This petition below is for the support of a new city that will be located in De Kalb County, Ga. This city will be named: Nuevo Dijon (New Dijon). The Petition is as follows:

I, ______________, do affirm that I sign this petition for the recognition and support of the Nuevo Dijon (New Dijon) Charter. I also acknowledge that I may be contacted again to confirm my signature, I affirm that I am legally eligible to vote in De Kalb County, Ga and I live within the city limits of the proposed charter. I also affirm that I will actively participate in the city government. Upon signing this petition, I also acknowledge that I know that if there is not enough signatures, then this charter will not come to pass . I also acknowledge that this petition will be sent to Rep. Hank Johnson (Ga-04) and signed by the appropriate honorary. I also affirm that i have read the charter which goes as follows:

CITY OF NUEVO DIJON

(NEW DIJON ACT)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

Preamble

To incorporate the City of Nuevo Dijon in De Kalb County; to provide for a charter for the City of Nuevo Dijon; to provide for incorporation, boundaries, and powers of the city; to provide for general powers and limitations on powers; to provide for a governing authority of such city and the powers, duties, authority, election, terms, method of filling vacancies, compensation, expenses, qualifications, prohibitions, and districts relative to members of such governing authority; to provide for inquiries and investigations; to provide for organization and procedures: to provide for ordinances; to provide for the office of mayor and certain duties and powers relative to the office of mayor; to provide for administrative responsibilities; to provide for boards, commissions, and authorities; to provide for a city manager, a city attorney, a city clerk, a tax collector, a city accountant, and other personnel; to provide for a municipal court and the judge or judges thereof; to provide for practices and procedures; to provide for ethics and disclosures; to provide for taxation, licenses and fees; to provide for franchises, service charges, and assessments; to provide for bonded and other indebtedness; to provide for accounting and budgeting; to provide for purchases; to provide for homestead exemptions; to provide for bonds for officials; to provide for other matters relative to the foregoing; to provide for a referendum; to provide effective dates and transitional provisions governing the transfer of various functions and responsibilities from De Kalb County to the City of Nuevo Dijon; to provide for severability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. This city shall also be known as New Dijon.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

Article I: Creation, Incorporation, Powers

Section 1.01: Incorporation. This Act shall constitute the charter of the City of Nuevo Dijon, Georgia. The City of Nuevo Dijon, Georgia, in the County of De Kalb, and the inhabitants thereof, are constituted and declared a body politic and corporate under the same name and style of the “City of Nuevo Dijon” and by that name shall have perpetual succession, may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, in all courts of law and equity, and in all actions whatsoever, and may have and use a common seal.

Section 1.02: Corporate Boundaries. The boundaries of the City of Nuevo Dijon shall be as set forth and described in Appendix A of this charter, and said Appendix A is incorporated into and made a part of this charter. The city manager shall maintain a current map and written legal description of the corporate boundaries of the city, and such map and description shall incorporate any changes which may hereafter be made in such corporate boundaries.

Section 1.03: Powers and Construction.

(a) This city shall have all powers possible for a city to have under the present or future Constitution and laws of this state as fully and completely as though they were specifically enumerated in this Act. This city shall have all the powers of self-government not otherwise prohibited by this Act or by general law.

(b) The powers of this city shall be construed liberally in favor of the city. The specific mention or failure to mention particular powers shall not be construed as limiting in any way the powers of this city. These powers shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Animal regulations. To regulate and license or to prohibit the keeping or running at-large of animals and fowl, and to provide for the impoundment of same if in violation of any ordinance or lawful order; to provide for the disposition by sale, gift, or humane destruction of animals and fowl when not redeemed as provided by ordinance; and to provide punishment for violation of ordinances enacted hereunder;

(2) Appropriations and expenditures. To make appropriations for the support of the government of the city; to authorize the expenditure of money for any purposes authorized by this charter and for any purpose for which a municipality is authorized by the laws of the State of Georgia; and to provide for the payment of expenses of the city;

(3) Building regulation. To regulate and to license the erection and construction of buildings and all other structures; to adopt building, housing, plumbing, electrical, gas, and heating and air conditioning codes; and to regulate all housing, and building trades to the extent permitted by general law;

