The Council shall appoint a City Manager who shall be an officer of the City and who shall have the powers and perform the duties provided in this Charter. The Council shall have the discretion to enter into a written employment contract with the City Manager, but in no event shall the initial term of such contract be for a period longer than thirty-six months. No subsequent contract shall be for a period longer than sixty months.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The City Manager shall be chosen by the Council on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications with special reference to actual experience in or knowledge of accepted practice in respect to the duties of the office as hereinafter set forth.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The City Manager shall be the chief administrative officer and head of the administrative branch of the City government and shall be responsible for the proper administration of all affairs of the City. To that end, subject to the provisions of this Charter, the City Manager shall have the authority to and shall be required to:
(a) 
Devote full-time to the discharge of the official duties of the office and have no outside employment without prior approval of the Council.
(b) 
See that all ordinances, city code provisions, and directions of the Council are enforced and that the provisions of all franchises, licenses, leases, contracts, permits, and privileges granted by or to the City are observed.
(c) 
Appoint, promote, remove, and demote for cause, subject to rights of appeal, and in compliance with applicable personnel rules and regulations, all officers and employees of the City except the City Attorney and City Clerk. As to these named officers, the City Manager shall recommend appropriate action to the Council. The City Manager shall also draft the performance evaluations for the above named Charter Officers and recommend said evaluations to the Council for Council consideration.
(d) 
Prepare the annual budget estimates, submit them to the Council and be responsible for the administration of the budget after adoption.
(e) 
Keep the Council advised at all times of the affairs and needs of the City and make reports annually, or more frequently, if requested by the Council.
(f) 
Have such other powers, duties, and functions as this Charter may prescribe or as may be reasonably required to perform the City Manager duties.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The City Manager shall have the right to attend all Council meetings and take part in the discussions of all matters coming before the Council except as otherwise provided by the Arizona Open Meeting Law.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
(a) 
The removal of the City Manager shall require an affirmative vote of not fewer than four members of the Council/Mayor, but no termination may occur during the one hundred and eighty day period following a Council election.
(b) 
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the City Manager shall not be removed from office other than for malfeasance for personal gain or misfeasance in office. In the event of misfeasance, the Council shall give thirty days written notice of the perceived misfeasance with clear direction on how to correct such misfeasance. If said misfeasance is not corrected within said thirty day period, the Manager may be removed from office but only as set out in subsection (a) above.
(c) 
The City Council shall evaluate the City Manager annually.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The Council shall appoint an officer of the City who shall have the title of City Clerk. The City Clerk shall give notice of all Council Meetings, keep the journal of the Council’s proceedings, authenticate by his/her signature and record in full in books kept for the purposes all ordinances and resolutions. The City Clerk shall perform such other duties as shall be required by this Charter or by ordinance. The City Clerk will serve at the pleasure of the Council.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The Council shall appoint a City Attorney who shall be an Attorney-at-Law admitted to the bar of the supreme court of this state. The City Attorney shall be the chief legal advisor of all offices, departments and agencies and of all officers and employees in matters relating to their official powers and duties. The City Attorney shall represent the City in all legal proceedings, unless otherwise directed by the Council. It shall be his/her duty to perform all services incident to his/her position as may be required by statute, by this Charter or by ordinance. The City Attorney will serve at the pleasure of the Council.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
The Council shall, by ordinance, provide for the establishment of a merit system for the purpose of regulating and controlling the appointments, promotions, demotions, discharges and reinstatements of all officers and employees of the City except those elected by the people and also except the City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Judge.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)
Appointments and promotions in the administrative service of the City shall be made in accordance to merit and fitness to be ascertained, so far as practicable, by previous record and competitive examination.
(Am’d. of 5-20-08; Am’d. of 5-18-10)