With all City Council members and the Mayor present, three (3) affirmative votes are required to appoint a City Manager, who shall be the chief administrative and executive officer of the City. The City Manager shall be appointed without regard to race, color, creed or political consideration. The City Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of education, ability, and experience in the accepted competencies of local government management, including knowledge of municipal accounting and taxation, budgeting and financial control. The City Manager need not be a resident of the city or state at the time of appointment, but shall reside within the city limits within ninety (90) days of assuming the position of City Manager. If deemed necessary, one (1) extension of ninety (90) days may be granted by three (3) affirmative votes of the City Council. The City Council shall require the City Manager before entering upon the duties of this office, to execute a good and sufficient surety bond in such amount as the City Council may demand payable to the City of Whitehouse, and conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of this office; the premium of such bond to be paid by the City.
The City Manager shall be the chief executive officer and head of the administrative branch of City government. The City Manager shall be responsible to the City Council for the proper administration of all the affairs of the City. The powers herein conferred upon the City Manager shall include, but shall not be limited to the following:
(a) 
Appoint and employ all heads of departments and other employees not otherwise provided for in this Charter, or by ordinance. Appointments made by the City Manager shall be on the basis of executive and administrative experience and ability and of training, fitness and efficiency of such appointees in the work which they are to administer. All heads of departments shall be immediately responsible to the City Manager, and may be removed any time the City Manager may deem it necessary for the best interest of the City. The City Manager shall have the right to discharge any of the subordinate employees of departments under said direction in accordance with the provisions of this Charter and ordinances enacted pursuant thereto;
(b) 
Exercise control and direction over all departments by this Charter, or that may hereafter be created by the City Council by ordinance, except as otherwise herein provided;
(c) 
See that all State laws and ordinances of the City of Whitehouse are effectively enforced as well as recommend in writing to the City Council for adoption such other ordinances and measures as may be deemed necessary or expedient;
(d) 
Prepare a proposed budget annually and submit to the City Council on or before September 1st of each year and be responsible for its administration after adoption;
(e) 
Prepare and submit to the Council as of the end of the fiscal year a complete report on the finances and administrative activities of the City for the preceding year;
(f) 
Keep the Council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the City and make such recommendations as may seem to be desirable;
(g) 
Prepare personnel policy recommendations to the City Council and furnish them with necessary information in arriving at proper decisions;
(h) 
Attend all meetings of the City Council, with the right to take part in the discussion, but having no vote;
(i) 
Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this Charter or required of him by the Council, not inconsistent with this Charter.
(j) 
May not be compensated for other positions within the City without City Council’s majority approval.
(k) 
Exercise control, maintenance and disposal over City owned equipment/property at the direction of City Council by Resolution, public auction or sealed bid.
The City Manager serves at the will and pleasure of the City Council. With all City Council members and the Mayor present, a minimum of three (3) affirmative votes are required to remove the City Manager by adopting a preliminary resolution stating the reason(s) for removal, or by majority vote the City Council shall have the right to suspend the City Manager for up to thirty (30) days pending a hearing. After such hearing, and after full consideration, the City Council by three (3) affirmative votes with all City Council Members and Mayor present, may adopt a final resolution for removal. The City Manager may continue to receive, at the direction of the City Council, full salary until the effective date of a final resolution of removal. Upon removal, the City Manager may receive severance up to but not exceeding ninety (90) days regardless of contract in place. The City Council may remove the City Manager with no public hearing, upon three (3) affirmative votes for removal, if the City Manager has only served the City for six (6) months or less. The action of the Council in suspending or removing the City Manager shall be final, it being the intention of the Charter to vest all authority and fix all responsibility for such suspension or removal in the City Council.
The City Manager, or any persons or committee authorized by the City Manager, shall have power to inquire into the conduct of any department or office of the City and to make investigations as to City affairs; and for that purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and compel the production of books, papers, and other evidence material to said inquiry. The City Council shall provide by ordinance penalties for contempt in refusing to obey any such subpoenas or failure to produce books, papers, and other evidence, and shall have the power to punish any such contempt in the manner provided by ordinance.
The City Manager shall receive compensation as may be fixed by the City Council according to the person’s experience, education, and training. The compensation should be agreed upon before appointment with the understanding that the City Council may change it at its discretion.
The City Manager, by letter filed with the City Secretary, may designate a qualified administrative officer of the City to perform their duties during their temporary absence or disability. In the event of failure of the City Manager to make such designation, the Council may by resolution appoint an officer of the City to perform the duties of the City Manager until he/she shall return or their disability shall cease.
The City Manager shall appoint and remove the positions of City Secretary and Assistant City Secretary as the City Council shall deem advisable. The City Secretary shall be entitled to a seat at the Council table at all regular and special Council meetings. The Assistant City Secretary shall serve such obligations in the absence of the City Secretary.
The duties of the City Secretary, or an Assistant City Secretary shall be as required by law and as established by the job description as adopted with the City’s Pay Classification Plan including the following:
(a) 
Record the minutes of all official meetings of the Council; provided, however, only the captions of duly enacted ordinances and resolutions shall be recorded in the minutes; and
(b) 
Be the custodian of all municipal records and provide for the safety and security thereof; and maintain the City seal and affix to all instruments requiring the seal.
There shall be established and maintained a Department of Finance to ensure that effective and efficient administration of all financial affairs of the City is achieved.
