§ 14-1307 — Departments; commissioners; powers and duties

The mayor shall be, ex officio, the commissioner of the police, fire and health departments, and shall have under his or her special charge and be responsible for the enforcement of all city ordinances and police regulations of said city, and have general supervision over the fire department, and shall have charge of public parks and all property of such city, and the mayor shall also have supervision over the health department of any such city and shall enforce all orders, rules and regulations necessary to the end that the streets, alleys and public grounds shall be kept in a sanitary condition and the health and safety of the inhabitants of the city protected.
The board of commissioners shall, by a majority vote, designate one commissioner who shall be known as "commissioner of finance and revenue." The commissioner of finance and revenue shall have under his or her special charge the preparation of an annual budget, and the collection of all revenues belonging to such city, from whatever source the same may be derived, and the management of the finances of such city; and in the same manner one commissioner shall be designated as the "commissioner of streets and public utilities," who shall have special charge over any waterworks, light plant, power, heating or gas plants, street railway, telephone or telegraph lines, or other public utility owned by such city, and shall have supervision of the streets and alleys and public highways of the city, and the construction of and maintenance of boulevards, public parks or driveways and the construction of and maintenance of all public improvements whatsoever undertaken by such city, such as sidewalks, bridges and sewers, and shall have charge of the engineering department of said city, and to supervise all public works, and it shall be the duty of the commissioner of streets and public utilities also to demand faithful compliance from all persons, corporations or companies with any grant, franchise or privilege voted to such person, corporation or company by the board of commissioners.
Said board of commissioners so constituted shall have control and supervision over all the departments of such city, and to that end shall have power to make and enforce such rules and regulations as they may deem fit and proper for and concerning the organization, management and operation of all the departments of such city and whatever agencies may be created for the administration of its affairs. In case at any time the duties of any of said commissioners shall be found to be excessive, said board of commissioners, by a majority vote of all the members thereof, may relieve said commissioner by assigning to some other member of said board, for a time to be by them determined, a portion of the work assigned by this act to said commissioner; and said board may from time to time assign such further duties to each of said commissioners as shall be for the best interests of such city.

Legislative History

L. 1909, ch. 82, § 16; March 1; R.S. 1923, § 14-1307.