Title 6, Cities And Towns

(1) The powers and duties of the city manager are to:(1) See that the laws and ordinances are enforced, and upon knowledge or information of any violation thereof, see that prosecutions are instituted in the city court;(2) Except as otherwise provided in this charter, appoint, pr…

The city attorney shall be an attorney at law entitled to practice in the courts of the state.

(a) The city attorney shall:(1) Direct the management of all litigation in which the city is a party, including the functions of prosecuting attorney in the city courts;(2) Represent the city in all legal matters and proceedings in which the city is a party or interested, or in w…

(1) That the work and affairs of the city may be classified and arranged conveniently and conducted efficiently, there are hereby established the following departments:(1) Department of education;(2) Department of finance;(3) Department of public safety; and(4) Department of publ…

The board of commissioners may by ordinance create new departments or combine or abolish existing departments and prescribe their duties and functions, but before doing so must receive the written recommendations of the city manager.

The city manager shall supervise and control all departments now or hereafter created, except as otherwise provided by this charter.

The city manager shall appoint a city recorder, who also may be appointed to the positions of finance director or treasurer or both.

In the event of the temporary absence or disability of the recorder, the city manager may appoint a recorder pro tempore.

It is the duty of the recorder to be present at all meetings of the board of commissioners, and to keep a full and accurate record of all business transacted by the same, to be preserved in permanent book form.

The recorder shall have custody of, and preserve in the recorder's office, the city seal, the public records, original rolls of ordinance, ordinance books, minutes of the board of commissioners, contracts, bonds, title deeds, certificates, and papers, all official indemnity or se…

The recorder shall provide, and when required by any officer or person certify, copies of records, papers, and documents in the recorder's office, and charge therefor, for the use of the city, such fees as may be provided by ordinance, cause copies of ordinances to be printed, as…

(a) There shall be a city court presided over by a city judge. The board of commissioners may appoint a city judge who shall serve at the will of the board. The city judge shall have such qualifications and receive such compensation as the board may provide by ordinance. (b) (1) …

(a) The city judge has the power and authority to:(1) Impose fines, costs, and forfeitures, and punish by fine for violations of city ordinances;(2) Preserve and enforce order in such city judge's court;(3) Enforce the collection of all such fines, costs, and forfeitures imposed …

The city judge shall keep, or cause to be kept, a court docket or dockets embodying complete detailed records of all cases handled by the city judge.

(a) Only one (1) warrant shall be issued for the same offense, the warrant to embrace all of the parties charged with the same offense. (b) No arrest shall be made, except upon a warrant duly issued, unless the offense is committed in the presence of the officer making the arrest…

Whenever any person is arrested for the violation of any city ordinance in the presence of a police officer, and no warrant has been issued or served, such person may execute an appearance bond in an amount not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00), and file same with a police desk se…

(a) All fines imposed by the city judge for violations of city ordinances shall belong to and be paid into the treasury of the city. (b) Any labor performed in the execution of a workhouse or prison sentence for such violation or violations shall be performed for the city under t…

(a) The city judge, in all cases heard or determined by such city judge for offenses against the corporate laws and ordinances, shall set and collect municipal court costs in accordance with § 16-18-304, shall levy and collect the litigation tax in accordance with § 16-18-305 and…

Any person dissatisfied with the judgment of the city judge in any case or cases heard and determined by the city judge, may, within ten (10) entire days thereafter, Sundays exclusive, appeal to the next circuit court of the county, upon giving bond with good and sufficient secur…

The city manager shall appoint a chief of police and such patrol officers and other members of the police force as may be provided by ordinance.

(1) It is the duty of the chief of police and the members of the police force to:(1) Preserve order in the city;(2) Protect the inhabitants and property owners therein from violence, crime, and all criminal acts;(3) Prevent the commission of crime, violations of law and of the ci…

In time of riot or other emergency, the mayor or city manager shall have power to summon any number of inhabitants to assist the police force.