(4) Business regulation and taxation. To levy and to provide for the collection of regulatory fees and taxes on privileges, occupations, trades and professions as authorized by Title 48 of the O.C.G.A., or other such applicable laws as are or may hereafter be enacted; to permit and regulate the same; to provide for the manner and method of payment of such regulatory fees and taxes; and to revoke such permits after due process for failure to pay any city taxes or fees;

(5) Condemnation. To condemn property, inside or outside the corporate limits of the city, for present or future use and for any corporate purpose deemed necessary by the city council, utilizing procedures enumerated in Title 22 of the O.C.G.A., or such other applicable laws as are or may hereafter be enacted;

(6) Contracts. To enter into contracts and agreements with other governmental entities and with private persons, firms and corporations;

(7) Emergencies. To establish procedures for determining and proclaiming that an emergency situation exists within or without the city, and to make and carry out all reasonable provisions deemed necessary to deal with or meet such an emergency for the protection, safety, health or well-being of the citizens of the city;

(8) Environmental protection. To protect and preserve the natural resources, environment and vital areas of the city, the region, and the state through the preservation and improvement of air quality, the restoration and maintenance of water resources, the control of erosion and sedimentation, the management of stormwater and establishment of a stormwater utility, the management of solid and hazardous waste, and other necessary actions for the protection of the environment;

(9) Ethics. To adopt ethics ordinances and regulations governing the conduct of municipal elected officials, appointed officials, and employees, establishing procedures for ethics complaints and setting forth penalties for violations of such rules and procedures;

(10) Fire regulations. To fix and establish fire limits and from time to time to extend, enlarge, or restrict the same; to prescribe fire safety regulations not inconsistent with general law, relating to both fire prevention and detection and to fire fighting; and to prescribe penalties and punishment for violations thereof;

(11) Garbage fees. To levy, fix, assess, and collect a garbage, refuse, and trash collection and disposal, and other sanitary service charge, tax, or fee for such services as may be necessary in the operation of the city from all individuals, firms, and corporations residing in or doing business therein benefiting from such services; to enforce the payment of such charges, taxes or fees; and to provide for the manner and method of collecting such service charges;

(12) General health, safety, and welfare. To define, regulate, and prohibit any act, practice, conduct, or use of property which is detrimental to health, sanitation, cleanliness, welfare, and safety of the inhabitants of the city, and to provide for the enforcement of such standards;

(l3) Gifts. To accept or refuse gifts, donations, bequests, or grants from any source for any purpose related to powers and duties of the city and the general welfare of its citizens, on such terms and conditions as the donor or grantor may impose;

(14) Health and sanitation. To prescribe standards of health and sanitation and to provide for the enforcement of such standards;

(15) Jail sentences. To provide that persons given jail sentences in the city’s court may work out such sentences in any public works or on the streets, roads, drains, and other public property in the city, to provide for commitment of such persons to any jail, to provide for the use of pretrial diversion and any alternative sentencing allowed by law, or to provide for commitment of such persons to any county work camp or county jail by agreement with the appropriate county officials;

(16) Motor vehicles. To regulate the operation of motor vehicles and exercise control over all traffic, including parking upon or across the streets, roads, alleys, and walkways of the city;

(17) Municipal agencies and delegation of power. To create, alter, or abolish departments, boards, offices, commissions, and agencies of the city, and to confer upon such agencies the necessary and appropriate authority for carrying out all the powers conferred upon or delegated to the same;

(18) Municipal debts. To appropriate and borrow money for the payment of debts of the city and to issue bonds for the purpose of raising revenue to carry out any project, program, or venture authorized by this charter or the laws of the State of Georgia;

(19) Municipal property ownership. To acquire, dispose of, lease, and hold in trust or otherwise any real, personal, or mixed property, in fee simple or lesser interest, inside or outside the property limits of the city;

(20) Municipal property protection. To provide for the preservation and protection of property and equipment of the city and the administration and use of same by the public; and to prescribe penalties and punishment for violations thereof;

(21) Municipal utilities. To acquire, lease, construct, operate, maintain, sell, and dispose of public utilities, including but not limited to a system of waterworks, sewers and drains, sewage disposal, stormwater management, gas works, electric light plants, cable television and other telecommunications, transportation facilities, public airports, and any other public utility; to fix the taxes, charges, rates, fares, fees, assessments, regulations, and penalties; and to provide for the withdrawal of service for refusal or failure to pay the same;

