The Council shall appoint an officer whose title shall be "Town Manager" and who shall be the chief executive officer and the head of the administrative branch of the Town government. The Town Manager shall be chosen by the Council solely on the basis of his actual experience in or his knowledge of accepted practice in respect to the duties of his office, as hereinafter outlined. At the time of his appointment, he need not be a resident of the Town or state, but during his tenure of office he shall reside within the Town. No person elected to membership on the Council shall, subsequent to such election, be eligible for appointment as Town Manager until one year has elapsed following the expiration of the term for which he was elected.
The Town Manager shall have the following powers and duties:
A. 
He shall appoint and, when he deems it necessary for the good of the service, suspend or remove all Town employees and appointive administrative officers provided for by or under this Charter, except as otherwise provided by law, this Charter or personnel rules adopted pursuant to this Charter. He may authorize any administrative officer who is subject to his direction and supervision to exercise these powers with respect to subordinates in that officer's department, office or agency.
B. 
He shall direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the Town, except as otherwise provided by this Charter or by law.
C. 
He shall attend all Council meetings and shall have the right to take part in discussion but may not vote.
D. 
He shall see that all laws, provisions of this Charter and acts of the Council subject to enforcement by him or by officers subject to his direction and supervision are faithfully executed.
E. 
He shall prepare and submit the annual budget and capital program to the Council.
F. 
He shall make such reports as the Council may require concerning the operations of Town departments, offices and agencies subject to his direction and supervision.
G. 
He shall keep the Council fully advised as to the financial condition and future needs of the Town and make such recommendations to the Council concerning the affairs of the Town as he deems desirable.
H. 
He shall perform such other duties as are specified in this Charter or as may be required by the Council.
The Town Manager shall receive such compensation as determined by the Council.
The Town Manager serves at the pleasure of the Council and may be removed from office by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Council.
The Council may designate a qualified person as Acting Town Manager to exercise the power and perform the duties of the Manager during any temporary absence or disability of the Manager. The Council may revoke such designation at any time and appoint another qualified person as Acting Town Manager.
A. 
Council's powers. Except as provided in this Charter, neither the Council nor any of its members shall in any manner dictate the appointment or removal of any Town administrative officers or employees whom the Manager or any of his subordinates are empowered to appoint, but the Council may express its views and fully and freely discuss with the Manager anything pertaining to the appointment and removal of such officers and employees.
B. 
Council's procedures. Except for the purpose of inquiries and investigations as provided in this Charter, the Council or its members shall deal with Town officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the Manager solely through the Manager, and neither the Council nor its members shall give orders to any such officer or employee either publicly or privately.
A. 
Policy. It shall be the policy of the Council to assure that purchases are made at the best value consistent with the requirements of the Town.
B. 
Purchases. It shall be the duty of the Town Manager to control the purchase, storage and distribution of all supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services required by the Town government or any officer thereof; to establish and enforce standard specifications with respect to such supplies, materials and equipment and to determine their quality, quantity and conformance with specifications; and to transfer to or between Town officers or departments or to sell surplus, obsolete or unused supplies, materials and equipment in such a manner as the Council may establish by ordinance. The Town Manager shall provide an opportunity for competition under such rules and regulations and with such exceptions as the Council may prescribe by ordinance before making any purchase or contract for supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services.
C. 
Competitive bids. All expenditures for supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services, except professional and legal services, involving more than $15,000 shall be awarded by the Council on the basis of competitive bids. The Council may prescribe competitive bid procedures by ordinance, and such procedures may authorize participation with other agencies in the joint taking of bids and award of purchases. The purchase or contract awards shall be made to the bidder submitting the best responsible bid, in the judgment of the Council, after consideration of all factors, including price, quality of goods or services offered, time of delivery and responsibility of bidder. All contracts may be protected by such bonds, penalties and conditions as the Council may require. Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection, where the Council reasonably determines that there is only one source available which can furnish particular supplies, materials or equipment, the Council may award a contract for the provision of such supplies, materials or equipment on the basis of a negotiated purchase.
D. 
Legal services. The Council shall have the authority to enter into agreements for the provision of legal services to the Town.
E. 
Professional services. Contracts for professional services, including but not limited to engineering, architectural, accounting, financial and auditing, shall be made on the basis of requests for proposals in accordance with such procedures as the Council may establish by ordinance.
F. 
Emergency situations. An emergency shall be deemed to exist during a natural disaster, as determined by the Council, and when a breakdown of machinery or equipment threatens or terminates essential service to the public. During an emergency the Town Manager shall make the necessary arrangements for the provision of supplies, materials, equipment and services without the necessity of compliance with the requirements of this section or any ordinance adopted by the Council pursuant to the authority granted by this section.
G. 
Cooperative purchasing. Notwithstanding any other requirement or provision of this section, the Town, without competitive bidding, (i) may purchase supplies, materials and equipment through the use of joint or cooperative purchasing arrangements with other governmental jurisdictions, or through purchasing cooperatives or alliances that bid procurements on a volume basis for state and local governments, if the total price or price per unit, as applicable, to be paid by the Town is not more than the total price or price per unit to be paid by other governmental entities; and (ii) may enter into joint pooling arrangements with public entities to provide for the purchase of insurance or for the self-insuring of insurable risks.
[Added 4-1-2013 by Res. No. 3-1-13]