Legal Personality and Corporate Power
- Laurel City is a political corporation with perpetual succession.
- It exercises powers typical of a municipal corporation under this Charter.
City Seal and Property Powers
- The city has a common seal which may be altered at its discretion.
- It can acquire, hold, lease, convey property, and exercise eminent domain.
- It can enter contracts, sue, and be sued in alignment with its powers.
Liability Protection
- The city is not liable for damages from failure or negligence in enforcing laws or ordinances by its officials or employees.
- Aggrieved parties may still bring personal actions against individual officials or employees.
Police Jurisdiction
- Laurel City's police jurisdiction aligns with its territorial limits and extends three miles into Batangas Bay.
- Jurisdiction extends over the water supply’s drainage area and a one hundred meter radius around city water facilities.
- The city court has concurrent jurisdiction over crimes within this drainage and buffer zone.
- Police forces of concerned municipalities have concurrent jurisdiction, but business licenses and fees are managed by the proper municipality.
City Executive Officers: Mayor and Vice-Mayor
- The Mayor, elected by city voters, serves a four-year term with specified salary and allowance.
- The Vice-Mayor, elected similarly, presides over the Municipal Board and assumes mayoral duties during absence or vacancy.
- Procedures for acting appointments in cases of incapacity and vacancies are detailed.
- Vice-Mayor appoints Municipal Board employees.
Mayor’s Powers and Duties
- Enforce this Charter, laws, and ordinances.
- Safeguard city property and revenues.
- Oversee tax collection and municipal expenditures.
- Initiate legal proceedings for city interest.
- Supervise city officers and employees; transfer them as needed.
- Inspect city records annually.
- Attend Municipal Board sessions without voting rights.
- Represent the city in business matters and sign official documents.
- Submit annual budget proposals.
- Grant/refuse and revoke municipal licenses and permits.
- Exempt deserving poor pupils from school fees.
- Take emergency measures against calamities.
- Conduct administrative investigations of police members.
- Request assistance from national police forces for peace and order.
- Submit annual report to the Office of the President.
- Appoint all city officers and employees except those appointed by the President.
Secretary to the Mayor
- Appointed by the Mayor, holds office at the Mayor’s pleasure.
- Custodian of city records, documents, and the corporate seal.
- Issues certified copies of documents and performs department-required duties.
Municipal Board
- Composed of the Vice-Mayor (presiding officer) and eight elected councilors.
- Vice-Mayor votes only to break ties.
- Quorum requires a majority of all members.
- Members have specific qualifications and serve four-year terms.
- President may appoint temporary substitutes during disabilities.
- Members receive a fixed salary and may practice their professions.
Board Secretary
- Appointed by the presiding officer with Board approval.
- Maintains the Board's records, minutes, ordinances, and resolutions.
- Keeps the Board’s official seal and manages ordinance publication.
Legislative Procedure and Ordinances
- Weekly regular sessions and extraordinary sessions as called.
- Sessions are generally open, but may be closed by majority vote.
- Ordinances need majority approval of all members; fiscal resolutions also require majority approval.
- Roll call votes recorded.
- Ordinances take effect on the tenth day after posting unless vetoed.
- Mayor has veto power, including item veto for appropriation ordinances.
- The Board may override a Mayor’s veto by two-thirds vote.
- Veto overrides not approved by the Mayor go to the President of the Philippines for final decision.
Powers and Duties of the Municipal Board
- Levy general and special taxes, with a real property tax cap.
- Approve appropriations and fix official and employee salaries.
- Authorize social welfare distributions.
- Set fees for city services.
- Maintain city infrastructure and public schools.
- Regulate police, fire, public safety, public health, and nuisances.
- Control licensing for various businesses and professions.
- Regulate public utilities, markets, sanitation, traffic, and public amusements.
- Promote public welfare and moral order with penalties for violations.
Restrictions on Commercial Signs
- No commercial signs permitted on public property.
- The Mayor may order removal of offensive or nuisance signs after due process.
City Departments
- Departments include Finance, Engineering and Public Works, Law, Health, Police, Fire, and Assessment.
- The Mayor supervises departments; the Municipal Board may reorganize or create departments with Presidential approval.
Department Heads
- Each head has control of their department, certifies payroll and expenses.
