The City Manager shall be chosen by the Council on the basis of his or her executive and administrative qualifications with special reference to his or her actual experience in and knowledge of accepted practice in respect to the duties of the office, as hereinafter set forth. At the time of his or her appointment, the City Manager need not be a resident of the city or state but during his or her term of office, the City Manager shall reside within the city.
The Council shall appoint a City Manager who shall be the chief administrative officer of the City. The Council may appoint the City Manager for day-to-day without a definite fixed term or may enter into an employment agreement with the City Manager for a term not to exceed five (5) years. In any event, the Council may remove the City Manager at its will and pleasure by a vote of five (5) members of the Council. The action of the Council in removing the City Manager shall be final, it being the intention of this Charter to vest all authority and fix all responsibility for such removal in the Council. Nothing in the employment agreement entered into with the City Manager shall conflict with or supercede this Charter and, in the event of a conflict, the provisions of the Charter shall control.
(Ordinance 5443 adopted 2/15/00; Ordinance 5463 adopted 5/9/00; Ordinance 5807 adopted 2/17/04; Ordinance 6991, prop. P, adopted 5/15/18; Ordinance 7529 adopted 5/14/2024)
The City Manager shall be the Chief Executive Officer and the head of the administrative branch of the City government. The City Manager shall be responsible to the Council for the proper administration of the affairs of the City, to that end, the City Manager shall have power to:
(A) 
Appoint and remove all the heads of each department except the City Attorney, Municipal Judge and City Auditor.
(B) 
Appoint a City Secretary, who must first be confirmed by the City Council, who shall be responsible for giving notice of public meetings, shall keep all records of proceedings as required by law, shall authenticate by the signature of the City Secretary and record in full all ordinances and resolutions, and shall perform such other duties as required by law or otherwise assigned by the City Manager. The City Secretary shall hold the office at the will and pleasure of the City Manager, who has sole authority to remove the City Secretary.
(C) 
Appoint and, when necessary for the good of the City, remove all other employees of the City except as otherwise provided by this Charter and except as he may authorize the head of a department or office to appoint and remove subordinates in such department or office.
(D) 
Prepare the annual budget, present it to the Council and be responsible for its administration after adoption.
(E) 
Prepare and submit to the Council, at the end of the fiscal year, a complete report of the finance 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 to the Council as may seem to him desirable.
(G) 
May perform the duties of Collector of Taxes, Finance Officer, Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Departments and the Municipal Electrical System.
(H) 
Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this Charter or required of him by the Council not inconsistent with this Charter or provisions of state law.
(Ordinance 4402 adopted 2/20/90; Ordinance 4420 adopted 5/7/90)
The Council may by resolution appoint any qualified person to perform the duties of City Manager in the event of disability.