At the first regular meeting in May of each year the mayor, by and with the consent of the council, shall appoint a city clerk and city treasurer, and may appoint a city attorney, municipal judge, chief of police and such other officers as may be deemed necessary for the best interest of the city. Such officers shall hold their respective offices until their successors have been appointed and qualified. All such appointments shall be entered on the journal of proceedings of the governing body. The duties and salaries of all appointed officers shall be fixed by ordinance. Appointed officers need not be residents of the city, but must be residents of the State of Kansas.
(K.S.A. 15-204; Code 1956, 1-301, 309; Code 1997; C.O. No. 7)
The mayor with the consent of the council shall have authority to hire all other employees, or such authority may be delegated to the respective department heads.
(Code 1956, 1-310; Code 1997)
(a) A majority of all members elect of the governing body may remove any appointed officer.
(b) For good cause, the mayor may suspend at any time any appointed officer.
(c) Employees, other than appointed officers, may be removed by the mayor upon recommendation of the respective department heads.
(d) No officer or employee shall be removed for any reason until he or she has been given notice and afforded the opportunity for a hearing.
(K.S.A. 15-204; Code 1997)
Whenever a vacancy occurs in any appointive office for whatever reason, the vacancy shall be filled by the governing body. Any person appointed to fill such vacancy shall serve only until the next regular time for appointment.
(K.S.A. 15-209; Code 1997)
The city clerk shall:
(a) Be custodian of all city records, books, files, papers, documents and other personal effects belonging to the city and not properly pertaining to any other office;
(b) Carry on all official correspondence of the city;
(c) Attend and keep a record of the proceedings of all regular and special meetings of the governing body;
(d) Enter every appointment of office and the date thereof in the journal;
(e) Enter or place each ordinance of the city in the ordinance books after its passage;
(f) Publish all ordinances, except those appropriating money, and such resolutions, notices and proclamations as may be required by law or ordinance.
(Code 1956, 1-302; Code 1997)
The city clerk shall:
(a) Prepare and keep suitable fiscal records according to generally accepted accounting principles;
(b) Assist in preparing the annual budget;
(c) Audit all claims against the city for goods or services rendered for the consideration of the governing body. His or her accounts shall properly show the amounts paid from any fund of the city and the cash balance existing in each fund;
(d) Keep an accurate account of all bonds issued by the city;
(e) Keep a record of all special assessments.
(Code 1956, 1-302; Code 1997)
The city clerk shall:
(a) Have custody of the corporate seal of the city and shall affix the same to the official copy of all ordinances, contracts, and other documents required to be authenticated;
(b) Have power to administer oaths for all purposes pertaining to the business and affairs of the city;
(c) Keep suitable files of all such oaths required to be deposited in his or her office.
(Code 1956, 1-302; Code 1997)
The city clerk is designated as the withholding agent of the city for the purposes of the Federal Revenue (Income) Act, and shall perform the duties required of withholding agents by said act or any other act requiring withholding from the compensation of any city officer or employee. The clerk shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the governing body or the Kansas statutes.
(Code 1956, 1-302; Code 1997)
(a) The office of assistant city clerk is hereby established. The mayor may appoint, by and with the consent of the city council, the assistant city clerk. The person so appointed and confirmed shall hold the office for a term of one year and until a successor is appointed and confirmed.
(b) The assistant city clerk shall perform those duties assigned to that office by the city clerk.
(c) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the position of city clerk and the city is without a person appointed, confirmed or qualified to hold that office, the assistant city clerk shall become the acting city clerk and fulfill the duties of that office.
(d) Compensation of the assistant city clerk shall be set by ordinance passed by the governing body.
(Code 1997; Code 2017)
The city treasurer shall:
(a) Keep a full and accurate record of all money received and paid out in a ledger book provided by the governing body;
(b) Publish a yearly financial statement;
(c) Deposit all public moneys and sign all checks of the city;
(d) Pay out city funds only upon orders or warrants properly signed by the mayor and city clerk;
(e) Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the governing body or the Kansas statutes.