- Must prepare budget estimates and reports to the Mayor.
- Deputies act in their absence.
Appointment and Removal of Officials
- The President appoints key city officials like judges, fiscal, treasurer, engineer, health officer, and chiefs of police and fire.
- The Mayor appoints other employees following civil service laws.
- Officials can be suspended or removed according to applicable laws.
Exclusivity and Full-Time Duty
- City officers must devote full office hours to duties.
- No officer may hold multiple offices except as provided by law.
- Exemptions apply to uncompensated National Government appointees.
Conflicts of Interest
- City officials are prohibited from engaging in business transactions with the city or acquiring city property to avoid conflicts.
- They cannot be sureties or financially interested in contracts involving the city or related government entities.
Oversight Bureaus
- The Auditor General audits city accounts; city auditor appointed and funded by both national and city governments.
- The Director of Public Schools oversees city schools; operational costs borne by the National Government.
- City superintendent reports quarterly to the Mayor.
Department of Finance: City Treasurer
- Chief fiscal officer responsible for tax and revenue collection, public market administration, and fund custody.
- Purchases supplies, manages disbursements, and reports monthly financial statements.
- Acts as local civil registrar for marriage licenses.
Assistant City Treasurer
- Assists the city treasurer.
- Appointed by Mayor with Secretary of Finance approval.
- Authorized to administer oaths related to tax delinquency notices.
Department of Engineering and Public Works
- City engineer manages public works: surveying, street maintenance, public buildings, waterworks, sewers, and construction supervision.
- Inspects building safety and code compliance, including fire prevention requirements.
- Supervises public lighting and private installations.
- Public works costing above specified thresholds require public bidding or executive approval for administration.
Law Department: City Fiscal
- Legal adviser and prosecutor for the city under Justice Department supervision.
- Represents the city in civil and criminal cases.
- Drafts and reviews legal documents.
- Investigates misconduct and violations, including medico-legal matters.
Compensation of Legal Officers
- City fiscal and assistant fiscal receive specified salaries paid by the city.
Health Department
- City health officer supervises public health and sanitation.
- Enforces health laws and ordinances.
- Oversees garbage disposal, cemeteries, birth and death registries, and civil status records.
- Acts during epidemics under Secretary of Health’s direction.
- Assistant health officer shares responsibilities.
Police Department
- Chief of police commands the city police.
- Powers include maintaining peace, suppressing riots, executing warrants, and managing city jail.
- Deputy chief and chief of secret service assist respectively.
- All police officers are peace officers with powers to arrest without warrant under specified conditions.
- National police assistance requested only upon mayoral order.
Fire Department
- Chief of fire manages fire suppression, equipment, investigation, and fire code enforcement.
- Has police powers at fires including demolition for fire prevention.
- Regulates electrical installations and combustible materials storage.
- Deputy chief serves in chief’s absence.
Department of Assessment
- City assessor assesses real property taxes, assisted by deputies.
- Initially, city treasurer acts as city assessor until the Municipal Board appoints otherwise.
- Duties include listing taxable properties, valuation, and ensuring compliance.
- Real properties' assessed values can be revised but no more than once every ten years.
Real Estate Taxation
- Specifies tax exemptions for government properties, religious, educational, and charitable institutions.
- Defines procedures for taxpayers to declare property acquisitions and improvements.
- Provides for listing and taxing properties with unknown or disputed ownership.
- Sets penalties for delinquent tax payments, including interest and compulsory seizure of personal property.
- Establishes safeguards for exempt personal property.
- Details procedures for sale of seized property, surplus distribution, and tax lien priority.
- Governs public auction of delinquent real estate and right of redemption by owners within one year.
- Allows repurchase after absolute forfeiture with penalties.
- Provides for civil action to collect tax debts.
- Limits court interference with tax validity unless substantial rights impaired.
Special Assessments for Public Improvements
- Municipal Board can levy special assessments for public works benefiting designated land areas.
- Assessment based on property valuation; exemptions for government lands.
- Ordinance process involves publication, notice, protests, and hearings.
- Appeals to the President or Secretary of Finance.
- City treasurer calculates annual assessments and adjusts as costs finalize.
- Special assessments payable like real property taxes and subjec