CHAPTER 1. ADMINISTRATIONCHAPTER 1. ADMINISTRATION\Article 3. Administrative Officers

The mayor shall appoint, by and with the consent of the council, a municipal judge of the municipal court, city attorney, city treasurer, public hearings officer, and any other officers deemed necessary. The council shall by ordinance specify the duties and compensation of the office holders, and by ordinance may abolish any office created by the council whenever deemed expedient. City residency shall be within the discretion of the city council.

(K.S.A. 14-201; C.O. No. 1; C.O. No. 6; C.O. No. 13; C.O. No. 21; Code 2022)

Any officers appointed and confirmed shall hold an initial term of office of not to exceed one year and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Any officers who are reappointed shall hold their offices for a term of one year and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Vacancies shall be filled as provided by law.

(K.S.A. 14-201, 14-205; C.O. No. 1; C.O. No. 21; Code 2022)

No person shall be eligible to any appointive office unless he or she shall be a bona fide resident of the city, and a qualified elector of the city, except as otherwise provided by law.

If the council fails to act within 30 days of an appointment, this shall be considered approval of the appointee. If the council disapproves the appointment, the mayor shall appoint another to the position.

Officers appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council may be removed from office for good cause, and after a hearing, by a majority of the members of the council voting in favor thereof.

The budget of the city as adopted for each fiscal year shall constitute an appropriation of the money so budgeted, and the city clerk shall be authorized and directed to pay payrolls provided, that all such payments made shall be deducted from the amounts so appropriated and that the total of the payments made shall not exceed the amounts appropriated. The governing body of the city shall establish regulations as the manner of payment and the periodic dates on which payrolls shall be paid.

(Ord. 742; Code 2022)

The city may retain a licensed professional engineer to act in the capacity of city engineer for specifically defined duties, and provide for reasonable compensation for the services rendered. The city engineer need not be a resident and qualified elector of the city.

It shall be the general practice of the governing body to issue all orders and directives to all city officers and departments and receive reports and communications therefrom through the office of city clerk.

The duties of the city clerk of the city shall be as follows:

(a)   Attend the regular and special meetings of the council and keep a true record of its proceedings in the minute book, and also keep a record of all its official acts;

(b)   Have custody of the city seal and shall keep all papers which are required to be filed in his office or kept by him;

(c)   Cause all ordinances, except appropriation ordinances, to be published;

(d)   Keep an ordinance book as provided by law (K.S.A. 12-3008) and see that all ordinances, regulations, notices, orders and other matters requiring publication are promptly and correctly published and he shall preserve and have bound from time to time regular files of the newspapers containing the advertisements of the city;

(e)   Collect all money due the city as directed by the mayor or the governing body and the laws of the State of Kansas, including electric, water, refuse and sewer bills; keep a record of the various funds; and a record of all indebtedness created by the governing body;

(f)   Keep a full and accurate record of the bonds issued by the city, as required by law;

(g)   Carry on all official correspondence of the city;

(h)   Issue all licenses authorized by the ordinances of the city, by this code or directed by the city council, and enter in an appropriate book the name of every person to whom a license shall be granted, the date thereof, the term during which it is to continue in force and the sum paid for such license;

(I)    Issue notices as may be required by the mayor and council and the state of laws;

(j)    Carefully index, file and arrange all books and papers in his office for convenient use.

(k)   Be the general accountant of the city and keep in books regular accounts of all real, personal and mixed property of the city; keep all receipts and disbursements of money and under proper heads each source of receipt and the cause of its disbursement;

(l)    Keep such accounts as may be necessary to show a complete financial statement of the city and at the end of each month, strike a trail balance of all books, showing a complete and accurate statement of the financial affairs of the city;

(m)  All records and papers on file in the office of the city clerk shall at all times be open to public inspection;

(n)   On the 15th day of April, July, October and January in each year he shall make a quarterly statement or report to the city council, setting forth in detail the amount of money paid to the city treasurer by him and the amount received by such treasurer from other sources; the warrants drawn on the treasurer by order of the council, a copy of which report shall be filed with the city treasurer on the 15th day of the months above specified;

(o)   Perform duties as may be incumbent upon the office, or as required by law, or the governing body.