(22) Nuisance. To define a nuisance and provide for its abatement whether on public or private property;

(23) Penalties. To provide penalties for violation of any ordinances adopted pursuant to the authority of this charter and the laws of the State of Georgia;

(24) Planning and zoning. To provide comprehensive city planning for development by zoning; and to provide subdivision regulation and the like as the city council deems necessary and reasonable to insure a safe, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing community;

(25) Police and fire protection. To exercise the power of arrest through duly appointed police officers, and to establish, operate, or contract for a police and a fire-fighting agency;

(26) Public hazards: removal. To provide for the destruction and removal of any building or other structure which is or may become dangerous or detrimental to the public;

(27) Public improvements. To provide for the acquisition, construction, building, operation, and maintenance of public ways, parks and playgrounds, recreational facilities, cemeteries, public buildings, libraries, public housing, parking facilities, or charitable, cultural, educational, recreational, conservation, sport, detentional, penal, and medical institutions, agencies, and facilities; and to provide any other public improvements, inside or outside the corporate limits of the city and to regulate the use of public improvements; and for such purposes, property may be acquired by condemnation under Title 22 of the O.C.G.A., or such other applicable laws as are or may hereafter be enacted;

(28) Public peace. To provide for the prevention and punishment of loitering, disorderly conduct, drunkenness, riots, and public disturbances;

(29) Public transportation. To organize and operate such public transportation systems as are deemed beneficial;

(30) Public utilities and services. To grant franchises or make contracts for, or impose taxes on, public utilities and public service companies; and to prescribe the rates, fares, regulations, and standards and conditions of service applicable to the service to be provided by the franchise grantee or contractor, insofar as not in conflict with valid regulations of the Public Service Commission;

(31) Regulation of roadside areas. To prohibit or regulate and control the erection, removal, and maintenance of signs, billboards, trees, shrubs, fences, buildings, and any and all other structures or obstructions upon or adjacent to the rights of way of streets and roads or within view thereof, within or abutting the corporate limits of the city; and to prescribe penalties and punishment for violation of such ordinances;

(32) Retirement. To provide and maintain a retirement plan for officers and employees of the city;

(33) Roadways. To lay out, open, extend, widen, narrow, establish or change the grade of, abandon or close, construct, pave, curb, gutter, adorn with shade trees, or otherwise improve, maintain, repair, clean, prevent erosion of, and light the roads, alleys, and walkways within the corporate limits of the city; to grant franchises and rights of way throughout the streets and roads and over the bridges and viaducts for the use of public utilities; and to require real estate owners to repair and maintain in a safe condition the sidewalks adjoining their lots or lands and to impose penalties for failure to do so;

(34) Sewer fees. To levy a fee, charge, or sewer tax as necessary to assure the acquiring, constructing, equipping, operating, maintaining, and extending of a sewage disposal plant and sewerage system, and to levy on those to whom sewers and sewerage systems are made available a sewer service fee, charge, or sewer tax for the availability or use of the sewers; to provide for the manner and method of collecting such service charges and for enforcing payment of the same; and to charge, impose, and collect a sewer connection fee or fees to those connected with the system;

(35) Solid waste disposal. To provide for the collection and disposal of garbage, rubbish, and refuse and to regulate the collection and disposal of garbage, rubbish, and refuse by others; and to provide for the separate collection of glass, tin, aluminum, cardboard, paper, and other recyclable materials and to provide for the sale of such items;

(36) Special assessments. To levy and provide for the collection of special assessments to cover the costs for any public improvements;

(37) Taxes: ad valorem. To levy and provide for the assessment, valuation, revaluation, and collection of taxes on all property subject to taxation; provided, however, that:

(A) For all years, the mileage rate imposed for ad valorem taxes on real property shall not exceed 4.731 unless a higher limit is recommended by resolution of the city council and approved by the qualified voters of the City of Nuevo Dijon;

(B) For all years, the fair market value of all property subject to taxation shall be determined according to the tax digest of De Kalb County, as provided in Code Section 48-5-352 of the O.C.G.A.; and

