SEC. 4.126. DEPARTMENTS - GENERAL PROVISIONS.
§ 4.126
Department heads manage their departments and may appoint exempt staff, adopt rules within their jurisdiction, and reorganize their departments with the City Administrator's approval. A separate restriction prevents people serving on state-law boards from being paid staff to Charter-created boards.
The head of each city department is in charge of running it. They can hire people for jobs that don't require civil service exams, make rules for their department, and reorganize how their department is structured (with the City Administrator's permission). However, if someone serves on a board that was created by state law to handle state business in the city, they cannot be paid as staff for a different board that was created by the City Charter.
- Complex:The section mixes multiple unrelated provisions: general department management authority, the appointment and reorganization powers, and a specific restriction on dual employment—making the overall structure somewhat disjointed and potentially confusing on first read.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
SEC. 4.126. DEPARTMENTS – GENERAL PROVISIONS.
Except as otherwise provided by this Charter, the responsibilities of each department within the executive branch shall be prescribed by ordinance.
The administration and management of each department within the executive branch shall be the responsibility of the department head. Such officials may:
1. Appoint qualified individuals to fill all positions within their departments which are exempt from the Civil Service provisions of this Charter;
2. Adopt rules and regulations governing matters within the jurisdiction of their respective departments, subject, if applicable, to Section 4.102; and
3. With the approval of the City Administrator, reorganize their respective departments.
No person serving on a board or commission created by state law to discharge a state function specifically within the City and County may be employed as a paid staff member to a board or commission created by this Charter.