Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Charter topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City attorney briefs council on Lithonia charter, mayoral and council powers
Summary
City attorney Michael walked the council through charter provisions describing the roles of the mayor, the council and department heads, explained ordinance and veto timelines, and answered council questions; the briefing was for information only and no charter actions were taken.
City attorney Michael led a detailed review of Lithonia’s charter at the Feb. 16 work session, explaining how the charter allocates responsibilities among the mayor, the council and department heads and answering members’ procedural questions.
Michael said the charter defines the city council as the mayor plus five council members and walked the body through examples of appointments, the nomination and confirmation process, and the process for ordinances and resolutions. He summarized the ordinance timeline: the attorney drafts an ordinance, it is considered by the council and then sent to the mayor, who has 10 days to act; if the mayor takes no action, the ordinance becomes law after the 11th day.
Council members sought clarification about who supervises department heads and how the charter uses the term "council" in different contexts. Michael read charter language stating directors are "subject to the direction and supervision of the city council," and clarified that in some charter sections "city council" is a legal term that includes the mayor as part of the body. Council members raised questions about special elections, emergency ordinances and the mechanics of vetoes and overrides.
The briefing also covered boards and commissions, municipal court authority and fines, and routine duties such as codification by the city clerk. Council members asked whether a 2009 ordinance prepared by an attorney named Denmark remains in effect; staff confirmed it appears to remain in effect and would govern where applicable.
The session was informational; the attorney noted that the remaining items in the packet are largely administrative. No formal action was taken on charter changes during the meeting.
The discussion used the city name as recorded in the charter; the transcript contained an inconsistent spelling ("Latonia") that has been normalized here to the city’s correct name, Lithonia, for clarity.
