Athens City Charter

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That the City of Athens, in McMinn County, Tennessee, be, and the same is hereby incorporated under and by this Act. The municipal government provided by this Charter shall be known as the "Council-Manager Government." Pursuant to its provisions and subject only to the limitations imposed by the State Constitution and by this charter, all powers of the city shall be vested in an elective council, hereinafter referred to as "the Council." All powers of the city shall be exercised in the manner prescribed by this charter, or if the manner be not prescribed, then in such manner as may be prescribed by ordinance.

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That the inhabitants of the City of Athens, in the County of McMinn, within the present limits of the City of Athens as hereinafter described, be and they are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate under the name and style of "City of Athens," and as such shall have perpetual succession; may sue and be sued; implead and be impleaded in all courts of law and equity, and in all actions whatsoever; may, for municipal purposes, purchase, receive and hold property for the benefit of the city, and do all other acts touching the same as may natural persons; may have and use a common seal and may change it at pleasure; and exercise all the rights, powers and privileges set forth in the succeeding sections of this Act.

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That the right, title and ownership of all property of said City of Athens, and all its uncollected taxes, assessments, dues, fines, costs, claims, judgments, choses in actions, and all its rights of every kind and character whatsoever, shall immediately become, and are hereby, vested in the municipal corporation created by this Act; and said new corporation be, and hereby is, burdened and charged and made liable for all legal debts, contracts, bonds and obligations of the old corporation which it succeeds, in the same manner and form and to the same extent as the said prior municipal corporation was under existing laws.

Section 4. Be it further enacted, That all laws, ordinances and resolutions lawfully enacted by the governing body of said city under any preceding charter or charters and not inconsistent with this charter, shall be and do remain in full force and effect under this new charter until such time as the governing body of said city created under and by this Act, shall elect to amend, modify or repeal the same.