§ 3-138. Duties of Chief Administrative Officer generally

(a) The Chief Administrative Officer shall, subject to the authority of the Mayor as Chief Executive Officer, have direct responsibility for those administrative, financial, and record keeping responsibilities which are not assigned by this charter to another City entity. The Chief Administrative Officer shall have supervisory responsibility for those functions, herein outlined, which were formerly the responsibility of the City Clerk and City Treasurer.

(b)(1)(A) The Chief Administrative Officer shall perform for said City the same duties devolving by the law of the State upon town clerks, except insofar as the same are changed or modified by the provisions of this charter and shall receive and collect for and on behalf of the City to be used for City purposes all and the same fees to be paid to town clerks for the performance of those duties under the general laws of the State.

(B) The Chief Administrative Officer shall keep a full and complete record and account of all fees as received and as paid to the Chief Administrative Officer in a form and manner as the Board of Finance and the City Auditor may prescribe, and shall give a proper receipt for every fee collected.

(2) The Chief Administrative Officer shall receive only an annual salary or other compensation as shall be determined by the City Council.

(3) The Chief Administrative Officer shall be ex officio Clerk of the City Council with Mayor presiding, City Council, Board of Civil Authority, Board for the Abatement of Taxes, and Liquor Control Commissioners.

(4) The Chief Administrative Officer shall have exclusive charge and custody of the public records of the City and of all records, papers, and documents belonging to the Town of Burlington at the time the City of Burlington was organized.

(5)(A) The Chief Administrative Officer shall be the presiding officer for ward, City district, City, and legislative district elections.

(B) An assistant within the Chief Administrator's office may be designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to be the presiding officer for ward, City district, City, and legislative district elections.

(c) The Chief Administrative Officer shall have the same powers and be subject to the same liabilities as are prescribed by the laws of this State for town treasurers, shall perform all of the duties relating to the issuing and paying of school bonds, and bonds to retire outstanding indebtedness and such other duties as are herein specified. In the absence or inability of the Chief Administrative Officer to perform his or her duties, the next ranking employee within the Chief Administrative Officer's office (First Assistant City Treasurer) shall have the same powers, be subject to the same liabilities, and perform the same duties as devolve upon the Chief Administrative Officer.

(d) The Chief Administrative Officer shall be responsible to employ such other employees as may be approved by the City Council.

(e) The Chief Administrative Officer shall be authorized to perform other administrative and executive functions and responsibilities as assigned by the Mayor. It shall also be the responsibility of the Chief Administrative Officer to provide adequate staff resources for the City Council, provided such resources are approved as a portion of the annual City budget. (Amended 1997, No. M-18 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. April 23, 1998; 2001, No. M-6, § 2; 2013, No. M-15 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 3, 2015.)