§ 7-9. Powers of Mayor; City Council to establish water rates

The Mayor shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the City. He or she shall use his or her best efforts to see that the laws and City ordinances are enforced and that the duties of all subordinate officers are faithfully performed. He or she shall take care that the finances of the City are properly expended and shall bring before the Board of Aldermen whatever he or she may deem worthy of their attention for prudentially and efficiently carrying on the affairs of the City. In his or her absence, the President of the Board of Aldermen shall act as Mayor in his or her stead. The Mayor, with the consent of the Board of Aldermen, shall have the power to remit penalties for the breach of City ordinances, in whole or in part, and shall cause the reason for such remission to be entered on the City records. The Mayor shall preside at all meetings of the City, with the power of moderator in town meetings, and at all meetings of the City Council. The City Council shall have all the powers of selectmen. Said City Council shall hold a meeting on the first Monday of each month and oftener at the call of the Mayor. The presence of a majority of said Council shall be necessary to transact business at any meeting. The City Council shall establish rates to be paid for the use of water supplied by the City water works, which shall be called service rates and shall be collected by the City Treasurer. Such service rates shall be and are hereby made a lien in the nature of a tax upon the real estate so supplied with water and shall be collected and enforced under such regulations and ordinances as the City Council shall prescribe. The Mayor may appoint a Chief of Police and such number of other officers as he or she shall deem necessary, for a period not exceeding his or her term of office, but such appointees shall not continue in office after the next regular meeting of the City Council unless the same shall be approved by the City Council at such meeting. The Mayor may suspend any police officer and such suspension shall not continue in force after the next regular meeting of the City Council unless the same shall be approved by the City Council, and the City Council may at any time annul any of such appointments.