Unified Government — Name — Effective Date — Executive, Legislative and Judicial Powers — Required Provisions of Charter
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The name of the unified government shall be such name as the charter commission shall deem historically and geographically appropriate.
The proposed charter shall provide for the effective date of the unified government.
The proposed charter shall provide for a single government possessing three (3) branches of government, executive, legislative and judicial, with due regard for the doctrine of separation of powers as known and practiced in the American form of representative or republican government.
All executive powers of the unified government shall be vested in a chief executive officer whose title shall be determined by the charter commission.
All legislative powers of the unified government shall be vested in a legislative body whose title and size shall be determined by the charter commission; provided, that the members shall be elected by districts and shall be not less than nine (9) nor more than nineteen (19) members.
The courts established by general law shall constitute the judicial branch, but the proposed charter may vest additional jurisdiction of local ordinances to the extent not prohibited by general law. Such courts as are established by private act or by public act having local application may be continued by charter provisions.
Within the general restrictions contained in this section, the proposed charter may organize the executive and legislative branches as the charter commission deems necessary and appropriate for the efficient and economical delivery of public services befitting the particular county.
Any functions of the governing bodies of the county, the principal city or any smaller city electing to be included, or functions of the officers of the governing bodies that the charter commission may deem feasible to carry forward into the unified government, to the extent that such functions are not set forth in the Constitution of Tennessee, shall be set forth in the charter.
Any right, power, duty or obligation of any officer or agency of the county, the principal city or any smaller city electing to be included, deemed by the charter commission to be feasible to carry forward into the unified government, and not set forth in the Constitution of Tennessee, shall be set forth in the charter.
The charter shall expressly provide the means, as determined to be necessary and appropriate by the charter commission, by which the indebtedness and contract obligations of the county and the principal city and any smaller city electing to be included shall not be impaired or diminished.
The charter shall set forth the procedure for the subsequent merger of the government of any smaller city into the unified government.
The date of such regular county, state or federal election at which the referendum election shall be held for the ratification or rejection of the proposed charter shall be set forth in the proposed charter.
The charter shall designate the officer with whom the official copy of the charter of the unified government shall permanently repose.
The charter shall provide for the consolidation of county and city employees' retirement and pension systems and the regulation of the retirement and pension systems; provided, that nothing in this chapter or in a charter adopted pursuant to these provisions shall impair or diminish the rights and privileges of the city and county employees in the existing city and county employees' retirement and pension systems in effect at the time of establishment of the unified government.
The charter shall provide for the maintenance and administration of an effective consolidated civil service system and the regulation of a civil service system; provided, that nothing in this chapter or in a charter adopted pursuant to these provisions shall impair or diminish the rights and privileges of city and county employees as provided for in any city charter, county ordinance or general state law at the time of the establishment of the unified government.
The charter shall contain or incorporate into the charter such terms and provisions as are contained in any private act or municipal charter with respect to any utility created, authorized or owned by the principal city that is supported by its own revenues and operated, administered and managed pursuant to the private act or municipal charter. Such terms and provisions as are required by this subsection (p) may be subsequently amended only pursuant to subsection (q).
The charter shall provide for the method and procedure by which the charter may subsequently be amended; provided, that no such amendment shall be effective until submitted to the qualified voters residing within the geographical jurisdiction of the unified government and approved by a majority of those voters voting on the amendment.
The charter shall provide for a determination of the proportionate responsibility for the existing bonded indebtedness, contract obligations and pension obligations of the county and any unified municipality, and shall provide for the creation and establishment of such taxing districts as are necessary and appropriate to fairly allocate such obligations.