(K.S.A 10-803; K.S.A. 12-1608; Code 1956, 1-303; Code 1997)
There is hereby established the office of city attorney. No person shall be eligible for the office of city attorney who is not an attorney at law admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas. The city attorney shall be charged with the general direction and supervision of the legal affairs of the city. The city attorney shall:
(a) Attend meetings of the city council when so directed to attend by the mayor;
(b) Advise the city governing body and all officers of the city upon such legal questions affecting the city and its offices as may be submitted to him or her;
(c) When requested by the city governing body, give opinions in writing upon (any such questions;
(d) Draft such ordinances, contracts, leases, easements, conveyances and other instruments in writing as may be submitted to him or her in the regular transaction of affairs of the city;
(e) Approve all ordinances of the city as to form and legality;
(f) Attend planning commission and board of zoning appeals meetings when so directed by the boards;
(g) Appear and prosecute all violations of city ordinances in municipal court when his or her services shall be required;
(h) Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the governing body and the Kansas statutes.
(Code 1956, 1-305; Code 1997)
The city engineer shall be a licensed professional engineer in the State of Kansas. He or she shall be responsible for:
(a) The design and specifications for all city streets, sewers, water lines, public buildings and other public facilities;
(b) The inspection of all public works projects including streets, sewers, water lines and other public facilities;
(c) The general supervision of the maintenance and repair of all public facilities.
(Code 1997)
The same person may be appointed to more than one appointive office, or employed in more than one department, except that the same person shall not be appointed to incompatible offices. Salaries or wages of such persons shall be prorated between the proper funds of the several offices or departments.
(Code 1997)
(a) No city officer or employee shall be signatory upon, discuss in an official capacity, vote on any issue concerning or otherwise participate in his or her capacity as a public official or employee in the making of any contract with any person or business:
(1) In which the officer or employee owns a legal or equitable interest exceeding $5,000 or five percent, whichever is less, individually or collectively with his or her spouse; or
(2) From which the officer or employee receives, in the current or immediately preceding or succeeding calendar year, any salary, gratuity, other compensation or a contract for or promise or expectation of any such salary, gratuity or other compensation or remuneration having a dollar value of $1,000 or more; or
(3) In which he or she shall hold the position of officer or director, irrespective of the amount of compensation received from or ownership held in the business.
(b) The prohibitions contained in subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to the following:
(1) Contracts let after competitive bidding has been solicited by published notice; and
(2) Contracts for property or services for which the price or rate is fixed by
(K.S.A. 75-4301; Code 1997)
(a) The office of street commissioner is hereby established. The street commissioner shall be under the supervision and control of the council’s street and alley committee, and he or she shall perform such duties for and on behalf of the city as authorized by the council and directed by the committee.
(b) The street commissioner shall have supervision of the maintenance and repair of all streets, alleys, lanes and other public thoroughfares of the city, in the performance of which, he or she shall see that all dirt streets are maintained as soon as possible after each rain; keep in repair all streets that have been chatted or graveled; see that all cross walks and gutters are properly cleaned; cause to be removed from the streets any obstructions such as fallen trees, stones, dead animals, and other nuisance and dangerous objects; and shall notify the council of all repairs needed on the streets of the city.
(c) The street commissioner shall be responsible for the observation of the condition of sidewalks and other footways of the city respecting their safety and state of repair and shall report to the city clerk all sidewalks believed to be in a dangerous condition or in need of repair.
(d) The street commissioner shall have charge of the trimming of trees standing in the parking of city streets. It shall be the duty of the street commissioner to report to the city clerk all property upon which weeds are growing in violation of the ordinances of the city.
(Code 1956, 1-306)
The office of park superintendent is hereby established. The park superintendent shall have charge of the operation and maintenance of the city park, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her by the governing body.
(Code 1956, 1-307)
The office of superintendent of sewers is hereby provided and established. The superintendent of sewers shall inspect the laying of all sewer plumbing and connections to the sewer system of this city and shall require compliance with ordinances governing the same. The sewer superintendent shall perform such other duties as the governing body may provide.
(Code 1956, 1-308)
The foregoing provisions of this article shall not be construed to limit the duties of the city officers therein named, but shall in every case create and establish a city office to be held and discharged by the officers whose appointment is provided. The governing body may create other city offices as the city may require and may abolish any office herein established which shall not have been created by the laws of Kansas for cities of the third class.
(Code 1956, 1-309)