(a) 
Composition.
There shall be a city council of eleven (11) members that shall exercise the legislative powers of the city.
(1) 
Five (5) members of the city council shall be known as councilors-at-large and shall be nominated and elected by and from the voters of the city at large.
(2) 
Six (6) members of the city council shall be known as ward councilors. Ward councilors shall be domiciled in the ward from which they seek to be nominated and elected and shall be elected by and from the voters of that ward only, with one (1) such ward councilor to be elected from each of the six (6) wards into which the city is divided.
(b) 
Term of Office.
(1) 
The term of office for all councilors shall be for two (2) years each.
(2) 
The term shall run from the first business day of January succeeding the councilor’s election and until their successors have been qualified.
(3) 
Councilors shall be sworn into office no later than January 7 at 8:00 p.m., at a time and place as shall be designated by the city clerk.
(c) 
Eligibility.
(1) 
Any voter shall be eligible to hold the office of councilor-at-large.
(2) 
A ward councilor shall be a voter domiciled in the ward from which election is sought no later than sixty-four (64) days prior to the date of the preliminary election.
(3) 
If a ward councilor or a councilor-at-large removes from the city during the term for which the councilor was elected, such office shall immediately be deemed vacant by the city clerk and shall be filled in the manner provided in section 2-11.
(4) 
If a ward councilor removes from the ward from which the councilor was elected during the first eighteen (18) months of the councilor’s term, such office shall immediately be deemed vacant and filled in the manner provided in said section 2-11; provided, however, that a ward councilor who removes from the ward from which the councilor was elected during the last six (6) months of the councilor’s elected term, and who remains a resident of the city, may serve out the remainder of their term.
(C0005-1-20/Acts of 2021, Chapter 14; amended as part of October 2021 update)
(a) 
Election and Term.
(1) 
As soon as practicable after the councilors-elect have been qualified following each biennial election, as provided in section 9-11, the members of the city council shall elect from among its members a president who shall serve for one (1) year.
(2) 
The method of election of the president shall be prescribed within the rules of the city council.
(b) 
Powers and Duties.
(1) 
The president shall preside at all meetings of the city council, regulate its proceedings and decide all questions of order.
(2) 
The president shall appoint all members of all committees of the city council, whether special or standing.
(3) 
The president shall have the same powers to vote upon all measures coming before the city council as any other member of the city council.
(4) 
The president shall perform any other duties consistent with the office that may be provided by charter, ordinance or other vote of the city council.
(C0005-1-20/Acts of 2021, Chapter 14; amended as part of October 2021 update)
(a) 
Holding Other City Office or Position.
(1) 
No member of the city council shall hold any other city office or city employment unless authorized by chapter 268A of the General Laws or by the state ethics commission.
(2) 
No former member of the city council shall hold any compensated appointed city office or appointed city employment until thirty (30) days following the date on which the former member’s service on the city council has terminated.
a. 
This provision shall not prevent a city officer or other city employee who has vacated a position to serve as a member of the city council from returning to the same office or other position of city employment held at the time the position was vacated, but no such person shall be eligible for any other municipal position until thirty (30) days following the termination of service as a member of the city council.
(Amended C0113-18/Acts of 2018, Chapter 314)
(b) 
Interference with Administration.
No city council or any member of the city council shall give orders or directions to any officer or employee of the city appointed by the mayor, either publicly or privately.
(c) 
Felony Conviction.
(1) 
Any person who has been finally convicted of a state or federal felony shall not be eligible to petition for, or serve in, any elective or appointive office or position under the city.
(2) 
Any councilor who has been finally convicted of a state or federal felony shall be deemed to have vacated their office and shall be disqualified from serving in any other elective or appointive office or position under the city.
