Every officer of the City, whether elected or appointed, before entering upon the duties of office, shall take and subscribe to the appropriate oath or affirmation to be filed and kept in the office of the City Secretary:
For elected officers:
“I _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of _____, of the City of Atlanta, State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and Laws of the United States of American and of this State and the Charter and Ordinances of this City. I furthermore solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have not directly nor indirectly paid, offered, or promised to pay, contributed, nor promised to contribute any money or valuable thing, or promised to contribute any money or valuable thing, or promised any public office or employment, as a reward for the giving or withholding a vote at the election at which I was elected. So help me God.”
For appointed officers:
“I _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of _____, of the City of Atlanta, State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America and of this State and the Charter and Ordinances of this City. I furthermore solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have not directly nor indirectly paid, offered, or promised to pay, contributed, nor promised to contribute any money or valuable thing, or promised any public office or employment, as a reward to secure my appointment or the confirmation thereof. So help me God.”
All record and accounts of every office, department, or agency of the City shall be open to inspection by any citizen or any representative of the press during regular business hours. Provided that such police records, vital statistics records, or other records, which are closed to the public by law shall not be considered public records for the purpose of this section.
The Council shall have the power to contract annually with, and by resolution designate, a public newspaper of general circulation in the City as official organ thereof, and to continue as such until another is designated; and shall cause to be published therein all ordinances, notices and other matter required to be published by this Charter, by the ordinances of the City, or by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Texas.
Before the City shall be liable for damages for the death or personal injuries of any person or for damages to or destruction of property of any kind, which does not constitute a taking or damaging of property under Article 1, Section 17, Constitution of the State of Texas, the person injured, if living, or his representatives, if deceased, or the owner, his agent or attorney, of the property damaged or destroyed shall give the City Manager or City Secretary notice in writing of such death, injury, damage or destruction, duly verified by affidavit, within thirty (30) days after same has been sustained, stating specifically in such written notice when, where, and how the death, injury, damage or destruction occurred, and the apparent extent of any such injury, the amount of damages sustained, the actual residence of the claimant by street and number at the date the claim is presented, the actual residence of such claimant for six (6) months immediately preceding the occurrence of such death, injury, damage or destruction, and the names and addresses of all witnesses upon whom it has relied to establish the claim for damages. No action at law for damages shall be brought against the City for such death, injury, damage or destruction prior to the expiration of sixty (60) days after the notice hereinbefore described has been filed with the City Manager or the City Secretary. After the expiration of the sixty (60) days aforementioned, the complainant may then have two (2) years from the date of the occurrence in which to bring an action of law.
The real and personal property belonging to the City shall not be liable for sale or appropriation under any writ of execution or cost bill. The funds belonging to the City in the hands of any person, firm or corporation shall not be liable to garnishment, attachment or sequestration; nor shall the City be liable to garnishment on account of any debt it may owe or funds or property it may have on hand or owing to any person. Neither the City nor any of its officers or agents shall be required to answer any such writ or garnishment on any account whatever. The City shall not be obligated to recognize any assignment of wages or funds by its employees, agents or contractors.
It shall not be necessary in any action, suit or proceeding in which the City is a party for any bond, undertaking or security to be executed in behalf of the City, but all actions, suits and proceedings shall be conducted in the same manner as if such bond, undertaking or security had been given and the City shall be liable in the same manner and to the same extent as if the bond, undertaking or security required in ordinary cases had been given and executed.
Any member of the Council, officer or employee of the City 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 to the Council and shall refrain from voting upon or otherwise participating in his capacity as an officer or employee in the making of such sale or in the awarding or performance of such contract. Any officer or employee who violates the requirements of this section shall be guilty of malfeasance and shall forfeit his 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 Council.
No person related within the second degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity to any member of the Council or to the City Manager shall be appointed to any office, position, clerkship or other service of the City. This prohibition shall not apply to any person who shall have been employed by the City for a period of two (2) years prior to and at the time of the election or the appointment of the official so related to him.
The Council shall have the authority to compromise and settle any and all claims and lawsuits of every kind and character in favor of or against the City, except suits by the City to recover delinquent taxes.
This Charter shall be held a public act, and shall have the force and effect of a general law; may be read in evidence without pleading or proof and judicial notice thereof shall be taken in all courts and places without further proof.
All City ordinances, resolutions, rules and regulations in force on the effective date of this Charter and not in conflict with this Charter shall remain in force until altered, amended or repealed by the Council, and all rights of the City under existing franchises and contracts are preserved in full force and effect.
The City Council shall use due diligence to see that dilapidated or unkempt property which it deems a menace to the health or safety of the Citizens of the City is cleaned up and such conditions are remedied by the owners of such property.
In the event said owners of property shall fail or refuse, within a reasonable time, to take such corrective measures as the Council may direct, the Council may cause such remedies and corrections to be made and to charge the cost of same, in the same manner as a tax lien, against such property.
If any section or part of a section of this Charter is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate or impair the validity, force or effect of any other section or part of a section of this Charter.
Amendments to this Charter may be framed and submitted to the electors of the City by a Charter Commission in the manner provided by law.
At its first regular meeting in June 1994 and every fifth year thereafter the Council shall appoint a Charter Review Commission of five (5) citizens of the City. It shall be the duty of the commission to:
(a) 
Inquire into the operation of the City Government under the Charter provisions and determine whether any such provisions require revision and to this end, public hearings may be held and the commission shall have the power to compel the attendance of any officer or employee of the City to require the submission of any of the City records which it may consider necessary to the conduct of such hearing.
(b) 
Make any recommendations it considers desirable to insure compliance with the provisions of this Charter by the several departments of the City.
(c) 
Propose amendments to this Charter to improve its effective application to current conditions.
(d) 
Report its findings and present its proposed amendments, if any, to the Council.
The Council shall receive and have published in the official newspaper of the City any report submitted by the Charter Review Commission, shall consider any recommendations made, and, if any amendment or amendments be presented as a part of such report, may order such to be submitted to the electors of the City in the manner provided in Section 15.14.
The term of office of the Charter Review Commission shall be six (6) months, and, if during this term no report is presented to the Council, then all records of the proceedings of the commission shall be filed with the City Manager and shall be a public record.
The Charter Commission finds and declares that this Charter is so construed that in order for it to function efficiently, it must be adopted in its entirety. For this reason, the Commission finds it would be impracticable to segregate each subject for a separate vote thereon, and, therefore directs it to be voted on as a whole, and that it be submitted to the qualified electors of the City at an election to be held for that purpose. In not less than thirty (30) days prior to the election for the adoption of this Charter, the City Secretary shall mail a copy of this Charter to each qualified elector of the City as appears from the tax collector’s last roll. If said Charter is approved by a majority of the electors voting at said election, it shall become the Charter of the City of Atlanta upon the entering in the City records of the Council of an official order declaring the adoption of the Charter. A copy of the adopted Charter, authenticated and certified by the City Secretary and the seal of the City, shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State of the State of Texas.
We, the members of the City of Atlanta Charter Review Commission, appointed by the City Council on January 20, 1993, to perform those duties set fourth in Section 14.19 of the City of Atlanta Home Rule Charter, submit this report of our inquiry into, and examination of, the City of Atlanta Home Rule Charter and the operations of the City departments, offices and agencies under the Charter, and we recommend the amendment of the City Charter as proposed in this report.
/s/__________________________
J . Ransom, Chair
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Gloria Phillips, Secretary
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Bill Adams, Member
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Carolyn Patterson, Member
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Rev. A. C. Williams, Member