(Ord. 190, Sec. 8; Code 1984)

The duties of the city treasurer of the city shall be as follows:

(a)   Keep his books and accounts as required by the governing body and the laws of the State of Kansas;

(b)   Receive from the county treasurer all moneys and evidences of indebtedness collected for and payable to the city, and shall give to the county treasurer duplicate receipts, one of which the county treasurer shall file with the city clerk;

(c)   Receive and safely keep all money of the city which may come into his hands, and disburse the same only in the manner prescribed by law;

(d)   After the governing body has properly designated a depository or depositories, and such depositories have qualified, he or she shall deposit daily all money coming into his hands as treasurer in such depositories so long as such depositories are qualified;

(e)   He or she shall not knowingly pay any order, warrant, warrant check or other evidence of indebtedness out of the treasury of the city in excess of the amount of funds actually on hand in the treasury at the time for such purpose, unless otherwise provided in the “Cash Basis” law.

(K.S.A. 10-801)

The general duties of the city attorney for the city shall be as follows:

(a)   He or she shall be charged with the general direction and supervision of the legal affairs of the city;

(b)   Prosecute all violations of city ordinances in the municipal court of the city when his services shall be required, and represent the city before all other courts and commissions in all cases to which the city is a part;

(c)   Draft all ordinances, resolutions, contracts, agreements and other instruments relating to the affairs of the city;

(d)   Attend the meetings of the city council and shall advise the governing body, and officers of the city upon legal questions submitted to him affecting the duties of their offices and the interest of the city. No person shall be eligible for the office of city attorney who is not by profession an attorney-at-law admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas.

The municipal judge shall be a conservator of the peace, and shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all offenses against the ordinances of the city, he or she shall keep a docket as provided by law, and pay all fines collected by him or her to the city treasurer, taking a receipt therefor. He or she shall possess and exercise all the powers as conferred and defined by law.

The police chief shall be the head of the police department and shall have general supervision and take direct charge of the department at all times, and shall do and perform all other things required by law and ordinances of this city.

(Code 2022)

The fire chief shall be the head of the fire department and shall have general supervision and take direct charge of the department at all fires, and shall do and perform all other things required by law or the ordinances of this city.

The office of city administrator was created October 3, 2000. Such administrator shall be appointed by the mayor with the consent of the City Council, and he or she shall serve at the pleasure of the Council. The city administrator shall be appointed on the basis of his or her qualifications and ability and must be a resident of the city.

(Ord. 1139, Sec. 1; Code 2022)

Except as otherwise provided by law, the city administrator shall have the following powers and duties:

(a)   To manage and supervise all of the administrative departments and services of the city;

(b)   To manage and supervise the duties of all appointive officers and employees;

(c)   To make recommendations to the mayor, governing body, and all other boards for hiring and discharging appointive officers and employees;

(d)   To recommend to the governing body a schedule of salaries for all officers and employees;

(e)   To prepare and submit the annual budget of the governing body and keep such body fully, completely and timely advised as to the financial condition of the city;

(f)   To exercise general supervision and control over all city purchases and expenditures in accordance with the budget and such policies as may be established by the governing body;

(g)   To care for and manage all city-owned land, property, buildings and equipment;

(h)   To develop and prepare such planning, short-range as well as long-range, as the governing body shall request and shall submit such planning to the governing body for action;

(i)    To attend all meetings of the governing body and such other meetings of commissions and other organizations as the governing body shall designate and shall regularly report on the status of the city and its services to the governing body;

(j)    To make such recommendations to the governing body as are deemed necessary for effective administration of all city services;

(k)   To be responsible for the proper and efficient discharge of the duties of all city administrative officers and employees;

(l)    To perform such other duties as the governing body may direct.

(Ord. 1139, Sec. 2; Code 2022)

It shall be the general practice of the governing body to issue all orders and directives to all city officers and departments, and receive reports and communications therefrom through the office of city administrator.

(Ord. 1139, Sec. 3; Code 2022)