The powers and duties of the Council shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) General. All powers of the city are vested in the Council, except as otherwise provided for by law or ordinance.
(B) Wards. By ordinance, the Council may divide the city into wards based upon population, change the boundaries of wards, eliminate wards or create new wards.
(C) Fiscal authority. The Council shall apportion and appropriate all funds and audit and allow all bills, accounts, payrolls and claims, and order payment thereof. It shall make all assessments for the cost of street improvements, sidewalks, sewers and other work, improvement or repairs which may be specially assessed.
(D) Public improvements. The Council shall make all orders for the doing of work, or the making or construction of any improvements, bridges or buildings.
(E) Contracts. The Council shall make or authorize the making of all contracts and no contract shall bind or be obligatory upon the city unless either made by ordinance or resolution adopted by the Council, or reduced to writing and approved by the Council, or expressly authorized by ordinance or resolution adopted by the Council.
(F) Employees.
(1) The Council shall authorize, by resolution, the number and compensation of employees not otherwise provided by state law or the code of ordinances. In accordance with the city’s pay and benefits plan adopted by the Council, authorization of employee compensation by the Council shall occur within the annual salary resolution by Council specification therein of:
(a) The percentage increase, if any, to be applied to the step/merit pay schedule and merit pay schedule for non-union eligible employees; and
(b) The amount of funds allotted to the merit pool.
(2) The City Administrator shall allocate salary adjustments to non-union eligible employees in an amount not to exceed the total of divisions (F)(1)(a) and (F)(1)(b) above on the basis of performance appraisals conducted by supervisors. Gross yearly salaries of all city employees for the previous calendar year shall be published no later than 1 March of each year.
(G) Records. The Council shall maintain records of its proceedings.
(H) Setting compensation for elected officers. By ordinance, the Council shall prescribe the compensation of the Mayor, Council members and other elected city officers, but a change in the compensation of the Mayor shall not become effective during the term in which the increase is adopted, and the Council shall not adopt such an ordinance changing the compensation of any elected officer during the months of November and December immediately following a regular city election. A change in the compensation of Council members shall become effective for all Council members at the beginning of the term of the Council members elected at the election next following the adoption of the increase in compensation.
(2011 Code, § 3.0302)