The governing body and lawmaking body of the City of Denver City shall consist of six (6) Councilmen and a Mayor, and said body shall be known as the “City Council of Denver City.
The members of the City Council of the City of Denver City shall be the only elected officers and shall hold office and receive compensation as stipulated herein.
The members of the Council shall be registered voters of the City of Denver City who have been residents of the State of Texas for at least one (1) year and residents of the City or residents of an area now within the corporate limits of said City for at least one (1) year immediately preceding this election and shall not be indebted to the city, and shall hold no other elected or appointed public office except that of notary public or member of the Texas National Guard or naval or military reserve. If a member of the Council shall cease to possess any of these qualifications or shall be convicted of crime involving moral turpitude, his office shall immediately become vacant.
Mayor
The position of Mayor shall be at-large and every eligible voter in the city limits may vote for the position of Mayor.
City Council Member
Places 1, 2 and 3 shall be filled on the election date called during the month of May, 2018. The City Council Member receiving the most votes will fill a three (3) year term. The next two (2) places shall be for initial two (2) year terms. In the election called during the month of May, 2020, those two (2) places will be elected for three (3) year terms.
Places 4, 5 and 6 shall be filled on the election date called during the month of May, 2019. The two (2) City Council Members receiving the most votes will fill three (3) year terms. The next place shall be for an initial two (2) year term. In the election called during the month of May, 2021, that place will be elected for a three (3) year term.
The office of Mayor shall be filled on the election date during the month of May, 2019. That will be for a three (3) year term.
To be elected, any City Council Member must receive a majority of the votes cast in that place election, either in the original election or at runoff election. A runoff shall be called if no party receives a majority at the original election. The runoff shall be between the two parties who receive the most votes, or in the event of a tie, all parties who tie for the top two positions.
The runoff election shall be called in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.
All city election rules and procedures shall be the same as the laws of the State of Texas.
The Mayor and City Councilmen shall be entitled to be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties and shall be entitled to other compensation which shall be decided in the Annual Budget Meeting and can be changed from time to time.
The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Council, and shall be recognized as the head of city government for all ceremonial purposes and by the Governor of the State of Texas for purpose of military law, but shall have no regular administrative duties. He may participate in the discussion of all matters coming before the Council. He shall be required to vote as a member thereof on legislative and other matters. The Council shall elect from among the Councilmen a Mayor Pro Tempore who shall act as Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor. If a vacancy in the Office of Mayor occurs, the Council shall elect a Mayor from its own members who shall serve until the next regular election. His former place as Councilman shall be deemed vacant. The Mayor shall have one vote, the same as any other Councilman.
Vacancies on the Council shall be filled at a special election held within sixty (60) days after the occurrence of such vacancy, in which case the persons elected shall hold office for the remaining unexpired term. No person shall be deemed elected unless he receives a majority of the votes cast for such office. If a vacancy occurs less than ninety (90) days but more than thirty (30) days before a general election, it shall not be filled by special election, but shall be filled by such general election.
The City Council shall hold at least two (2) regular meetings each month, with regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month and those special meetings as deemed necessary. A quorum (4 of 7 members) is required to hold a meeting of the Council. All meetings will be in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Law. If impractical to hold meetings on the first and third Monday of each month, the regular meeting shall be held by the City Council designating another time and place. The new designated time and place shall be published and posted in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.
The Council shall determine its own rules of order of business. It shall keep the minutes of its proceedings, and the minutes shall be open to public inspection. Minutes of all meetings of the Council shall be promptly entered within forty-eight (48) hours in the minute book of the Council, and the City Manager shall at the same time provide a permanent and adequate index showing the action of the Council in regard to all matters submitted to it at both regular and special meetings.
In all matters of consideration before the City Council, equal voting powers are hereby bestowed upon each Councilman. A majority vote of the City Council shall determine the outcome of any questions. The Mayor has an equal voting power with each Councilman and the majority vote of the quorum of the City Council shall determine the outcome of any question.
The following powers, among others that may be exercised by the City, are hereby enumerated for greater clarity:
A.
To appoint and remove the City Manager, City Attorney, Municipal Judge, and any Department Head, including volunteer Department Heads.
B.
To adopt the annual budget and fiscal plan of the City of Denver City.
C.
To inquire into the conduct of officers, departments, or agents of the City of Denver City.
D.
Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance.
E.
To adopt and modify the official map of the City.
F.
To appoint the necessary commissions and boards to assist the Council in the performance of its duties and responsibilities, such powers subject to the restrictions of this Charter and the laws of the State of Texas.
G.
To provide for the establishment and designation of fire limits and to prescribe the kind and character of buildings or structures or improvements to be erected therein, and provide for the condemnation of dangerous structures or buildings or dilapidated buildings calculated to increase the fire hazard, and the manner of their removal or destruction.
H.
Appoint the members of the Zoning Board of Adjustments and other boards as deemed necessary.
I.
To adopt, modify and carry out plans proposed by the Planning and Zoning Commission for the replanning, improvements and redevelopment of neighborhoods and for the replanning or redevelopment of any area or district, which may have been destroyed in whole or in part by disaster.
J.
To provide for an independent yearly audit.
K.
To fix salaries and compensation of non-elective City officers, employees and volunteers within the parameters of the merit and classification system.
L.
To exercise exclusive dominion, control, and jurisdiction, including the right to close and abandon streets and alleys, highways, and public grounds of the City and to provide for their improvements.
M.
To compromise and settle any and all claims and lawsuits of every kind and character in favor of or against the City of Denver City.
N.
To enact ordinances.
O.
To remove from office any Councilman who has been absent from three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings without being excused by the Council.
No person related within the second degree by affinity, or within the third degree by consanguinity, to any elected officer of the City or to the City Manager shall be appointed to any permanent, full-time office, position or clerkship, or other service of the City.