Sec. 581. Board of Public Works.

   Members of the Board of Public Works shall devote their entire time to the duties of office. Subject to the Charter and applicable ordinances and law, the board shall have the power and duty to:

   (a)   set policy for and manage the Department of Public Works;

   (b)   establish procedures for the examination, consideration and preparation of requests for proposals or bids, and for the advertisement and establishment of the amount of the required bond, all as provided by Sections 370 through 378 and related ordinances, for any work or improvements;

   (c)   approve the award of contracts;

   (d)   fix the time when work shall be commenced and completed in accordance with applicable law;

   (e)   exercise the power of eminent domain, subject to Council authorization, and lease or purchase property on behalf of the City for the construction and maintenance of public works projects;

   (f)   exercise the powers and duties imposed by law or delegated by the Council relating to the award of contracts for work specified in Section 580 and the determination of benefits, damages and costs incident to a proposed change or improvement of any public place, right-of-way or property belonging to the City and the making and levying of assessments upon property to cover the damages and costs;

   (g)   conduct hearings and hear appeals as authorized by ordinance relating to the work of the department, including hearings pertaining to special assessments;

   (h)   on its own initiative or upon complaint, investigate departmental operations and acts of employees and report findings to the Director of Public Works, the Mayor and the Council;

   (i)   approve specifications for public works construction projects;

   (j)   accept completed public works projects, provided that the board may delegate to the Director of Public Works the authority to accept projects involving less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or such other amount prescribed by the board;

   (k)   make recommendations about short- and long-range public works plans and programs to the Mayor and Council; and

   (l)   annually present to the Council at its meeting in the second week of July, a report for the previous fiscal year stating the amount of proceeds from the sale of bonds, the purposes for which those proceeds have been expended, the amount expended, the balance in each bond fund and other information and suggestions as it deems appropriate.

   The Board of Public Works shall have power to proceed with all such construction and maintenance, and to carry out any of the purposes herein mentioned from any funds under its control and available for such purposes; provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to abridge the power of the Council to order any work or improvements and to provide the manner of paying therefor, such work or improvement, however, to be done under the superintendence and control of the Board of Public Works.