(C0005-1-20/Acts of 2021, Chapter 14; amended as part of October 2021 update)
(a) 
Compensation - The members of the city council shall receive such salary for their services as may from time to time be set by ordinance. No ordinance increasing the salary of councilors shall be effective unless it shall have been adopted by a 2/3 vote of the full city council during the first 18 months of the term for which the city council is elected and unless it provides that the salary increase is to take effect upon the organization of the city government following the next municipal election. No member of the city council shall be eligible to participate in the city’s group health or life insurance programs. Subject to appropriation, council members shall be entitled to reimbursement of their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
Actual and necessary expenses shall be defined within the council’s rules and regulations.
Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this charter, all powers of the city shall be vested in the city council which shall provide for their exercise and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed upon the city by law.
(a) 
Exercise of Powers - Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this charter, the legislative powers of the city council may be exercised in a manner determined by it.
(b) 
Quorum - The presence of 6 members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this charter, the affirmative vote, taken by roll call vote, of 8 members shall be required to adopt an appropriation order. Except as otherwise provided by law or this charter, the affirmative vote, taken by roll call vote, of a majority of the full city council shall be required to adopt any ordinance.
(c) 
Rules of Procedure - The city council shall from time to time adopt rules regulating its procedures, which shall be in addition to the following:
(i) 
Regular meetings of the city council shall be held at a time and place fixed by ordinance. All regular meetings of the city council shall provide for a period of public comment, provided however, the city council may promulgate rules that regulate such period of public comment as deemed appropriate.
(ii) 
Special meetings of the city council shall be held at the call of the president or at the call of any 5 or more members, by written notice delivered in hand or to the place of residence of each member and which contains a listing of the items to be acted upon. Except in case of an emergency, of which the president shall be judge, this notice shall be delivered at least 48 weekday hours in advance of the time set for such meeting. A copy of the notice to members shall immediately be posted in accordance with law.
(iii) 
All sessions of the city council and of every committee or subcommittee of the council shall at all times be open to the public unless another provision is made by law.
(iv) 
A full, accurate, up-to-date account of the proceedings of the city council shall be kept by the city clerk, which shall include a record of each vote taken, and which shall be made available with reasonable promptness following each meeting. Unless otherwise provided by law, the minutes of any executive session shall be made available as soon as their publication would not defeat the lawful purposes of the executive session.
(a) 
In General - The city council may make investigations into the affairs of the city and into the conduct and performance of any city agency.
(b) 
City Officers, Members of City Agencies, Employees - The city council may require any city officer, member of a city agency or city employee to appear before it to give any information that the city council may require in relation to the municipal services, functions, powers, or duties which are within the scope of responsibility of that person and within the jurisdiction of the city council.
(c) 
Mayor - The city council may require the mayor to provide specific information to it on any matter within the jurisdiction of the city council. The city council may require the mayor to appear before it, in person, to provide specific information on the conduct of any aspect of the business of the city. The mayor may bring to such meeting any city officer or employee the mayor may deem necessary to assist in responding to the questions posed by the city council.
(d) 
Notice - The city council shall give a minimum of 7 days’ notice to any person it may require to appear before it under the provisions of this section. The notice shall include specific questions on which the city council seeks information, and no person called to appear before the city council under this section shall be required to respond to any question not relevant or related to those presented in advance and in writing.
(a) 
City Clerk and Assistant City Clerk – The city council shall, by a majority vote of the full city council, appoint a city clerk and an assistant city clerk each of whom shall serve for 5 year terms. Any vacancy in the office of city clerk or assistant city clerk shall be filled in a like manner for the remainder of the expired term. The city clerk and the assistant city clerk shall receive such compensation as the city council may from time to time determine. The city council shall have charge and control over of the office of city clerk. The city clerk shall keep full and accurate records of the doings of the city council and perform such other duties as prescribed by the general laws, by this charter or by ordinance. In the absence of the city clerk, the assistant city clerk shall perform the duties of the city clerk and shall perform such other duties as prescribed by the city clerk or by ordinance.
