The Township Manager shall be chosen by the
Council solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications
with special reference to his actual experience in or his knowledge
of accepted practice with respect to the duties of his office as hereinafter
set forth. At the time of his appointment, he need not be a resident
of the municipality or state, but during his tenure of office, he
may reside outside the municipality only with the approval of Council.
The Township Manager shall hold office for an
indefinite term and may be removed by a majority vote of the Council.
At least 30 days before such removal shall be effective, the Council
shall, by a majority vote of its members, adopt a preliminary resolution
stating the reasons for his removal. The Manager may reply in writing
and may request a public hearing, which shall be held not earlier
than 20 days nor later than 30 days after the filing of such request.
After such public hearing, if one be requested, and after full consideration,
the Council, by majority vote of its members, may adopt a final resolution
of removal. By the preliminary resolution, the Council may suspend
the Manager from duty, but shall in any case cause to be paid him
forthwith any unpaid balance of his salary and his salary for the
next three calendar months following adoption of the preliminary resolution.
A.
The Township Manager shall:
(1)
Be the chief executive and administrative official
of the Township.
(2)
Execute all laws and ordinances of the municipality.
(3)
Appoint and remove a Deputy Manager (if one be authorized
by the Council), all department heads and all other officers, subordinates
and assistants for whose selection or removal no other method is provided
in this chapter or by statute or general law, except that he may authorize
the head of a department to appoint and remove subordinates in such
department, supervise and control his appointees and report all appointments
or removals at the next meeting thereafter of the Township Council.
(4)
Negotiate contracts for the municipality, subject
to the approval of the Council, and make recommendations concerning
the nature and location of municipal improvements and execute municipal
improvements as determined by the Municipal Council.
(5)
See that all terms and conditions imposed in favor
of the Township or its inhabitants in any statute, public utility
franchise or other contract are faithfully kept and performed, and
upon knowledge of any violation, call the same to the attention of
the Township Council.
(6)
Attend all meetings of the Township Council with the
right to take part in the discussions but without the right to vote.
(7)
Recommend to the Township Council for adoption such
measures as he may deem necessary or expedient, keep the Council advised
of the financial conditions of the municipality, make reports to the
Council as requested by it and at least once a year make a report
to the Council and to the public on the administration of the local
government and the status of same for the benefit of the Council and
the public.
(8)
Investigate at any time the affairs of any officer
or department of the municipality.
(9)
Perform such other duties as may be required of the
Municipal Manager by ordinance or resolution adopted by the Township
Council.
B.
The Township Manager shall be responsible to the Township
Council for carrying out all policies established by the Township
Council and for the proper administration of all affairs of the municipality
within the jurisdiction of the Township Council.
The Manager may designate a qualified administrative officer of the Township to perform his duties during his temporary absence or disability. In the event of his failure to make such designation, the Council may by resolution appoint an officer of the Township to perform the duties of the Manager during such absence or disability until he shall return or his disability shall cease. Nothing herein shall be construed to restrict or otherwise alter the provisions for removal of the Manager as set forth in § 5-12 above.
The Manager may, in his discretion, allocate,
assign or delegate functions or powers to a department head for more
efficient administration of the Township government; provided that
any such delegation, allocation or assignment shall not relieve the
Manager of any of his responsibilities under the Charter or this chapter
nor shall it be inconsistent with any express requirements of this
chapter. Any such delegation shall be in writing, which shall be filed
with the Clerk and reported to the Council.
A.
The Manager shall have custody, management and control
of all Township property which is not otherwise allocated or assigned
to a department by this chapter.
B.
The Manager, with the prior approval of the Council,
shall arrange for such insurance coverage as may be required by the
Township to protect it against risks of loss from whatever cause.
All insurance policies and surety bonds shall be filed for safekeeping
with the Township Clerk, except that the official surety bond covering
the Township Clerk (or the Clerk-Collector) shall be filed with the
Treasurer.
The Township Manager shall serve as Purchasing Agent of the Township and shall install, maintain and enforce a centralized purchasing system for all departments, subject to the provisions of this chapter relating to budget and fiscal procedures. The Manager shall have the right to delegate such duties herein as he may deem proper pursuant to § 5-15 herein.
