(a) 
Composition. There shall be a City Council of 13 members, which shall exercise the legislative powers of the City. Four of these members, to be known as "Councilors-at-Large," shall be nominated and elected by and from the voters at large. Nine of these members, to be known as "Precinct Councilors," shall be nominated and elected by the voters in each precinct, one such Precinct Councilor to be elected from each of the nine precincts into which the City is divided, in accordance with Section 7-4.
(b) 
Term of Office. The term of office for City Councilors shall be for four years, beginning on the first business day of January after the City Election, and until the City Councilors' successors have been qualified.
(c) 
Eligibility. Any voter shall be eligible to hold the office of Councilor-at-Large. A Precinct Councilor shall at the time of election be a voter of the precinct from which elected, provided if any Precinct Councilor dies, resigns, or removes from his or her precinct, the procedure for filling a vacancy shall apply.
(a) 
Election and term. On the first business day of the new year, the members of the city council shall elect from among its members a council president who shall serve during the ensuing year.
(b) 
Powers and duties. The council president shall preside at all meetings of the city council, regulate its proceedings and shall decide all questions of order. The Council President shall appoint all members of all committees of the city council, whether special or standing. The council president shall have the same powers to vote upon all measures coming before the city council as any other member of the city council. The council president shall perform such other duties consistent with the office as may be provided by charter, by ordinance or by other vote of the city council.
(c) 
Council vice president. The vice president shall serve as acting president during the temporary absence or disability of the council president during the ensuing term of office. The powers of an acting council president shall be limited to only those powers of the president as may be necessary to the conduct of the business of the city council in an orderly and efficient manner and which may not be delayed.
(d) 
Vacancies in the office of president or vice president. In the event the council president or vice president shall vacate their office for any reason prior to the end of their term of office, at the next regularly scheduled meeting after such vacating and prior to conducting business, the councilors shall elect from among the council members a successor president or vice president to serve for the remainder of the term.
No member of the City Council shall hold any other City office or City employment for which a salary or other emolument is payable from the City treasury. No former member of the City Council shall hold any compensated appointed City office or City employment until one year following the date on which such former member's service on the City Council has terminated. This provision shall not prevent a City officer or other City employee who has taken a leave of absence in order to serve as a member of the City Council from returning to the same office or other position of City employment held at the time such leave of absence commenced; provided, however, no such person shall be eligible for any other municipal position until at least one year following the termination of service as a member of the City Council.
(a) 
Salary. Each City Councilor may receive an annual salary as established by vote of the City Council.
(b) 
If the City Council sets an annual salary by ordinance, the salary shall not take effect until four years after the effective date of the ordinance.
(c) 
Expenses. Subject to appropriation, the Council members shall be entitled to reimbursement of their actual and necessary expenses in the performance of their duties.
Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this Charter, all legislative powers of the City shall be vested in the City Council, which shall provide for their exercise and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed upon the City by law.
(a) 
Exercise of powers. Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this Charter, the legislative powers of the City Council may be exercised in a manner determined by it.
(b) 
Quorum. The presence of seven members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a smaller number may meet and adjourn from time to time. Except as otherwise provided by general law or by this Charter the affirmative vote of seven members shall be required to adopt any ordinance or appropriation order.
(c) 
Rules of procedure. The City Council shall from time to time adopt rules regulating its procedures, which shall be in addition to the following:
1. 
Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held at a time and place fixed by ordinance.
2. 
Special meetings of the city council shall be held at the call of the council president, or, on the call of any five or more members, by written notice delivered in hand or to the place of residence of each member or by secure electronic communication that allows receipt confirmation and which contains a listing of the items to be acted upon. Except in case of an emergency, of which the council president shall be judge, such notice shall be delivered not less than 48 hours in advance of the time set for such meeting. A copy of the notice to members shall, forthwith, be posted upon the city bulletin board.
3. 
All sessions of the City Council and of every committee or subcommittee thereof, shall at all times be open to the public, unless another provision is made by law.
4. 
A full, accurate, up-to-date account of the proceedings of the City Council shall be kept, which shall include a record of each vote taken, and which shall be made available with reasonable promptness following each meeting.
5. 
Provision shall be made for a specific portion of time to be available, at all regular meetings of the City Council, for citizens to address the Council.
(a) 
In general. The City Council may make investigations into the affairs of the City and into the conduct and performance of any City agency and for this purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and require the production of evidence.
(b) 
City officers, members of City agencies, employees. The City Council may require any City officer, member of a City agency or City employee to appear before it to give such information as the City Council may require in relation to the municipal services, functions, powers, or duties which are within the scope of responsibility of such person and within the jurisdiction of the City Council.
(c) 
Mayor. The City Council may require the Mayor to provide specific information to it on any matter within the jurisdiction of the City Council. The City Council may require the Mayor to appear before it, in person, to provide specific information on the conduct of any aspect of the business of the City and to respond to written questions made available to the Mayor at the time the demand to attend is made to the Mayor. The Mayor may bring to such meeting any assistant, department head or other City officer or employee the Mayor may deem necessary to assist in responding to the questions posed by the City Council.
