Section 1. Appointment, compensation, qualifications. 
Be it further enacted, that the City Council shall appoint a city manager for a term up to, but not to exceed, three (3) years upon such terms and conditions acceptable and as approved by the City Council. The City Council may offer a severance package, but only under the terms and conditions permitted by applicable law, to the City Manager, which package cannot exceed, in aggregate, the total sum of the most recent six (6) months, immediately preceding the separation or termination of the City Manager, of the City Manager's base salary; provided, however, that no such severance package shall be made available where the City Manager is terminated for cause. The manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications. He need not be a resident of the city or state at the time of his appointment but may reside outside the city while in office only with the approval of the councilmembers. (As amended by Priv. Acts 1972, ch. 416, sec. 6, Priv. Acts 1995, ch. 55, secs. 2 and 3, and Priv. Acts 2014, ch. 55, sec. 1)