Members of the police force, whenever necessary for the purpose of enforcing the ordinances of the city, shall procure the issuance of warrants, serve the same, and appear in the city courts as prosecutors, relieving complaining citizens insofar as practical of the burden of inst…

The city manager shall appoint a chief of the fire department and such other members of the department as may be provided by ordinance.

It is the duty of the chief of the fire department and the members thereof to take all proper steps for fire prevention and suppression.

(a) When any fire department or company recognized as duly constituted by the commissioner of commerce and insurance pursuant to § 68-102-108 is requested to respond to a fire, hazardous materials incident, natural disaster, service call, or other emergency, it may, regardless of…

The city manager may appoint a fire marshal whose duty shall be, subject to the chief of the fire department, to investigate the cause, origin, and circumstances of fires and the loss occasioned thereby, and assist in the prevention of arson.

The city manager of any municipality incorporated under chapters 18-22 of this title has full power to manage and control the public or city schools.

The city manager shall appoint, prescribe the duties and powers of, and fix the salary of the director of schools of the city and appoint, fix the salaries of, and have power to remove, all other officers and all teachers, agents, and employees of the department of education.

All plans for the erection or improvement of school buildings or other buildings used for educational purposes shall be subject to the approval of the city manager.

All materials, supplies, and equipment for educational purposes shall be purchased by the city manager.

In apportioning the state and county school funds of the county, the county board of education, or other apportioning and disbursing body, shall apportion and pay over to the treasurer of the city such portion of the state and county school funds as by law is applicable to the sc…

The board of commissioners shall provide by ordinance for the manner in which the state, county, and city taxes apportioned to the school fund shall be paid over by the city treasurer.

(a) Sections 6-21-801 and 6-21-802 notwithstanding, the board of commissioners, by ordinance, may delegate the power to manage and control the city public schools to an elected board of education. (b) The board of education shall have the same number of members as the board of co…

(1) The city manager or an officer appointed by the city manager shall serve as finance director and shall:(1) Exercise a general supervision over the fiscal affairs of the city, and general accounting supervision over all the city's property, assets and claims, and the dispositi…

The assessment, levy, and collection of taxes and special assessments shall be in the charge of the department of finance, subject to the limitations elsewhere found in this charter.

All property, real, personal and mixed subject to state, county, and city taxes, and all privileges taxable by law, shall be taxed, and taxes thereon collected by the city for municipal purposes as provided in this chapter.

The ad valorem tax upon the stocks, accounts, and equipment may be assessed and collected in like manner as state and county merchant's ad valorem tax is assessed upon the same property. It is the duty of the county assessor of property and the comptroller of the treasury to prep…

The records referenced in § 6-22-104 shall be certified to the finance director of the city upon the completion of the work of the boards of equalization, after they have been copied by the county clerk or the department of revenue.

(a) As soon as practicable in each year after the assessment books for the state and county are complete, which shall be after boards of equalization provided for by general laws shall have finished their work, it is the duty of the finance director to prepare or cause to be prep…

(a) It is the duty of the finance director, in each year, as soon as the assessment roll for the city is complete, to submit to the board of commissioners a certified statement of the total amount of the valuation or assessment of the taxable property for the year within the city…

The board of commissioners of the city shall have full power to levy and collect taxes as of January 10 of each and every year.

It is the duty of the finance director, immediately after the levy of taxes by the board of commissioners, to cause the levy to be extended upon the tax book prepared by the finance director in the same manner that extensions are made upon the tax books in the hands of the county…

(a) All taxes due the city, except privilege and merchant's ad valorem taxes and street labor taxes, shall, until otherwise provided by ordinance, be due and payable on November 1 of the year for which the taxes are assessed. (b) The treasurer shall be custodian of the tax books …

(a) All municipal taxes on real estate in the city, and all penalties and costs accruing thereon, are hereby declared to be a lien on such realty from and after January 1 of the year for which same are assessed, superior to all other liens, except the liens of the United States, …

(a) On December 1 of the year for which the taxes are assessed, or other date provided by ordinance, a penalty of two percent (2%) upon all taxes remaining unpaid shall be imposed and collected by the city and paid into the city treasury. An additional penalty of two percent (2%)…