposed amendment; otherwise, the holding of a special election shall be within the discretion of the Council. The form of ballot shall be as specified in Section 7.06.
C. 
Adoption of Amendment. If a majority of the qualified voters of the City voting upon a proposed Charter amendment vote in favor of it, the amendment shall become effective at the time fixed in the amendment or, if no time is therein fixed, thirty (30) days after its adoption by the voters.
If any provision of this Charter is held invalid, the other provisions of the Charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of the Charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the application of the Charter and its provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
This Charter is declared to be a public act, and all courts shall take judicial notice thereof.
Any ordinance may be proved by a copy thereof certified by the City Clerk under the Seal of the City; or, when printed in a book or pamphlet form published by authority of the City, shall be received in evidence in all courts, or other places, without further proof of authenticity.
The City Clerk, Municipal Judge and Clerk thereof and any member of the Council may administer oaths or affirmations in any matter pertaining to the affairs and government of the City.
No action shall be maintained against the City for or on account of any injury growing out of alleged negligence of the City unless notice shall first have been given in writing to the City Manager. Such notice shall be given within ninety (90) days of the occurrence for which said damage is claimed, and it shall state the place, time, character, and circumstances of the injury, and that the person so injured will claim damages therefor from the City.
The City shall not be required to give bond in any judicial proceeding or appeal.
Throughout this Charter, the general use of the masculine pronoun is understood to apply to either sex.