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1997 SESSION

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HB 1935 Charter; City of Richmond.

Introduced by: Franklin P. Hall | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

Charter; City of Richmond. Makes the first comprehensive revision of the city charter since its enactment in 1948 for the primary purposes of simplifying the charter, deleting archaic provisions, providing greater flexibility to city council to change the structure of departments and eliminating many detailed descriptions and procedures from the charter. Specific amendments in the bill (i) update the city's boundary description; (ii) eliminate the current prohibition on privatization of correctional facilities; (iii) allow the city to call a special election to fill a council vacancy if the vacancy occurs more than one year prior to the expiration of the term; (iv) give city management greater flexibility in determining the number of needed employment positions within the council-approved budget; (v) eliminate the requirement to publish certain notices in a daily newspaper, but instead require publication in a paper of general circulation; (vi) eliminate a hearing requirement for removal of a department head and clarify that department heads that are appointed by the city manager serve at the pleasure of the city manager; (vii) require the city manager to submit financial and activity reports as required by council rather than at each council meeting; (viii) delete the provision which prevents the city manager form attending and participating in personnel board meetings; (ix) eliminate from the charter the listing of administrative departments and their components and grant general authority to establish departments, bureaus, divisions and offices; (x) authorize the city manager to submit recommendations to the council for its adoption of a personnel system and establishes broad parameters for adoption of such a system; (xi) change the narrow phrase "general fund budget" to the broader term "budget" in numerous places; (xii) eliminate the requirement to itemize the appropriation ordinance by units within a department; (xiii) eliminate the procedure for budget transfers between departments; (xiv) broaden the council's ability to amend the capital budget so long as funds are available to finance the cost of the amendment, regardless of the funding source; (xv) broaden the city manager's authority to transfer the balance of any completed capital project to an approved incomplete capital project; (xvi) broaden the council's authority to assign revenue from any source and for any amount to the reserve fund for capital projects; (xvii) update the city's borrowing authority by replacing detailed provisions with reference to the general law; (xviii) conform certain zoning notices to general law; (xix) clarify that the posting of a bond is not necessary for any employee to whom liability coverage has been granted by the city, regardless of whether the employee is sued in his official capacity or in his individual capacity; and (xx) make numerous updating and technical changes.


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