For the purpose of providing professional assistance and continuity in the administration of the Merged Government, the Council shall select and employ a Chief Administrative Officer. No person shall be selected or employed as the Chief Administrative Officer unless he or she shall possess demonstrable educational and/or professional experience in the art and science of governmental management as required of such office. Said officer may be a non-resident of Kentucky and/or the Urban County, but must become a resident of the area served by the Merged Government within six (6) months and shall maintain such residence during the tenure of his or her office. The Chief Administrative Officer shall be compensated at a rate determined by the Council.
The Chief Administrative Officer may be removed without cause by a three-fifths (
3/5
) vote of the entire Council during his first year of service. After one (1) year of service, the Chief Administrative Officer may be removed without cause by a three-fifths (
3/5
) vote of the entire Council, provided that he shall be granted six (6) months notice of the council's intention to remove him, or in the alternative he shall be granted six (6) months severance pay. After one (1) year of service a Chief Administrative Officer may be removed at any time for sufficient cause or willful neglect of duty by a three-fifths (
3/5
) vote of the Council, provided that the Council supply the Chief Administrative Officer a written statement of the charges against him and afford him an opportunity to appear before a public hearing held by the Council within thirty (30) days of notifying him of the charges. The Chief Administrative Officer may be represented by counsel and present evidence at said hearing and may appeal to the courts any decision of the Council to remove him for cause or willful neglect of duty. In no case shall the Council effect the removal of a Chief Administrative Officer by a reduction in his compensation.
Whenever a vacancy shall exist in the office of Chief Administrative Officer, a committee composed of the Mayor and four (4) Council members appointed by the Vice-Mayor shall solicit and evaluate applicants for said position, and shall recommend to the Council one or more candidates for the position. The Council shall then select and employ a Chief Administrative Officer by a vote of a majority of its entire membership.
Annotation—KRS 67A.025 provides for the hiring, termination and severance pay of the Chief Administrative Officer.