Council advances first reading to give city manager authority to appoint certain officers

The Weed City Council moved to introduce and approve on first reading an ordinance that would place appointment authority for some appointive offices — specifically the city clerk, city treasurer and the fire chief — under the city manager, aligning the municipal code with the council–manager form of government.

City staff explained the measure is largely a cleanup to reflect how appointments have been handled in practice since the 2016 transition to a council–manager system and to resolve an inconsistency in the code regarding the fire chief. "That is your authority as the city council," the city attorney said when discussing exceptions and retained council powers, and staff noted the council retains ultimate authority over the city manager.

Council members asked for and were promised job descriptions for department head positions so members can better understand roles and responsibilities. The ordinance was advanced on first reading; the city clerk will publish the final ordinance text and any supporting documents.