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Sec. 5. Elective officers;[3] qualifications; terms; form of government;
corporate powers vested in council; salaries
of councilmen and mayor; city manager; director
of finance.

(a) The municipal authorities of the said city shall consist

of a council of five members, one of whom shall be mayor, as
hereinafter set forth, unless and until this form be changed in
manner prescribed by law, a clerk of the corporation court, a
commonwealth's attorney, a treasurer, a sheriff and a
commissioner of revenue, who shall be elected by the qualified
voters of the City of Charlottesville at elections held at the
intervals and on the days prescribed for such elections by the laws
of the state. All persons who are qualified voters of the City of
Charlottesville shall be eligible to any of the said offices. The
terms of offices of all of said officers shall begin and continue for
such length of time as is prescribed by law; provided, that any of
said officers shall be eligible to one or more offices to which he
may be elected or appointed by the council. All the corporate
powers of said city shall be exercised by said council, or under its
authority, except as otherwise provided herein.

(b) The form of government for said city shall be the city
manager plan as follows: All corporate powers, legislative and
executive authority vested in the City of Charlottesville by law
shall be and are hereby vested in a council of five members to be
elected at large from the qualified voters of the city, except as
hereinafter provided.

(c) Each of said councilmen shall receive an annual salary to be
set by the council, not to exceed thirty-six hundred dollars each
(except the president of said council, who shall be mayor, and
shall receive a salary not to exceed forty-eight hundred dollars)
from the city for their services.

(d) In accordance with the general laws of the commonwealth,
the election of councilmen shall be held in May of nineteen
hundred seventy-two and biennially thereafter. At the election in
May of nineteen hundred seventy-two there shall be elected three
members of council and at the election in May of nineteen
hundred seventy-four there shall be elected two members of
council to fill vacancies occurring on the first of July in the
respective years in which they are elected. The term of office of
the councilmen shall be four years. The members of the council on

the effective date of this Charter amendment are hereby
confirmed in office until the first day of July in the final year of
the term of office for which they were elected.

(e) It shall be the duty of the said council of five members to
elect a city manager, at the salary to be fixed by them, who shall
serve at the pleasure of the council.

(f) Subject to general control by the council as provided in
subsection (b) hereof, the city manager shall have full executive
and administrative authority and shall have the right to employ
and discharge all employees under his control. All departments of
city government, including the fire department and police
department, shall be under the general supervision of the city
manager. The city manager shall give a bond for the faithful
performance of his duties in such sum as the council may require.
Subject to the general power of the council as provided in
subsection (b) hereof and except as the council may by ordinance
otherwise provide, the city manager shall have the powers vested
in city managers by sections 15.1-926 and 15.1-927 of the Code of
Virginia and general laws amendatory thereof.

(g) Said council shall elect a director of finance who shall serve
at the pleasure of the council and who shall superintend the fiscal
affairs of the city, and shall manage the same in the manner
required by the council.

In all other respects the said council shall have and be vested
with the same authority heretofore exercised by the council, and
in all other respects their duties and liabilities shall be regulated
by the existing laws, not in conflict therewith. (1950, c. 143; 1962,
c. 463; 1964, c. 137; 1972, c. 184; 1974, c. 7.)