An organization chart for the municipality shall be posted online on the city website and updated regularly to maintain its accuracy.
The organization of the municipality into municipal agencies for the provision of services and the administration of the government may be accomplished only through an organization, or reorganization, plan filed by the mayor. No organization plan may originate with the council. The mayor may, subject only to express prohibitions in a general law, or this charter, propose to reorganize, consolidate or abolish any municipal agency, in whole or in part; or establish any new agencies that the mayor considers necessary, but no function assigned by this charter to a particular agency may be discontinued or assigned to any other municipal agency except by an organizational plan or re-organization plan. The mayor may from time to time prepare and submit to the council plans of organization or reorganization that establish operating divisions for the orderly, efficient or convenient conduct of the business of the municipality. Every organization or reorganization plan submitted by the mayor under this provision shall contain a proposed ordinance which sets out, in detail, the amendments, insertions, revisions, repeals or otherwise of existing ordinances that may be necessary to accomplish the desired reorganization. The reorganization plan and proposed ordinance shall be accompanied by a message of the mayor explaining the benefits expected to ensue.
Whenever the mayor proposes such a plan, the council shall give notice by publication in a local newspaper and hold one (1) or more public hearings on the proposal. The mayor shall attend such hearings. The notice shall describe the scope of the proposal and, the time and place at which the public hearing will be held, said hearing to be not less than seven (7) nor more than fourteen (14) days after the notice. The proposed plan shall also be available in the office of the city clerk, the public library, and on the municipal bulletin board.
Whenever the mayor proposes such a plan which impacts the school district, prior to submitting the plan to the council, the mayor shall submit the plan to the school committee, which shall give notice as permitted or required by law and hold one (1) or more public hearings on the proposal. The notice shall describe the scope of the proposal and the time and place at which the public hearing will be held, said hearing to be not less than seven (7) nor more than fourteen (14) days after the notice. The school committee must vote to approve a plan which impacts the school district for it to take effect, per MGL Chapter 71, Section 37M.
An organization or reorganization plan shall become effective at the expiration of sixty (60) days after the date the proposal is submitted to the full council by the mayor unless the council shall, by a majority roll call, within that period vote to disapprove the plan, or has sooner approved it by majority roll call vote. The council may vote only to approve or to disapprove the plan and may not vote to amend or to alter it.
All appointments and promotions of municipal officers and employees shall be made on the basis of merit and fitness demonstrated by education, examination, past performance, or by other evidence of competence and suitability. Nothing in this section shall be construed to modify or supersede the basis of appointments or promotions for positions covered by the Civil Service Laws, except to the extent that such matters are delegated by the applicable state agency to the municipality.
a) 
Establishment, Scope: There shall be an administration and finance division responsible for the performance of administrative, fiscal and financial functions of Framingham. Said functions shall be organized as departments within the division. The finance division shall assume all of the duties and responsibilities related to fiscal and financial activities which prior to the adoption of the home rule charter were performed by or under the authority of the finance division, unless otherwise provided for by this charter, including the city accountant, the city treasurer-collector, the chief procurement officer, and the board of assessors. The administration and finance division may have such additional powers, duties and responsibilities with respect to administrative and fiscal functions as may from time to time be provided by ordinance.
b) 
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/Director of Administration and Finance: The CFO/director of administration and finance shall be appointed by the mayor and shall be especially suited by education, training and experience to perform the duties of the office. Said director shall devote full time to the duties of this position and shall not engage in any other business or occupation during his or her term except as permitted herein. Said director shall serve coterminous with the mayor and may also be appointed by the mayor to serve concurrently as the head of one of the departments organized under the administration and finance division.
a) 
Establishment, Scope: There shall be a division of planning and community development responsible for the coordination of all the planning and community development related functions of the municipality. This division shall be responsible for the coordination of all of the duties and responsibilities related to planning, community and economic development activities which prior to the adoption of the home rule charter were performed by or under the authority of the planning and community development department, as well as the planning board and conservation commission; and it may have such additional powers, duties and responsibilities with respect to the coordination of planning, community and economic development related functions and activities as the municipality may from time to time provide, by ordinance, and which may include the coordination of all land acquisition and land management proposals, economic development planning, the preparation of a comprehensive or master plan and maintenance of a centralized source of records, reports, statistical data and other planning and development related materials.
b) 
Director of Planning and Community Development: The division of planning, and community development shall be under the direct control and supervision of a director of planning and community development who shall be appointed by and who shall be responsible to the mayor. The director shall be a person especially fitted by education, experience and training to perform the duties of the office. The director shall be responsible for the supervision and coordination of all activities of the division of planning and community development in accordance with the general laws, ordinances, and rules and regulations.
There shall be a board of license commissioners which shall have the power to issue licenses for innholders or common victuallers, the powers of a licensing board appointed under General Laws chapter 138, section 4, and shall be the licensing authority for the purposes of General Laws chapters 138 and 140. The board shall have all powers with respect to other licenses for which the municipality has statutory and regulatory authority unless otherwise assigned to another municipal office or officer by general law. The board of licensing commissioners may grant licenses relating to alcoholic beverages under General Laws chapter 138 and those licenses under General Laws chapter 140 which are not, by the provisions of said chapter, placed within the jurisdiction of another municipal officer or agency.
The board of license commissioners shall consist of five (5) residents appointed by the mayor. Such appointed members shall serve for three (3) year terms. No person while a member of the board of license commissioners shall have any financial interest, direct or indirect, in the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages in any form.
The city clerk, the inspector of buildings, the director of public health, the fire chief and the police chief (or persons performing similar duties under any other title) shall be advisory to board of license commissioners. The mayor shall designate a chair, vice-chair and clerk from among the members.
a) 
Establishment, Scope: There shall be a traffic commission which shall consist of the police chief, the fire chief, the director of public works, the superintendent of schools, or their designees, and five residents: one from the business community, one from the downtown area (defined as the area within a one-mile radius of the intersection of Routes 126 and 135), and three residents at-large. All resident members shall be appointed by the mayor. Such appointed members shall serve for three (3) year terms.
Upon its organization, the members shall appoint a chair and vice-chair from the commission membership to serve for a one (1) year term; municipal officers on the commission may be elected, and may serve successive terms as the commission membership shall determine by majority vote. The commission shall determine the schedule and frequency of its meetings, but shall meet no less often than quarterly. The commission shall adhere to the provisions as appearing in Article IX, section 7. Special meetings may be called by the chair as the chair deems necessary. The officer or employee appointed as parking clerk in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth shall serve as clerk to the traffic commission.
b) 
Powers and Duties: The traffic commission shall have exclusive authority, except as otherwise provided by this charter, to adopt, amend, alter, and repeal rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the general laws, relative to vehicular traffic, including bicycles, in the municipality, and to the movement, stopping or standing of vehicles on, and their exclusion from, all or any streets, ways, highways, roads and parkways under the control of the municipality, including rules and regulations, designating any way or part thereof under said control as a through way under and subject to the provisions of General Laws chapter 89, section 9, designation of "traffic safety zones", so called, approving curb cuts, and may prescribe penalties for violation of any rule or regulation adopted hereunder. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the commission to adopt any rule or regulation to modify or limit any power or authority of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from any way or part thereof in which it has a route, the state department of transportation or the state department of telecommunications and energy, or their successor agencies, or any power vested in the mayor, council or heads of departments relating to the issuance of licenses or permits for the opening, using or occupying of streets and sidewalks.
All rules and regulations promulgated by authorized vote of the traffic commission, except temporary or emergency rules and regulations promulgated for less than thirty (30) days, shall become effective on the 30th day following the day on which notice of proposed rule or regulation is filed with the council, unless the council shall within such period by majority of the full council vote to reject such rule or regulation or has sooner voted to affirm it. Upon passage of any rule or regulation by the traffic commission, said rule or regulation shall be published in at least one local newspaper, and shall be posted on the municipal bulletin board.
c) 
Citizen Petitions: Ten (10) residents of the municipality, who are eighteen years of age or older, may petition the traffic commission relating to any rule or regulation adopted or proposed to be adopted, provided the rule or regulation has not been in effect for a period longer than ninety (90) days. The traffic commission shall hold a public hearing thereon within thirty (30) days after the filing with the traffic commission of such petition.
If a public hearing shall be held on any proposed rule or regulation, the proposed rule or regulation shall not be adopted until the public hearing has been concluded. After the public hearing has been held, any vote on the subject matter must be passed by a majority of the members present.
All rules and regulations adopted after any public hearing shall be published in a least one local newspaper and shall be posted on the municipal bulletin board.
All existing ordinances and regulations, in effect at the time this charter is adopted relating to the control of vehicular traffic and parking shall remain in full force and effect until superseded by rules and regulations adopted by the traffic commission.
The following divisions operating at the time the charter is adopted, to the extent not altered by this charter shall be recognized as divisions for the purpose of this charter: capital projects & facilities management; cemetery; fire; human resources; inspectional services; library; public health; parks, recreation & culture; police; public works; and, city solicitor.