(a) Public records shall not be taken out of or away from the City Clerk's office except upon the order or process of a court of competent jurisdiction, but the Board of Aldermen may by ordinance or by law regulate the removal from said office of all papers and documents belonging to the City and in the custody of the City Clerk as aforesaid.

(b) The Clerk shall make duly certified copies of public records, papers, and documents, upon payment of the proper fee. Such copies so certified shall be legal evidence of the same validity and effect as those of town clerks, in all courts and for all purposes.