(a) 
Appointment and qualification:
The City Council shall appoint a City Manager who shall be the chief administrative and executive officer of the City and shall be responsible to the City Council for the administration of all the affairs of the City. He/She shall be chosen by the City Council solely on the basis of his/her executive and administrative training, experience, ability and character and need not when appointed, be a resident of the City of La Grange, but shall establish his/her residency with [within] the City thereafter within the time set by Council. No member of the City Council shall, during the time for which he/she is elected and for one (1) year thereafter, be appointed City Manager.
(b) 
Term and salary:
The City Manager shall not be appointed for a definite term but may be removed at the will and pleasure of the City Council by a vote of the majority of the entire Council. The action of the City Council in suspending or removing the City Manager shall be final; it being the intention of this Charter to vest all authority and fix all responsibility of such suspension or removal in the City Council. In case of the absence or disability of the City Manager, the City Council may designate some qualified person to perform the duties of the office during such absence or disability. The City Manager shall receive such compensation as may be fixed by the City Council.
(c) 
Powers and duties:
The powers herein conferred upon the City Manager shall include but shall not be limited to the following:
(1) 
To effectively enforce all State laws and City ordinances.
(2) 
To appoint and remove any officer or employee of the City except those officers and employees whose appointment or election is otherwise provided for by law or this Charter. The City Manager shall not appoint any officer or employee he/she is privileged to appoint except with the advice and consent of the supervisor, if any, of the City department in which such officer is employed. In the event such supervisor and the City Manager differ on the merits of the employee or officer to be appointed, then and in that event, such appointment shall be resolved by the City Council.
(3) 
To prepare and submit the annual budget and a five (5) year capital improvement program to the City Council.
(4) 
To submit to the City Council monthly a report on the finances and administrative activities of the City and a complete report as of the end of each fiscal year.
(5) 
To perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this Charter or required of him/her by the City Council, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter.
(Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
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 City Council shall appoint the Chief of Police who shall be the chief administrative officer of the Department of Police. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the City Council for an indefinite term. The Chief of Police shall be responsible to the City Council for the administration of the department and the carrying out of the directives of the City Council. The Chief may be removed from office by the City Council. The Chief of Police need not be a resident of the City of La Grange.
(b) 
Special police:
No person except as otherwise provided by general law or this Charter or the ordinances passed pursuant thereto shall act as Special Police or Special Detective.
(Amnd. at an election held 6/11/01; Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
The City Manager, with the approval of the City Council, shall appoint the City Secretary. The City Manager shall appoint any such Assistant City Secretaries as he/she shall deem advisable. The City Secretary, or an Assistant City Secretary, shall give notice of City Council Meetings, shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of such meetings, shall authenticate by his/her 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 City Manager shall assign to him/er, and those elsewhere provided for in this Charter. The City Secretary may be removed from office by the City Manager with the approval of the City Council.
(Amnd. at an election held 6/11/01; Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
The City Council shall appoint a competent and duly licensed attorney practicing law in Texas, to be the City Attorney. The City Attorney shall receive for their services such compensation as may be fixed by the City Council and shall hold office at the pleasure of City Council. The City Attorney or such other attorneys selected by the City Attorney with the approval of the City Council, shall represent the City in all litigations. The City Attorney shall be the legal advisor for, and attorney and counsel for, the City and all officers and departments thereof.
(Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
Editor’s note–Former section 4.05 pertaining to the utilities department manager and deriving from the charter election held June 11, 2001, was repealed and deleted in its entirety at an election held May 1, 2021, prop. F.
(a) 
Appointment and qualifications:
The City Council shall appoint a City Health Officer who shall be a licensed physician qualified to practice medicine in the State of Texas. The City Health Officer shall be the Director of the Department of Health and Sanitation and shall serve at the pleasure of the City Council.
(b) 
Administration:
Upon the advice of the City Health Officer, the City Manager shall be responsible for the general administration of the Department of Health and Sanitation and the supervision of the employees thereof.
(c) 
Duties of the health officer:
The City Health Officer shall advise with the City Council on a program of Public Health; shall cooperate in the preparation of a Sanitary Code; and shall cooperate with the Commissioner’s Court of Fayette County and its agencies and with the State Health Department and other departments of the State government in matters pertaining to health and sanitation.
(a) 
Fire marshal:
The Fire Marshal shall be appointed by and be responsible to the City Council.
(b) 
Volunteer fire department:
Authority is hereby granted to maintain a Volunteer Fire Department. The Fire Chief shall be elected annually by the members of the Volunteer Fire Department.