The said Council shall appoint a City Manager by a majority vote, who shall be the Chief Executive officer to the City, and who need not, at the time of his appointment, be a resident of Grand Junction or of the State of Colorado; a City Attorney; and a Judge of the Municipal Court. The City Manager prior to his appointment shall either have had a successful experience in city management of a city operating under the council-manager form of city government, or had comparable experience. The Council shall have power, except as otherwise provided in this Charter, to fix the salaries and official bonds, establish the qualifications, and prescribe the powers and duties of all officers and employees of the City. The Council shall further have power to create offices and to alter the powers and duties relating thereto. Provided, that nothing in this section shall be taken to give the Council power to diminish the power of City Manager or to alter the relation established by this Charter between the City Manager and the other officers and employees of the City.
The city manager shall be the administrative head of the city and shall be responsible for the conduct of all its departments. He shall receive a salary to be fixed by the council by ordinance. The city manager may be discharged or removed by a vote of a majority of the members of the council.
The city manager shall appoint, subject to the provisions of this Charter, all the officers and employees of the city except where this amendment expressly provides otherwise. The city manager may remove, suspend, demote or discipline any officer or employee of the city except such as are appointed by the council.
The city manager shall see to the faithful execution of the laws and ordinances of the state and city; control and direct the several officers and departments of the city government; investigate at any time the affairs of any department; attend all meetings of the council and take part in its discussions, but not vote; keep the council advised of all the needs of the municipality; recommend measures for its adoption; prepare the annual budget, and perform such other duties as may be imposed on him by this Charter or any ordinance.
Neither the council nor any member thereof shall dictate the appointment of any person by the city manager, or in any manner interfere with him or prevent him from exercising his own judgment in the appointment of officers and employees. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the council and its members shall deal with that part of the administrative service of the city for which the city manager is responsible solely through such manager, and neither the council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any of the subordinates of the city manager either publicly or privately.
The City Clerk shall be the Clerk of the Council and record and keep all the proceedings thereof. It shall be the duty of the City Clerk to affix the seal of the City to contracts and all other documents whenever the same shall be necessary. The City Clerk shall safely keep all books, records and other documents required to be filed in his office. The City Clerk shall perform all duties characteristic of his office as City Clerk, and the Council may prescribe other powers and duties to be performed by him by ordinance of the City.
There shall be a city attorney who shall have had at the time of his appointment at least five years experience in the active practice of the law in the State of Colorado. He shall draw all ordinances, contracts and other instruments when requested to do so by the council or the manager. He shall be the legal adviser of the manager and the council, and shall represent the city in all cases in which the city shall be a party. He shall attend all meetings of the council and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by ordinance. By and with the consent of the council, he may appoint one or more deputies.
All election notices, or lists of candidates for office, department reports, ordinances, charters, or charter amendments, advertising publicity affairs, or other publications required or authorized by this Charter, by general law, or by any ordinance of the city to be made in any newspaper and all such publications for which the City of Grand Junction may be liable, shall be paid for by the city at such rates as shall not, in any event, exceed the ordinary and regular advertising rates charged other advertisers; and all printing of books, pamphlets, bills, letterheads, or other documents or printed matter required by the city shall be paid for at a price not exceeding the usual business rates therefor. No bill shall be rendered to or paid by the city for such advertising or printing in excess of the said usual business rates, even though higher rates may be fixed by the general law for other cities of the state.