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(a) In the performance of the powers of government, it is the duty of the mayor and the city council to make suitable provision for the assurance of adequate and appropriate prior review and consideration of official actions to be taken by the city council, and to assure that a high performance level of services to the residents is maintained, responsiveness to the people is provided, and accountability in municipal government is assured. To this end, the city council shall:
(1) adopt rules of procedure governing the conduct of city council meetings and the introduction, consideration, and method of review of actions to be considered by the city council, consistent with the city manager’s authority to present directly to the entire city council the city manager’s operational agenda;
(2) create a standing finance committee of the city council charged with the responsibility for financial and audit oversight of the operations of city government;
(3) establish such additional standing committees and their duties as the city council determines is appropriate; and
(4) establish the process by which the committees shall conduct their business and review matters for city council consideration, consistent with the city manager’s authority to present directly to the entire city council the city manager’s operational agenda.
(b) The mayor shall appoint the members and chairs of all city council committees, and it shall be the duty of each member of the city council to serve and to participate on each committee to which the member is appointed. The mayor shall have the power to remove and reassign members to and from the various city council committees. (Amend. of 8-12-89, Prop. No. 2; Amend. of 11-5-24)
The city manager shall provide professional and administrative assistants to aid the council in the performance of its official duties. Assistants to individual council members shall be selected by the respective council members from a pool of applicants provided by the city manager. An individual council member may, at any time, require the city manager to reassign his or her council assistant and provide a pool of applicants from which the council member may select a new assistant. Personnel filling these positions shall not be subject to civil service. (Amend. of 6-12-73, Prop. No. 7; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. No. 2)
Neither the council nor any of its committees or members shall dictate or attempt to dictate any person’s appointment to, or removal from, office or employment by the city manager or any of the city manager’s subordinates, or in any manner interfere in the appointment of officers and employees in the departments of administrative service vested in the manager by this Charter. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the council and its members shall deal with that part of the administrative service for which the city manager is responsible solely through such manager, and neither the council nor any city council member shall give orders to any of the subordinates of the city manager in those departments, either publicly or privately. This section shall not apply to those professional and administrative assistants provided for in Section 14 of this chapter. (Amend. of 6-12-73, Prop. No. 7; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. Nos. 2 and 13)
Willful violation of the foregoing provisions of this Charter by any member of the council shall constitute official misconduct, and shall authorize the council, by a vote of two-thirds of its entire membership, to expel such offending member from the council, if found guilty after a public hearing, and thereby create a vacancy in the place held by such member.
(a) No person elected to the city council shall, during the term for which he or she was elected, be appointed to any office or position of emolument in the service of the city. If a member of any board or commission appointed by the council or any appointive officer of the city, including municipal judges, city appointees to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board, and city appointees to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board, becomes a candidate for nomination or election to any public office, he or she shall immediately forfeit his or her place or position with the city. This provision does not prohibit a person from applying for a position as a municipal judge while a candidate for nomination or election to any public office.
(b) A member of the city council shall forfeit his or her place on the council if he or she becomes a candidate for nomination or election to any public office other than a place on the city council or if he or she becomes a candidate for election to any different place on the city council that requires taking office prior to the end of his or her elective term. (Amend. of 6-12-73, Prop. No. 8; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. No. 13; Amend. of 11-4-14, Prop. Nos. 7 and 9)
The council, the city manager or any person or committee authorized by either or both of them shall have power to inquire into the conduct of any department or office of the city; to make investigations as to city affairs, and for that purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and compel the production of books, papers and other evidence material to said inquiry. The council shall provide by ordinance penalties for contempt in refusing to obey any such subpoenas or failure to produce books, papers and other evidence, and shall have the power to punish any such contempt in the manner provided by ordinance.
The city council shall cause the annual financial statements and related records and accounts of the city to be audited annually by a firm registered with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy as a firm practicing public accountancy. The auditor shall be selected by the city council and shall be responsible to the council. The report of such auditor and the financial statements and related audit opinion for the fiscal year shall be printed and a copy shall be furnished to each city council member and the city manager, and a copy shall be kept available in the office of the city secretary for inspection by any person upon request. The original report of the auditor or auditors shall be kept among the permanent records of the city. (Amend. of 6-12-73, Prop. No. 9; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. Nos. 11 and 13; Amend. of 11-4-14, Prop. No. 9; Amend. of 11-5-24)
(a) The person designated by the city manager as the chief financial officer of the city shall serve as the city treasurer, who shall have the custody of all the public moneys, funds, notes, bonds, and other securities belonging to the city. The chief financial officer shall give such bond as the council may require, conditioned on the faithful discharge of his or her duties, and the premium of such bond shall be paid by the city. In addition to such bond, the city shall, in accordance with state law, require designated city depositories to hypothecate securities in such amount as it shall prescribe.
(b) The city council shall, in accordance with state law, select and designate a depository for the moneys and funds of the city. The city council may at any time, in accordance with state law, select and designate more than one depository. The chief financial officer shall be responsible for administering the contract with the depository. The depository shall receive and securely keep all moneys belonging to the city and make all payments from the same upon orders signed by the city manager and countersigned by the chief financial officer, after authorization of the city council. All monies received by any person, department, or agency of the city for or in connection with the affairs of the city shall be deposited promptly in a commercially reasonable manner in city depositories. The chief financial officer shall ensure that a full and correct statement of receipts and payments is provided to the city manager and the city council, at such times as the city manager or city council may require and in such form as the city manager may prescribe. The chief financial officer shall perform such other acts and duties as the city manager may prescribe. (Amend. of 4-2-83, Prop. No. 6; Amend. of 4-6-85, Prop. No. 1; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. Nos. 8 and 13; Amend. of 11-4-14, Prop. No. 9)