ARTICLE V
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS AND DEPARTMENTS
SECTION 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
A Department of Law, a Department of Finance, a Department of Public Safety, a Department of Public Service and a Department of Taxation are hereby established, and Council shall provide by ordinance for their organization. Council may establish by ordinance new departments or divisions thereof. With the exception of those departments set forth herein, the Council may combine or abolish existing departments or divisions and may authorize one person to be the head of two or more departments or divisions.
SECTION 2. DEPARTMENT OF LAW.
The Director of Law shall be the head of the Department of Law, and shall be appointed by the Mayor, with approval of a majority of voting members of Council for a term not to exceed that for which the Mayor is elected. The Director of Law shall serve the Mayor, the Council, the administrative officers and departments, and the commissions and boards of the Municipality as legal counsel and shall represent the Municipality in all court proceedings or before administrative boards or commissions. He shall perform all duties now and hereafter imposed upon city solicitors by the laws of the State of Ohio, unless otherwise provided by ordinance of Council, and he shall perform such other duties as the Council or Mayor may impose upon him consistent with his office. The Director of Law and the City of Sheffield Lake, Ohio's, Department of Law shall not provide any legal services for or legal representation for the Sheffield/Sheffield Lake Board of Education. No person shall act as Director of Law unless duly admitted to practice of Law in the State of Ohio.
SECTION 3. DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.
The Director of Finance shall be the head of the Department of Finance and the fiscal officer of the Municipality. He shall be appointed by the Mayor with the concurrence of the majority of the membership of the Council for a term not to exceed that for which the Mayor is elected. In the event the Mayor desires to remove the Finance Director, it shall be necessary to have a two-thirds (2/3) concurrence of Council. He shall be custodian of all monies and evidences of investment of the Municipality and shall keep a detailed record of all receipts and disbursements of Municipal monies, and a record of all expenditures from various appropriated funds. He shall supervise and keep all financial accounts of the Municipality and the several departments and officers thereof. He shall keep an accurate account of all taxes and assessments, and of all moneys due to and all receipts and disbursements by the Municipality, of all assets and liabilities of the Municipality, and of all appropriations made by Council. He shall examine and approve, if in proper form and an appropriation has been duly made, payrolls, bills and other claims; and prepare and sign all warrants and make payment thereon. He shall assist the Mayor and Council in the preparation of estimates, budgets and appropriations, and shall perform such other duties as this Charter or ordinance may direct and generally perform the fiscal duties and functions discharged by the Auditor and Treasurer of a City. He shall be bonded in an amount to be determined by Council.
(Amended 11-3-15.)
SECTION 4. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
The Mayor shall also serve as the Director of Public Safety and shall be the head of the Department of Public Safety, which shall consist of the Division of Police, Division of Fire, and the Division of Health. He shall make all necessary rules and regulations for the administration of the Department of Public Safety, and the several divisions thereof, and shall be charged with the duty of enforcing all police, health, safety and sanitary regulations which may be prescribed by the ordinances, resolutions or rules of the Municipality, or the general laws of the State of Ohio. The Director of Public Safety shall perform such other duties, consistent with his office as may be required by this Charter, by ordinances or resolutions of Council.
SECTION 5. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE.
The Director of Public Service shall be the head of the Department of Public Service, which may consist of the Division of Water, Division of Sewers and Division of Streets and Roads, and Division of Building Inspection. He shall be appointed by the Mayor with the concurrence of a majority of the membership of Council, for a term not to exceed that for which the Mayor is elected, and shall be removed by the Mayor with the concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership of Council. Should for any reason, there be no Director of Public Service, the Department of Public Service shall be the responsibility of and be directed by the Mayor.
The Director of Public Service shall have charge of all public works and improvements and the construction thereof, and of all engineering and inspection in connection therewith. He shall be charged with the construction, improvement, repair and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, alleys, lanes, bridges, wharves, docks, and breakwalls; of water mains, pumps, systems, pipes, purification and filtration plants, and the water distribution systems, of sewers, sewage system, drains, ditches, culverts streams, water courses and harbors, and of all public buildings, parks, playgrounds, cemeteries, and other public places belonging to the Municipality dedicated to public use. He shall manage and control cemeteries, market houses, sewage treatment plants, water works, and all public utilities of the Municipality, owned or operated in whole or in part by the Municipality, and shall enforce all the obligations of privately owned or operated public utilities enforceable by the Municipality.
He shall have charge of the making and preservation of all records of surveys, maps, plans, drawings and cost estimates for public work; the cleaning, resurfacing, repairing, sprinkling and lighting of streets and public places; the collection of rubbish and disposal of wastes; and the preservation of all property belonging to the Municipality and pertaining to the functions thereof. He shall perform such other duties, consistent with his office, as may be required by this Charter, ordinance of Council, or as directed by the Mayor.
He shall be required by Council to purchase, at his own expense, professional liability insurance for an error or omission for rendering or failure to render a professional service commonly referred to as Architects and Engineers Errors and Omissions Insurance, and shall provide the Council with written evidence to the effect that such insurance is in full force and effect and may not be cancelled without at least ten (10) days written notice to the Mayor and Council.
(Amended 11-3-92.)
SECTION 6. DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION.
The Department of Taxation is hereby established and Council shall provide by ordinance for its organization. The Director of Finance shall be the head of the Department of Taxation. As the head of the Department of Taxation, the Director of Finance shall keep an accurate account of all taxes collection and monies disbursed therefrom; the Director of Finance shall do all things as provided by ordinance or resolution involving the collection, assessment and disbursement of tax monies. As the head of the Department of Taxation, the Director of Finance shall assist the Mayor and Council in the preparation of estimates as to amounts of taxes to be collected in preparation of budgets and appropriations and shall perform such other duties as this Charter or ordinance may direct.
(Amended 11-8-94; 11-3-15)