There shall be a Director of Finance which shall be appointed by the City Manager. The Director of Finance shall have knowledge of municipal accounting and taxation and have had experience in budgeting and financial control. The Director of Finance appointment shall be for an indefinite term. The Director shall be fully responsible to the City Manager for the administration of their department, and for the carrying out and enforcement of the resolutions and ordinances of the City Council. The Director may be removed from office by said City Manager. The Director shall, with the approval of the City Manager, appoint and remove the employees of said department and shall perform such duties as identified within this Charter or as may be developed by the City Manager or required by the City Council.
The Director of Finance shall have charge of the administration of the financial affairs of the City and to that end shall have the authority and shall be required to:
(a) 
Compile the current expense estimates;
(b) 
Compile the capital estimates for the budget;
(c) 
Supervise and be responsible for the disbursement of all moneys and have control over all expenditures to ensure budget appropriations are not exceeded;
(d) 
Maintain a general accounting system for the City government and each of its offices, departments, and agencies; keep books for and exercise financial budgetary control over each office, department, and agency; keep separate accounts for items of appropriation contained in the City budget, each of which accounts shall show the amount of the appropriation, the amount paid therefrom, the unpaid obligations against it and the unencumbered balance; require report of receipts and disbursements from each receiving and spending agency of the City to be made daily or at such intervals as he may deem expedient;
(e) 
Submit to the City Council through the City Manager a monthly statement in sufficient detail to show the financial condition of the City;
(f) 
Prepare, as of the end of each fiscal year, a complete financial statement and report;
(g) 
Collect all taxes, fees, and service charges, including special assessments, license fees, and all other revenues of the City, except those collectable by the County, and receive all money receivable by the City from other levels of government, or from any court, or from any office, department, or agency of the City;
(h) 
Have custody of all public funds belonging to or under control of the City, or any office, department, or agency of the City government, and deposit all funds coming into hands in such depositories as may be designated by resolution of the Council, or, if no such resolution be adopted, by the City Manager, subject to the requirements of law as to surety and the payment of interest on deposits, but all such interest shall be the property of the City and shall be accounted for and credited to the proper account;
(i) 
Supervise and be responsible for the purchase, storage, and distribution of all supplies, materials, equipment, and any other articles used by any office, department, or agency of the City government;
(j) 
Approve all proposed expenditures; unless he/she shall certify that there is an unencumbered balance of appropriation and available funds, no appropriation shall be encumbered and no expenditure made;
(k) 
Prescribe the forms of receipts, requisitions, vouchers, bills, or claims to be used by all the offices, departments, and agencies of the City government;
(l) 
Examine and approve all contracts, orders, and other documents by which the City government incurs financial obligations having previously ascertained that moneys have been appropriated and allotted and will be available when the obligations shall become due and payable;
(m) 
Audit and approve before payment all bills, invoices, payrolls, and other evidences of claims, demands, or charges against the City government and with the advice of the City Attorney determine the regularity, legality, and correctness of such claims, demands, or charges; and
(n) 
Inspect and audit any accounts or records of financial transactions which may be maintained in any office, department, or agency of the City government apart from or subsidiary to the accounts kept in his office.
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 property therein, from injury or loss.
The Chief of Police shall be the chief administrative officer of the Department of Police. The Chief shall, with the approval of the City Manager, appoint and remove the employees of said department and shall perform such duties as may be required of him by the City Manager. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the City Manager. The Chief of Police shall be fully responsible to the City Manager for the administration of his department, and for the carrying out and enforcement of the resolutions and ordinances of the City Council. The Chief may be removed from office by said City Manager.
No person, except as authorized by general law, by this Charter, or by the ordinances not in conflict herewith, shall act as special police or special detective.
Authority is hereby granted to keep as well as to support and assist in the maintenance of a Volunteer Fire Department. At such time as deemed necessary by the City Council, the City shall create and maintain a Municipal Fire Department to provide means for protection against conflagrations and other disaster services and the City shall provide for the maintenance, support, and regulation of a Municipal Fire Department and for the guarding against fires.
The Fire Chief shall be the chief administrative officer of the Municipal Fire Department. The Chief shall, with the approval of the City Manager, appoint and remove the employees of said department and shall perform such duties as may be required of him by the City Manager. The Fire Chief shall be appointed by the City Manager. The Fire Chief shall be fully responsible to the City Manager for the administration of the department, and for the carrying out and enforcement of the resolutions and ordinances of the City Council. The Fire Chief of a Municipal Fire Department may be removed from office by the City Manager.
(Amendments adopted May 8, 2010)
The Fire Marshal shall be appointed by the City Manager. The Fire Marshal shall be fully responsible to the Fire Chief within a Municipal Fire Department or the City Manager, if the City Council has not created a Municipal Fire Department for the carrying out and enforcement of the resolutions and ordinances of the City Council pertaining to the general prevention of fire of the residents of the City. The Fire Marshal may be removed from office by the City Manager, and the duties of the Fire Chief and Fire Marshal may be performed by the same individual within a Municipal Fire Department.
There shall be such administrative departments as are established by this Charter and may be established by ordinance and, excepting as otherwise provided in this Charter, these administrative departments shall be under the direction of the City Manager. The Council shall have the power by ordinance, to establish administrative departments or offices not herein provided by this Charter. The Council may discontinue, redesignate, or combine any of the departments and/or administrative offices. The head of each department shall be a director or superintendent who shall have supervision and control over his/her department. The City Manager shall appoint and remove the positions of the head of each department as the City Council shall deem advisable.