The Council shall be composed of a Mayor and four Council Members, all of whom must be eligible to hold office under the Constitution of this State. Two Council Members shall be elected from each Ward and the Mayor shall be elected at-large. Each Council Member shall serve for a term of four years and until his or her successor is elected and qualifies. The Mayor shall serve for a term of four years and until his or her successor is elected and qualifies. The Council shall be judges of the election returns.
The Council shall exercise exclusive legislative authority. The Council may make investigations into the affairs of the City and the conduct of any City department, office or agency and for this purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence. The Council shall provide for an audit of the City's accounts at least once a year by the State department in charge of such work or by a certified public accountant. The Council may at any time provide for an examination or audit of the accounts of any officer or department of the city and it may cause to be made any survey or research study of any subject of City concern. The Council shall fix and determine salaries
to be paid employees and employee benefits. The Council shall appoint a City Administrator and fix his compensation and benefits. All powers and authority to determine matters of policy, are vested in the Council unless they are specifically granted or delegated to some other officer, body or agency.
No member of the Council may hold any paid municipal office or employment under the City other than that to which elected, and until thirty days after the expiration of his term as Mayor or Council Member, no former member shall be appointed to any paid appointive office or employment under the City, which office or employment was created or the emoluments of which were increased during his term as a member of the Council.
A vacancy in the Council, whether it be in the office of Mayor or Council Member, shall be deemed to exist in case of the failure of any person elected thereto to qualify on or before the date of the second regular meeting of the new Council, or by reason of the death, resignation, removal from office, removal from the City, continuous absence from the City for more than three months, or conviction of a felony of any such person whether before or after his qualification, or by reason of the failure of any member of the Council without good cause to perform any of the duties of membership in the Council for a period of three months. In each such case the Council shall by resolution declare such vacancy to exist and shall forthwith appoint an eligible person to fill the same until the next regular municipal election when the office shall be filled for the unexpired term. In the event aCouncil Member moves his residence from the ward from which he was elected to the other ward within the City, no vacancy shall be deemed to exist during the unexpired portion of the current term, but he should serve to the end of such term as though there had been no such removal. Nor shall a change in ward boundaries as herein provided in any way affect the current term of any Council Member. However, a candidate for election or re-election to the office of Council Member must be a bona fide resident of the ward from which he seeks election and meet all other requirements of such candidate.
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