(b) 
Clerk of Committees - The city council shall biennially in January of the year following a municipal election vote, by a majority vote of the full city council, elect a clerk of committees, who shall hold office for 2 years, from no later than the first day of March in the year of his election, and until a successor is qualified, unless sooner removed. The clerk of committees shall receive such compensation as the city council may from time to time determine. The clerk of committees shall keep full and accurate records of the doings of the several committees of the city council, and shall perform such other duties as may be required of the clerk of committees by the city council. Subject to appropriation, the city council may employ such other staff as it deems necessary.
(a) 
Measures- No measure, except resolutions and other votes constituting ordinary, routine matters, shall be passed finally on the date on which they are introduced, except in the case of an emergency. Except as otherwise provided by the charter, every adopted measure shall become effective at the expiration of 30 days after adoption or at any other date specified therein. No ordinance shall be amended or repealed except by another ordinance adopted in accordance with the charter, or as provided in the initiative and referendum procedures.
(b) 
Emergency Measures- An emergency measure shall be introduced in the form and manner prescribed for measures generally except that it shall be plainly designated as an emergency measure and shall contain statements after the enacting clause declaring that an emergency exists and describing its scope and nature in clear and specific terms. A preamble which declares and defines the emergency shall be separately voted on and shall require the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the full city council. An emergency measure may be passed with or without amendment or rejected at the meeting at which it is introduced. No measure making a grant, renewal or extension, whatever its kind or nature, or a franchise or special privilege shall be passed as an emergency measure, and except as provided by the laws of the Commonwealth, no such grant, renewal or extension shall be made otherwise than by ordinance. An emergency measure shall become effective upon adoption or at such later time as it may specify.
(c) 
Charter Objection- On the first occasion that the question on adoption of a measure is put to the city council, if a single member objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council whether regular or special. If 2 members shall object, such postponement shall be until the next regular meeting; but for an emergency measure at least 4 members, in all, must object. This procedure shall not be used more than once for any matter bearing a single docket number notwithstanding any amendment to the original matter. A charter objection shall have privilege over all motions but must be raised prior to or at the call for a vote by the presiding officer and all debate shall cease.
The mayor shall submit to the city council the name of each person the mayor desires to appoint to any city office as a department head or as a member of a multiple-member body, but not including any position which is subject to the civil service law. The city council may refer each name submitted to it to a standing committee of the council which shall review each candidate for appointment and may make a recommendation to the full city council not less than 7 nor more than 45 days after the referral. The committee may require any person whose name has been referred to it to appear before the committee, or before the city council, to give any information relevant to the appointment that the committee, or the city council, may require. Appointments made by the mayor shall become effective on the forty-fifth day after the date on which notice of the proposed appointment was filed with the city clerk unless approved or rejected by the city council within the 45 days.
If a vacancy occurs in the office of city councilor, whether by failure to elect or otherwise, the remaining councilors shall, within 30 days following the date of such vacancy, act to fill said vacancy. The city council shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term by choosing the defeated candidate receiving the most votes for said seat from the last regular city election; provided, however, that said defeated candidate shall have received at least 20 percent of the total ballots cast for the particular seat being vacated. For the purpose of this section, the 20 percent minimum threshold shall be calculated as a ratio of ballots cast for the particular office being vacated to votes obtained by said defeated candidate. If there was no other candidate for said office or said defeated candidate shall not have received at least 20 percent of the total ballots cast, the city council shall at its discretion choose an individual, who may be the defeated candidate, from among the voters entitled to vote for such office to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. In such an instance, the city clerk shall post notice of the vacancy at least 14 days prior to the meeting at which the council shall act to fill the vacancy. Any person so chosen shall take the oath of office and commence to serve forthwith. Persons serving as councilor under this section shall not be entitled to have the words “candidate for re-election” printed against their names on the election ballot. No vacancy shall be filled, in the manner herein provided, if a regular city election is to be held within 90 days following the date the vacancy is declared to exist.