(C) For all years, the billing date or dates and due date or due dates for municipal ad valorem taxes shall be the same as for De Kalb County ad valorem taxes;

(38) Taxes: other. To levy and collect such other taxes as may be allowed now or in the future by law;

(39) Taxicabs. To regulate and license vehicles operated for hire in the city; to limit the number of such vehicles; to require the operators thereof to be licensed; to require public liability insurance on such vehicles in the amounts to be prescribed by ordinance; and to regulate the parking of such vehicles;

(40) Urban redevelopment. To organize and operate an urban redevelopment program;

(41) Other powers. To exercise and enjoy all other powers, functions, rights, privileges, and immunities necessary or desirable to promote or protect the safety, health, peace, security, good order, comfort, convenience, or general welfare of the city and its inhabitants; to exercise all implied powers necessary or desirable to carry into execution all powers granted in this charter as fully and completely as if such powers were fully stated herein; and to exercise all powers now or in the future authorized to be exercised by other municipal governments under other laws of the State of Georgia; and any listing of particular powers in this charter shall not be held to be exclusive of others or restrictive of general words and phrases granting powers, but shall be held to be in addition to such powers unless expressly prohibited to municipalities under the Constitution or applicable laws of the State of Georgia.

Section 1.04: Exercise of Powers. All powers, functions, rights, privileges, and immunities of the city, its officers, agencies, or employees shall be carried into execution as provided by this Act. If this charter makes no provision, such shall be carried into execution as provided by ordinance or as provided by pertinent laws of the State of Georgia.

Article II: Government Structure, Elections and Legislative Branch

Section 2.01: City Council Creation; Number; Election.

(a) The legislative authority of the government of Nuevo Dijon, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Act, shall be vested in a city council to be composed of a mayor and six councilmembers.

(b) The mayor shall be elected by a majority vote of the qualified electors of the city at large voting at the elections of the city.

(c) Each councilmember shall be elected by a majority vote of the qualified electors of his or her respective council district voting at the elections of the city. For the purpose of electing the six councilmembers, there shall be six council districts, designated Council Districts 1 through 6, as described in Appendix B of this Act and the accompanying Redistricting Plan Components Report, which are attached to and made a part of the charter of the City of Nuevo Dijon. Each person desiring to offer as a candidate for councilmember shall designate the council district for which he or she is offering.

Section 2.02: Mayor and City Councilmembers; Election, Terms, and Qualifications for Office.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection

(c) of this section, the mayor and members of the city council shall serve for terms of four years and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. No person shall be eligible to serve as mayor or councilmember unless that person shall have been a resident of the area comprising the corporate limits of the City of Nuevo Dijon for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately prior to the date of the election for mayor or councilmember, shall continue to reside therein during that person’s period of service, and shall continue to be registered and qualified to vote in municipal elections of the City of Nuevo Dijon. In addition to the above requirements, no person shall be eligible to serve as a councilmember representing a council district unless that person has been a resident of the district such person seeks to represent for a continuous period of at least six months immediately prior to the date of the election for councilmember and continues to reside in such district during that person’s period of service.

(b) General municipal elections shall be held on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November of 2012 and every four years thereafter.

(c) The first mayor and the initial councilmembers shall take office on December 1, 2012, and shall serve for terms which expire when their successors take office in January of 2010. Thereafter the mayor and councilmembers shall take office as provided in Code Section 21-2-541.1 of the O.C.G.A. and serve for terms of four years. The initial members and future members of the governing authority shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified.

Section 2.03: Vacancy; Filling of Vacancies; Suspensions. The office of mayor or councilmember shall become vacant upon the incumbent’s death, resignation, forfeiture of office, or removal from office in any manner authorized by this Act or the general laws of the State of Georgia. A vacancy in the office of mayor or councilmember shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by a special election if such vacancy occurs 12 months or more prior to the expiration of the term of that office. If such vacancy occurs within 12 months of the expiration of the term of that office, the city council or those members remaining shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the term. This provision shall also apply to a temporary vacancy created by the suspension from office of the mayor or any councilmember.

Section 2.04: Nonpartisan Elections. Political parties shall not conduct primaries for city offices and all names of candidates for city offices shall be listed without party designation.