(d) 
Notice. The City Council shall give not less than five days' notice to any person it may require to appear before it under the provisions of this section. The notice shall include specific questions on which the City Council seeks information and no person called to appear before the City Council under this section shall be required to respond to any question not relevant or related to those presented in advance and in writing. Notice shall be by delivery in hand, or by registered or certified mail to the last known place of residence of any such person.
(a) 
City Auditor. The City Council may appoint a City Auditor to serve for a term of three years and until a successor is chosen and qualified. The City Auditor shall perform a legislative oversight and a post audit function and shall not be involved in the day-to-day administrative detail of the financial operations of the City. The City Auditor shall have free access to all books, accounts, bills and vouchers of the City and shall continuously review and examine the same. The City Auditor shall make periodic reports thereon to the City Council, with such frequency as the City Council by ordinance, by rule or by other vote may direct. All officials of the City shall cooperate with the City Auditor in the performance of this oversight function. The City Auditor shall have such other powers and duties, as may be provided by Charter, by ordinance or by other vote of the City Council.
(b) 
City Clerk. The City Council shall elect a City Clerk to serve for a term of three years and until a successor is chosen and qualified. The City Clerk shall have the powers and duties relating to the keeping of records and vital statistics, the regulation and conduct of elections, the highway book and the issuance of licenses as are provided to City Clerks by General Laws and such additional powers and duties as may be provided by General Laws, by Charter, by ordinance or by other vote of the City Council.
(c) 
Clerk of the Council. The City Clerk shall be the Clerk of the City Council. The Clerk of the Council shall give notice of its meetings to its members and to the public, keep the minutes of its proceedings and perform such other duties as may be provided by ordinance or by other vote of the City Council.
(d) 
Removal/suspension. Any person elected by the City Council may be removed or suspended by the City Council by the use of procedures substantially the same as those contained in Section 3-4(b).
(a) 
Emergency ordinances. No ordinance shall be passed finally on the date it is introduced, except in case of emergency involving the health or safety of the people or their property.
No ordinance shall be regarded as an emergency ordinance unless the emergency is defined and declared in a preamble to the ordinance, separately voted upon and receiving the affirmative vote of at least nine members of the City Council.
An emergency ordinance shall stand repealed on the 61st day following its adoption unless (1) an earlier date is specified in the measure; (2) a second emergency measure adopted in conformity with this section is passed extending it; or (3) a measure passed in conformity with the procedures for measures generally has been passed extending it.
(b) 
Measures, in general. The City Council may pass a measure through all of its stages at any one meeting, except proposed ordinances, appropriation orders and loan authorizations, provided that no member of the City Council objects; provided, however, that if three members object, a vote on the measure shall be postponed to the next meeting of the City Council.
On the first occasion that the question of adopting any measure is put to the City Council, except an emergency measure as defined in Subsection (a), if three members object to the taking of a vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next regular or special meeting of the City Council. If when the matter is next taken up for a vote five members object to the taking of the vote, the matter shall be further postponed for not less than an additional five days. This procedure shall not be used more than once for any measure notwithstanding any amendments made to the original measure.
(c) 
Publication. For every proposed ordinance, appropriation order or loan authorization, except emergency ordinances as provided in Subsection (a), a complete summary shall be published once in a local newspaper and in any additional manner as may be provided by ordinance, at least five days before its final passage. After final passage, it shall be posted on the City bulletin board and otherwise published as may be required by ordinance. The full text of all proposed ordinances, appropriations order and loan authorizations shall be available in the office of the City Clerk at least five days prior to final vote.
(a) 
The Mayor shall submit to the City Council the name of each person the Mayor desires to appoint as a member of a multiple-member body. The City Council shall refer each such name as is submitted to it to a standing committee of the City Council which shall investigate each such candidate for appointment and shall make a report, with recommendations, to the full City Council not less than seven nor more than 30 days following such referral.
(b) 
Appointments made by the Mayor shall become effective on the 35th day following the date on which notice of the proposed appointment was filed with the Clerk of the Council, unless the City Council shall within the said 30 days vote to reject such appointment. The votes of at least nine members shall be necessary to reject an appointment proposed by the Mayor. The question on rejection of any appointment made by the Mayor shall not be subject to the procedure of Charter objection provided in Section 2-9(b) of this Charter.
(c) 
If the City Council meets within the 30 days following such referral and fails to reject the appointments as provided in this section, unrejected appointments shall be considered affirmed by the Council, the 35-day presumptive approval process considered satisfied and those appointees will thereby be allowed to be immediately administered the oath of office without having to wait for the 35-day period to expire.
If a vacancy should occur in the Office of Precinct Councilor or Councilor at-large, within 90 days prior to the next Annual City Election, it shall remain vacant until that election. Otherwise, the Council President with the advice of the committee chairs may fill that seat by appointing a person residing in that precinct (not applicable for those elected at-large) for which a vacancy exists, subject to a two-thirds vote of the Councilors present, to serve until the next Annual City Election, at which time a person shall be elected to fill the unexpired term.