Sec. 2. Boundaries. The boundaries of the City of Santa Rosa are those established on the effective date of this section and as the same may thereafter be altered from time to time in accordance with the provisions of state law.

Sec. 3. Powers of the City. The City, by and through its Council and other officials, shall have and may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to a municipal corporation and the general welfare of its inhabitants which are not prohibited by the Constitution and which it would be competent for this charter to set forth particularly or specifically, and the specifications herein of any particular powers shall not be held to be exclusive or any limitation of this general grant of powers.

Sec. 4. The Council. The legislative body of the City shall consist of seven persons elected at large to be known as the Council. The Council may act, by ordinance, to provide compensation to each of its members in an amount authorized by state law for the compensation of council members in general law cities of comparable size; provided, however, that the Mayor, while holding that office, shall receive compensation in an amount equal to one hundred and fifty percent of the compensation received by another council member. The members of the Council shall hold office for four years and until their successors are elected and qualified; provided, however, the addition of two members to the Council, to bring its membership to seven, shall be accomplished in accordance with section 57 of this charter. From and after the election to be held in November 1996, the terms of the Council members shall alternate so that three members or four members, as the case may be, shall be elected every two years. In case of a tie vote, the person elected shall be decided by lot. There should be no limitation on the number of consecutive terms a Council member, a Mayor, or a Vice-Mayor may serve.

No person shall be eligible to hold office as a member of the Council, unless he or she is a registered voter of the City at the time the person's nomination papers are issued and is, at the time of assuming office, an elector of the City.

Sec. 5. Council Members Ineligible For Other City Positions During Term of Office and for One Year Thereafter. No member of the Council shall be eligible for any office in, or employment by the City, for compensation, other than the elective office of Council member, during his or her term of office and for one year after the termination of his or her office.

Sec. 6. Meetings of the Council. The Council shall meet on the Tuesday next succeeding each general municipal election and the day the returns thereof are certified to the City by the Registrar of Voters, or other authorized election official, and shall approve and certify the results of the election and declare elected those Council candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the available offices. The new Council members shall then be inducted into office, whereupon the Council as thus newly constituted shall choose one of their number Mayor who shall be the executive head of the City. The Mayor shall serve for a term of two years or until a successor is chosen, unless earlier removed by the Council. The Council, at the time they select a Mayor and during each November in odd numbered years, shall choose one of their number Vice-Mayor, who shall serve as Mayor in the absence, sickness or other disability of the Mayor. The Vice-Mayor shall serve for a term of one year or until a successor is chosen, unless earlier removed by the Council. The Mayor and Vice-Mayor shall hold their respective offices subject to the pleasure of the Council. The regular meetings of the Council shall be held on Tuesdays and shall be held not less than twice each month. The Council shall adopt rules for conducting its meetings.

Sec. 7. Quorum. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, but a less number may adjourn from time to time and compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance.

The affirmative vote of a majority of the total membership of the Council shall be necessary to adopt any ordinance or resolution and for the Council to approve or settle a claim against the City, which vote shall be taken by ayes and nays and entered upon the record.

Sec. 8. Ordinances. All proposed ordinances introduced in the Council shall be in printed or typewritten form. The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be as follows: "The people of the City of Santa Rosa do enact as follows." No ordinance shall be passed by the Council on the day of its introduction, nor within five days thereafter, nor at any time other than a regular meeting. A proposed ordinance may be amended or modified between the time of its introduction and the time of its final passage, providing its general scope and original purpose are retained. All ordinances shall be signed by the Mayor, attested by the City Clerk, and be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation before becoming effective. The publication requirement of this section may be satisfied by either the publication of a summary of the ordinance and a posting of the ordinance or the publication of display advertisements and posting of the ordinance as provided in the provisions of the Government Code relating to the satisfaction of ordinance publication requirements for general law cities. Any ordinance declared by the Council to be necessary as an urgency measure for preserving the public peace, health, or safety and containing the reasons for its urgency, may be introduced and passed at one and the same meeting and, if passed by a four-fifths vote, shall become effective immediately.

Sec. 9. Staff for City Council. The Council may authorize the retention of independent staff to assist the Council and to serve at the will of the Council.

Sec. 10. Task Force: Citizen and Neighborhood Participation. The Council shall appoint a task force to recommend to the Council approaches to greatly increase citizen and neighborhood participation and responsibility.

Sec. 11. Participation and Diversity in Boards and Commissions. The City will encourage participation and diversity in boards and commissions.

Sec. 12. Charter Review. This charter shall be reviewed in the year 2002 and not less than every ten years thereafter by a committee to be appointed by Council.

Sec. 13. Independent Auditor. The Council shall provide for an independent annual audit of all City accounts and may provide for more frequent audits as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be made by a certified accounting firm selected by the Council which has no financial interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal matters of the City's government or any of its officers. The audit shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.

Sec. 14. Official Bonds. The Council shall determine which officers and employees shall be bonded for the faithful performance of their official duties and fix the amounts of such bonds.

Sec. 15. Mayor. The Mayor shall be the executive head of the City. In case of riot, insurrection or extraordinary emergencies the Mayor shall assume general control of the City's government and all of its branches, and shall be responsible for the suppression of disorders and the restoration of normal conditions. The Mayor shall sign all ordinances and resolutions and, as authorized and directed by the Council, other legal instruments on behalf of the City.

The Mayor shall have the power and authority:

(a) To preside over meetings of the Council and to vote as a member of the Council.

(b) To establish the agendas for Council meetings with the assistance of the City Manager.

(c) To appoint committees of the Council and Council committee chairpersons.

(d) To appoint chairpersons of the City's boards and commissions with the approval of the majority of the Council.

(e) To deliver annually a state of the City address in which he or she articulates policy and vision for the City.

(f) To act as the ceremonial representative of the City and spokesperson of the City.

(g) To make appointments to all county, regional and state bodies on which the City is represented with the approval of the majority of the Council.

(h) To act as chief negotiator on behalf of the City with county, regional, state and federal bodies and agencies.

Sec. 16. Officers. The elective officers of the City shall be the members of the Council. The appointive officers shall be a Mayor and Vice-Mayor, a City Manager, a City Clerk, City Engineers, a chief financial officer, a City Attorney, a Health Officer, a Chief of Police, a Chief of the Fire Department, and such others as the Council may designate.

All appointees shall hold their respective offices or employment subject to the pleasure of the appointing power.

Sec. 17. Oath of Office. Every officer shall take and subscribe to the Constitutional oath of office before entering upon the performance of his or her official duties.

Sec. 18. City Manager. There shall be a City Manager appointed by the Council who shall be the administrative head of the City government. It shall not be necessary that the City Manager be a resident of the City at the time of his or her appointment. The powers and duties of the City Manager shall be as follows: