There shall be a Court known as the Municipal Court of the City
of Katy, with such jurisdiction, powers, and duties as are given and
prescribed by the Laws of the State of Texas.
a. Judge
of the Municipal Court -
The Municipal Court shall be
presided over by a magistrate who shall be known as the Judge of the
Municipal Court. He shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval
of Council, for a two-year term beginning on April 15th of odd-numbered
years. He shall be removed only for cause or disability as defined
in State Constitution. He shall have resided in the City for a period
of not less than five years immediately preceding his appointment.
In the event the Judge of the Municipal Court is unable to act for
any reason, the Mayor, with the approval of Council, shall appoint
a competent person possessing the qualifications listed above to act
in his place. The Municipal Judge, or anyone acting in his place,
shall receive compensation as may be set by Council.
b. Additional
Municipal Courts -
The Mayor, with the approval of Council, shall have the power to create and establish additional Municipal Courts, and the Mayor, with the approval of Council, shall appoint a Judge of each Municipal Court, each of whom shall be required to possess the qualifications and shall serve the same term as outlined in subsection
a. of this Section.
c. Clerk
of the Municipal Court -
There shall be a Clerk of the
Municipal Court who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the approval
of Council. The Clerk shall have the power to administer oaths and
affidavits, make certificates, affix the seal of the Court thereto,
and otherwise perform any and all acts necessary in issuing process
of such Court and conducting the business thereof.
d. Deputy
Clerks -
There shall be such deputy Clerks of the Municipal
Court as may be authorized by the Mayor, with approval of Council,
who shall have authority to act for and on behalf of the Clerk of
the Municipal Court, and who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with
the approval of Council.
There shall be established and maintained a Department of Police
to preserve order within the City and to secure the residents of said
City from violence and the property therein from injury or loss.
a. Chief
of Police -
The Chief of Police shall be the Chief Administrative
Officer of the Department of Police. He shall, with the approval of
the Mayor, appoint and remove employees of said Department and shall
perform such duties as may be required of him by the City Council.
The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval
of Council for an indefinite term. The Chief of Police shall be responsible
to the Mayor for the administration of his Department and the carrying
out of directions of the City Council. He may be removed from Office
by the Mayor.
b. Authority
-
The Officers and Policemen of this Department shall
have all the powers and authority given to them as Peace Officers
under the Laws of Texas, this Charter and all other powers and authority
that may be lawfully conferred on them by the Council.
c. Special
Police -
No persons except as otherwise provided by the
General Laws or the Charter or the ordinances passed pursuant thereto
shall act as “Special Police,” or “Special Detectives”.
d. No person
shall be authorized to act as a Police Officer for the City of Katy
unless such person shall be a full-time paid employee of the City
of Katy and shall qualify under the laws of the State of Texas. No
person shall be allowed to wear a gun, badge, uniform, or act as a
Katy Police Officer or be a member of the Katy Police Department unless
such person shall be a full-time paid employee of the City of Katy
and shall qualify under the laws of the State of Texas; it being the
intent of this Charter that only full-time paid employees shall act
in the capacity of Peace Officer for the City of Katy.
(Amended 4/2/83)
The Mayor, with the approval of the City Council, shall appoint
a competent person as City Secretary and such assistants as the City
Council shall deem advisable. The Office of the City Secretary shall
give notice of Council meetings, shall keep the minutes of the proceedings
of such meetings, and shall authenticate by his signature and record
in full in a book kept and indexed for the purpose, all ordinances
and resolutions, and shall perform such other duties as the Mayor
shall assign to him, and those elsewhere provided in this Charter
and the Laws of the State of Texas.
The Mayor, with the approval of the City Council, shall appoint
a competent person as Finance Director and such assistants as the
City Council shall deem advisable. The Finance Director shall perform
the duties delegated to him by the Mayor, and those which may be imposed
upon him by the Laws of the State of Texas. The duties of City Secretary,
Finance Director and City Tax Assessor and Collector may be performed
by the same individual.
(Amended 5/1/2021)
The City of Katy shall, by Ordinance, establish and maintain
a Fire Department to provide firefighting, fire protection and rescue
services for the city. The Fire Department hereinafter shall be known
as the Katy Fire Department. The Katy Fire Department shall attend
not only to all situations concerning the extinguishments of fires
but also to all emergencies normally performed by a Fire Department,
whether of a medical emergency or rescue or search operation. The
Fire Department shall be staffed by paid or volunteer firefighters
and emergency medical technicians or a combination thereof.
(Amended 5/9/09)
The City of Katy shall, by Ordinance, establish and maintain
a Department of Parks and Recreation for the purpose of regulating
the City Parks and for promoting and organizing recreational programs
within the City.
(Amended 4/6/85)
The City of Katy shall, by Ordinance, establish and maintain
a Department of Social Services, and the City shall provide a building
for the administration and implementation of the preferred services.
The head of the Department shall be known as “The Director”
and shall be hired by the Mayor with the approval of Council. The
Director will be the coordinator of the multi-purpose activities.
a. Purpose
-
The Department will strive to promote, offer, arrange,
and institute various informative services by referral, by utilization
of volunteers, and by hosting the various contact stations allowed
by other governmental agencies to serve older Americans and others
requiring special services which will ameliorate their lives.
b. Authority-
The City will join with governmental aging agencies by grant
applications, and the Department will be responsible for being cognizant
of the criteria required in standards for implementation of the funding
of both the City and any other governmental agency, to ensure fulfillment
of the many-faceted programs.
(Amended 4/6/85; 5/1/2021)