Section 2.05: Election by Majority Vote. The candidates for mayor and councilmen who receive a majority of the votes cast in the applicable election shall be elected to a term of office. In the event no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in said election, a run-off election shall be held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes. Such run-off shall be held at the time specified by state election law, unless such run-off date is postponed by court order.

Section 2.06: Applicability of General Laws; Qualifying; Other Provisions. All primaries and elections shall be held and conducted in accordance with Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the O.C.G.A., the “Georgia Election Code”, as now or hereafter amended. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, the city council shall, by ordinance or resolution, prescribe such rules and regulations as it deems appropriate, including but not limited to the establishment of qualifying fees, to fulfill any options and duties under Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the O.C.G.A., the “Georgia Election Code”, as now or hereafter amended.

Section 2.07: Compensation and Expenses. The annual salary of the mayor shall be $25,000.00 and the annual salary for each councilmember shall be $12,000.00. Such salary shall be paid from municipal funds in monthly installments. The city council may provide by ordinance for the provision of insurance, retirement, workers compensation, and other employee benefits to the mayor and members of the city council and may provide by ordinance for the reimbursement of expenses actually and necessarily incurred by the mayor and members of the city council in carrying out their official duties.

Section 2.08: Inquiries and Investigations. The city council may make inquiries and investigations into the affairs of the city and conduct of any department, office, or agency thereof and for this purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence. Any person who fails or refuses to obey a lawful order issued in the exercise of these powers by the city council shall be punished as may be provided by ordinance.

Section 2.09: Meetings and Mayor Pro Tempore.

(a) The city council shall meet on the first working day in January immediately following each regular municipal election. The meeting shall be called to order by the mayor-elect and the oath of office shall be administered to the newly elected mayor and councilmembers by a judicial officer authorized to administer oaths. The oath shall, to the extent that it comports with federal and state law, be as follows: “I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of [councilmember or mayor as the case may be] of the City of Nuevo Dijon, and will to the best of my ability support and defend the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Georgia, and the charter, ordinances, and regulations of the City of Nuevo Dijon. I am not the holder of any unaccounted for public money due this state or any political subdivision or authority thereof. I am not the holder of any office of trust under the government of the United States, any other state, or any foreign state which I by the laws of the State of Georgia am prohibited from holding. I am otherwise qualified to hold said office according to the Constitution and laws of Georgia. I have been a resident of my district and the City of Nuevo Dijon for the time required by the Constitution and laws of this state and by the municipal charter. I will perform the duties of my office in the best interest of the City of Nuevo Dijon to the best of my ability without fear, favor, affection, reward, or expectation thereof.”

(b) Following the induction of the mayor and councilmembers, the city council, by a majority vote of the councilmembers, shall elect a councilmember to be mayor pro tempore, who shall serve for a term of four years and until a successor is elected and qualified. The mayor pro tempore shall assume the duties and powers of the mayor during the mayor’s disability or absence, except that the mayor pro tempore shall continue to vote as a councilmember and may not exercise the mayor’s prerogative to vote in the case of a tie. During the mayor’s disability or absence, the mayor pro tempore may veto any action of council. If the mayor pro tempore is absent because of sickness or disqualification, any one of the remaining councilmembers, chosen by the members present, shall be clothed with all the rights and privileges of the mayor and shall perform the mayor’s duties in the same manner as the mayor pro tempore.

(c) The city council shall, at least once a month, hold regular meetings at such times and places as prescribed by ordinance. The council may recess any regular meeting and continue such meeting on any weekday or hour it may fix and may transact any business at such continued meeting as may be transacted at any regular meeting.

(d) Special meetings of the council may be held on the call of the mayor or three members of the council. Notice of such special meetings shall be delivered to all members of the council and the mayor personally, by registered mail, or by electronic means, at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Such notice to councilmembers shall not be required if the mayor and all councilmembers are present when the special meeting is called. Such notice of any special meeting may be waived by the mayor or a councilmember in writing before or after such a meeting and attendance at the meeting shall also constitute a waiver of notice. The notice of such special meeting shall state what business is to be transacted at the special meeting. Only the business stated in the call may be transacted at the special meeting.

