Section 1. Indebtedness: No indebtedness shall be incurred on behalf of the City, for any purpose, unless and until the same shall have been authorized by ordinance, resolution or order of the Council.
Section 2. Fiscal Officer: A fiscal officer shall be appointed by the City Manager subject to the approval of the City Council, and the City manager shall establish the qualifications, duties and functions of such fiscal officer.
Section 3. Demands Against the City: Moneys shall be drawn from the City Treasury only in the manner prescribed by ordinance of the Council.
Section 4. Filing of Claims: Except as otherwise provided by the provisions of State law applicable to chartered cities, claims against the City shall be filed as prescribed by ordinance.
Section 5. The Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of the City shall commence upon the first day of July of each year, or at such other time as may be fixed by ordinance.
Section 6. Annual Budget: On such date in each year as shall be fixed by the Council, the City Manager shall send to the Council a careful estimate, in writing, of the amounts required for the business and proper conduct of the various departments, offices, boards and commissions of the City, over which he has control during the next ensuring year. The City Manager shall also at said time submit to the Council an estimate of the amount of income from fines, licenses, and other sources of revenue, exclusive of taxes upon property, and the probable amount required to be levied and raised by taxation.
Section 7. Public Hearing on the Budget: After reviewing the proposed budget as submitted by the City Manager and making such revisions as it may deem advisable, the Council shall determine the time for holding of a public hearing upon, and shall cause a notice thereof to be published not less than ten (10) days prior to said hearing by at least one insertion in the official newspaper of the City.
Copies of the proposed budget shall be available for inspection by the public at the office of the City Clerk at least ten (10) days prior to said hearing.
At the time so advertised or at any time such public hearing from time to time be adjourned, the Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at which interested persons desiring to be heard shall be given such opportunity.
Section 8. Adoption of the Budget: After the conclusion of the public hearing, the Council shall further consider the proposed budget and make any revisions thereof that it may deem advisable, and thereafter it shall adopt the budget with revisions, if any. Upon final adoption, the budget shall be in effect for the ensuing fiscal year.
From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures shall be and become appropriated to the various departments or activities therein described. All appropriations shall lapse at the end of the fiscal year to the extent that they shall not have been expended or lawfully encumbered.
At any meeting after the adoption of the budget, the Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion.
Section 9. Tax System: The Council shall by ordinance provide a system for the assessment, levy and collection of City taxes upon property.
Section 10. The Council shall have power by ordinance to authorize the transfer to and the assumption and discharge by officers of the County of Tulare, of any function of the City relating to the assessment of property for taxation, and equalization of such assessment, the collection of taxes levied for municipal purposes, the collection of assessments levied for local improvements, the sale of property for non-payment of taxes levied for municipal purposes or for non-payment of assessments levied for local improvements, and the redemption of property from sales for either of said purposes and may repeal any such ordinances.
Section 11. Tax Rate: The total property tax for any one year shall not exceed one per cent of the assessed valuation, unless a special tax be authorized, as provided in this Charter; and the proceeds of any such special tax shall be used for no other purpose than that specified for which it was voted; provided, however, that in addition to said one per cent there shall be included in every annual levy, a sufficient amount to cover all liabilities of the City for principal and interest of all bonds or judgments due and unpaid or to become due during the ensuring fiscal year and not otherwise provided for.
Special Levies: Special levies in addition to the above may be made annually in amounts not to exceed the limits hereinafter enumerated in this section, respectively, on each $100 of the assessed value of the taxable property in the City:
(1) For the support and maintenance of free public libraries and reading rooms, Thirty Cents ($.30).
(2) For the support and maintenance of parks, playgrounds and recreation centers, Thirty Cents ($.30).
The City shall spend each fiscal period not less than the total amount raised each year from special levies for the free public libraries and reading rooms, and the parks, playgrounds and recreation centers.
Section 12. Special Taxes and Bonds:
(a) Whenever the Council shall determine that the public interest demands a special tax for a specified purpose, either for any specified number of years or for an indefinite period of time, in excess of the maximum tax rates provided for in Section 11 of this Article IX, the Council may submit to the qualified voters of the City at a regular or special election a proposition to authorize such tax for such purpose and for such number of years for an indefinite period of time, but no such special tax shall be levied unless authorized by the affirmative votes of the same number of voters voting on such proposition as is at the time required to authorize indebtedness of the City evidenced by general obligation bonds.
(b) No indebtedness evidenced by general obligation bonds shall be incurred by the City unless authorized by the affirmative votes of that number of voters voting on the proposition for incurring such indebtedness that shall at the time be required by the Constitution and general laws of the State. All proceedings for the incurring of indebtedness evidenced by general obligation bonds of the City shall be taken in accordance with the Constitution and general laws of the State. All proceedings for the incurring of indebtedness evidenced by general obligation bonds of the City shall be taken in accordance with the Constitution and general laws of the State, except as provided in Section 13 of this Article IX.
Section 13. Limit of General Obligation Bonded Indebtedness: The general obligation bonded indebtedness of the City shall at no time exceed a total of twenty per cent of the assessed valuation of all property taxable for City purposes.
Section 14. City Promotion: The Council may appropriate and spend money from the funds of the City for any or all of the following purposes: Reception and entertainment of public guests, assistance of public celebrations, fairs and exhibitions, to aid or carry on the work of immigration to the City, to encourage and promote industrial and commercial development and tourism; and generally, for the purpose of advertising the City; provided, however, that the aggregate expenditures from property taxes for all of said purposes shall not exceed in one fiscal year the sum of four ($.04) cents on each One Hundred Dollars ($100) of the assessed value of property within the City.