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CITY COUNCIL STRUCTURE
AND FUNCTIONS
THE CITY MANAGER’S ROLE IN CITY GOVERNMENT
CITY CHARTER
“There shall be a city manager who shall be the chief administrative officer of the
city and shall be responsible to the Council for the proper administration
of the city government.” Charter Sec. 5.01
“He shall be appointed solely on the basis of his executive and
administrative qualifications, with special reference to his actual experience
in or knowledge of accepted practice in respect to the duties of his office. The City
Manager shall be responsible to the Council for the proper administration of
all affairs of the city placed in his charge…” Charter Sec. 5.01
The City Charter is an enactment of the Virginia General Assembly and is, therefore, state law specifically applicable
to the City of Newport News. The City Charter delegates broad administrative power to the City Manager subject
to Council’s continuing review. Qualifications, powers, and duties of the City Manager are provided for in Chapter
5 of the Charter. Enumerated duties include the ability to:
• Have direction of and control over all departments of the City except as otherwise provided in the Charter
• See to the enforcement of City ordinances and state laws
• Execute, under the direction of Council, all contracts, deeds, and other papers
• Make policy recommendations to Council
• Keep Council advised on financial condition and future needs
• Prepare and submit an annual budget
• Prepare and submit a comprehensive financial report of activities of the City during the fiscal year ending
on the preceding June 30
• Prepare and submit requested reports
THE CITY CLERK’S ROLE IN CITY GOVERNMENT
The governing body of every locality in this Commonwealth shall appoint a qualified person, who shall not be a
member of the governing body, to record the official actions of such governing body. The person so appointed
shall be called clerk for the board of supervisors or council, as the case may be.6
The City Clerk is the clerk of the Council. Duties of the City Clerk are provided for in Chapter 4 of the Charter and
in City Code. Duties include:
• Recording the proceedings of all meetings of the Council
• Acting as the custodian of all official records of the City
6
Va. Code Sec. 15.2-1538
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