Section 2.10: Quorum; Voting. Four councilmembers shall constitute a quorum and shall be authorized to transact business for the council. Voting on the adoption of ordinances shall be taken by voice vote and the yeas and nays shall be recorded in the minutes, but on the request of any member there shall be a roll-call vote. In order for any ordinance, resolution, motion, or other action of the council to be adopted, the measure must receive at least three affirmative votes and must receive the affirmative votes of a majority of those voting. No member of the city council shall abstain from voting on any matter properly brought before the council for official action except when such member of council has a conflict of interest which is disclosed in writing prior to or at the meeting and made a part of the minutes. Any member of the city council present and eligible to vote on a matter and refusing to do so for any reason other than a properly disclosed and recorded conflict of interest shall be deemed to have acquiesced or concurred with the members of the majority who did vote on the question involved. The mayor shall vote only in the case of a tie or in the case where his or her vote will provide the third affirmative vote required for approval of a matter.

Section 2.11: General Power and Authority of the Council.

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law or by this charter, the council shall be vested with all the powers of government of the City of Nuevo Dijon as provided by Article I of this charter.

(b) In addition to all other powers conferred upon it by law, the council shall have the authority to adopt and provide for the execution of such ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations, not inconsistent with this charter and the Constitution and the laws of the State of Georgia, which it shall deem necessary, expedient, or helpful for the peace, good order, protection of life and property, health, welfare, sanitation, comfort, convenience, prosperity, or well-being of the inhabitants of the City of Nuevo Dijon and may enforce such ordinances by imposing penalties for violation thereof.

Section 2.12: Administrative and Service Departments.

(a) Except for the office of city manager, the council, by ordinance, may establish, abolish, merge, or consolidate offices, positions of employment, departments, and agencies of the city as they shall deem necessary for the proper administration of the affairs and government of the city. The council shall prescribe the functions and duties of existing departments, offices, and agencies or of any departments, offices, and agencies hereinafter created or established; may provide that the same person shall fill any number of offices and positions of employment; and may transfer or change the functions and duties of offices, positions of employment, departments, and agencies of the city.

(b) The operations and responsibilities of each department now or hereafter established in the city shall be distributed among such divisions or bureaus as may be provided by ordinance of the council. Each department shall consist of such officers, employees, and positions as may be provided by this charter or by ordinance and shall be subject to the general supervision and guidance of the mayor and council.

Section 2.13: Boards, Commissions, and Authorities.

(a) All members of boards, commissions, and authorities of the city shall be nominated by the mayor and be confirmed by the council for such terms of office and such manner of appointment as provided by ordinance, except where other appointing authority, term of office, or manner of appointment is prescribed by this charter or by applicable state law.

(b) No member of any board, commission, or authority of the city shall hold any elective office in the city. Councilmembers and the mayor, however, may serve as ex officio members of such boards, commissions, or authorities, without a vote.

(c) Any vacancy in office of any member of a board, commission, or authority of the city shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner prescribed for original appointment, except as otherwise provided by this charter or any applicable state law.

(d) No member of any board, commission, or authority shall assume office until he or she shall have executed and filed with the designated officer of the city an oath obligating himself or herself to faithfully and impartially perform the duties of his or her office, such oath to be prescribed by ordinance of the council and administered by the mayor.

(e) Any member of a board, commission, or authority may be removed from office for cause by a vote of a majority of the members of the council.

(f) Members of boards, commissions, and authorities may receive such compensation and expenses in the performance of their official duties as prescribed by ordinance.

(g) Except as otherwise provided by this charter or by applicable state law, each board, commission, or authority of the city government shall elect one of its members as chairperson and one member as vice chairperson for terms of one year and may elect as its secretary one of its own members or may appoint as secretary an employee of the city. Each board, commission, or authority of the city government may establish such bylaws, rules, and regulations not inconsistent with this charter, ordinances of the city, or applicable state law as it deems appropriate and necessary for the conduct of its affairs, copies of which shall be filed with the designated officer of the city.

Section 2.14: Ordinance Form; Procedures.

(a) Every proposed ordinance and resolution shall be introduced in writing and the city council shall have the authority to approve, disapprove, or amend the same. A resolution may be passed at the time it is offered, but an ordinance shall not be adopted until the title of said ordinance shall have been read at two city council meetings, provided that the beginning of said meetings be not less than 24 hours nor more than 60 days apart. This requirement of two readings shall not apply to emergency ordinances or to ordinances adopted at the first business meeting of the city council in a calendar year.

(b) The catchlines of sections of this charter or any ordinance printed in boldface type, italics, or otherwise, are intended as mere catchwords to indicate the contents of the section, and:

(1) Shall not be deemed or taken to be titles of such sections or as any part of the section; and

(2) Shall not be so deemed when any of such sections, including the catchlines, are amended or reenacted unless expressly provided to the contrary. Furthermore, the chapter, article, and section headings contained in this Act shall not be deemed to govern, limit, or modify or in any manner affect the scope, meaning, or intent of the provisions of any chapter, article, or section hereof.

(c) The city council may, by ordinance or resolution, adopt rules and bylaws to govern the conduct of its business, including procedures and penalties for compelling the attendance of absent members. Such rules may include punishment for contemptuous behavior conducted in the presence of the city council.

Section 2.15: Submission of Ordinances to the Mayor.

(a) Every ordinance, resolution, and other action adopted by the council shall be presented promptly to the mayor. Except for council approval of appointments to committees, boards, and commissions, the employment of any appointed officer, internal affairs, or matters which must be approved by the voters, the mayor may veto any action adopted by the city council.

(b) The veto must be exercised no later than the next regular city council meeting following the meeting at which the action was taken. If an action is disapproved, the mayor shall submit to the council a written statement of the reasons for the mayor’s veto.

(c) An action vetoed by the mayor shall automatically be on the agenda at the next regular meeting of the city council for reconsideration. If the minimum number of councilmembers necessary to vote on overriding the veto are not present, the action may be continued until the next meeting at which the minimum number of councilmembers are present. Such action shall not become effective unless it is readopted by the affirmative votes of at least four members of council within 60 days of the veto.

(d) The mayor may disapprove or reduce any item or items of appropriation in any ordinance or resolution. The approved part or parts of any ordinance or resolution making appropriations shall become law, and the part or parts disapproved or reduced shall not become law unless subsequently passed by the city council over the mayor’s veto as provided in this charter.

(e) If an ordinance or resolution has been signed by the mayor, it shall become effective. If an ordinance or resolution is neither approved nor disapproved by the next regular meeting of the city council, it shall become effective.

Article III: Executive Branch

Section 3.01: Powers and Duties of the Mayor.

(a) The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the city government, a member of and the presiding officer of the city council, and responsible for the efficient and orderly administration of the city’s affairs. The mayor shall be responsible for the enforcement of laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, and franchises in the city. The mayor may conduct inquiries and investigations into the conduct of the city’s affairs and shall have such powers and duties as specified in this charter or as may be provided by ordinance consistent with this charter.

(b) The mayor shall:

(1) Preside at all meetings of the city council;

(2) Be the head of the city for the purpose of service of process and for ceremonial purposes and be the official spokesperson for the city and the advocate of policy;

(3) Sign as a matter of course on behalf of the city all written and approved contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and other instruments executed by the city which by law are required to be in writing;

(4) See that all laws and ordinances of the city are faithfully executed;

(5) Vote on any motion, resolution, ordinance, or other question before the council only as provided in Section 2.10 of this charter and vote on any matter before a committee on which he or she serves;

(6) Obtain short term loans in the name of the city when authorized by the city council to do so;

(7) Appoint councilmembers to oversee and report on the functions of the various departments of the city;

(8) Require the city manager to meet with him or her at a time and place designated for consultation and advice upon the affairs of the city;

(9) Name qualified residents of the city to boards and commissions with approval of the city council;

(10) Make recommendations with respect to the employment or termination of city employees;

(11) Prepare or have prepared an agenda for each meeting of the city council which shall include all business submitted by the mayor, any councilmember, the city manager, and the city attorney; and

(12) Fulfill and perform such other duties as are imposed by this charter and duly adopted ordinances.

Section 3.02: City Manager; Appointment, Qualification, and Compensation. The mayor shall appoint, subject to confirmation by the council, for an indefinite term a