§ 58. General powers and duties.

The head of the department of public welfare shall be known as the director of public welfare.

Subject to the supervision and control of the city manager in all matters, he shall administer the affairs of his department, which shall include the management and supervision of all charitable, correctional and reformatory institutions and agencies belonging to the city; the use of all recreative facilities of the city, including parks and playgrounds other than school playgrounds; the management and supervision of cemeteries; the maintenance and preservation of shade trees and shrubbery; the inspection and supervision of all public amusements and entertainments, and of the places where the same are held; the enforcement of all laws, ordinances and regulations relative to the preservation and promotion of the public health; the prevention and restriction of all disease, including the enforcement in time of threatened epidemic, of such quarantine and isolation regulations as are appropriate to the emergency; the prevention, abatement and suppression of nuisances; the sanitary inspection and supervision of the production, transportation, storage and sale of food and foodstuffs; the inspecting, testing, measuring and weighing of any commodity or article of consumption or use within the city, as well as the inspection of weights, measures and meters used for the purpose aforesaid. The said department shall keep a complete and accurate system of vital statistics.

The council shall provide for the establishment and organization within the said department and subject to the supervision of the director thereof, of the following divisions or bureaus:

(a)

Bureau of public health, which shall be charged with the conservation of the public health, with the supervision, management and control of all hospitals, municipal clinics and dispensaries, of all detention or isolation stations for contagious diseases; with the sanitary supervision of the city water supply and the sanitary policing and patrol of the territory constituting the watershed thereof; the sanitary inspection of all plumbing, buildings, grounds and premises, including public buildings and public school buildings; the physical inspection of the pupils of public schools, and the administration to such pupils of such medical and surgical supervision and attention as the council may by ordinance provide; the sanitary inspection and supervision of the production, transportation, storage and sale of all foods and foodstuffs and of all articles and things intended for human consumption; and the keeping of a complete record of vital statistics.

The superintendent of the bureau of public health shall be the health officer of the city.

He shall be a physician, a graduate of a medical college which is now, or was at the time of his graduation, recognized by the Virginia State Board of Medical Examiners, and shall have had training in the administration of public health duties.

The appointment of such officer shall not be limited to the inhabitants of the city or state, unless otherwise required by the Constitution of the state. He shall give his entire time to the duties of his position; and shall have such assistants as the council may by ordinance provide; provided, however, that the provisions of paragraph (a) shall be suspended during any period when the city has established a district health department and has contracted with the State of Virginia, or any department, board or agency thereof, for the operation thereof; and during any such contract period, the city manager may appoint the person operating the district health department for the state as the director of public health, and health officer, of the city and when so appointed, such person is empowered and directed to enforce all local laws and ordinances of the city relating to public health and to carry out all duties and responsibilities imposed upon the director of public health, and health officer, of the city by state statute or local ordinances.

(b)

Bureau of markets, which shall be charged with the supervision, management and control of all public markets; and with the collection of all market fees, and the proper accounting for the same.

(c)

Bureau of recreation and charities, which shall be charged with the supervision and control of all charitable, correctional and reformative institutions belonging to the city, and of all recreational facilities of the city, including parks and playgrounds, other than school playgrounds; with the management and supervision of cemeteries and also with the inspection and supervision of all public amusements and entertainments and of the places where the same are held.

The director of public welfare shall endeavor to correlate all private and public charities 28 within said city, and so far as is practicable to avoid duplication of effort.

The council shall make no appropriation of public funds towards the maintenance and support of any private charity except upon condition that the city shall have representation upon the board of directors, board of managers or other governing body of such private charity, and that a detailed financial report, showing all receipts and disbursements by such private charity, shall be made to the director of public welfare at least once in each year. But nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the city from contracting with any private hospital or similar institution for the care of indigent sick or injured persons, or for other services.

The director of public welfare, or such other person within said department as he may designate, shall represent the city on the board of directors, board of managers or other governing body of any charity to which public funds shall have been contributed upon the conditions aforesaid.

(d)

Bureau of standards, which shall be charged with the inspection and testing of all weights, scales, meters and measures for the weighing or measuring of any article or commodity of consumption or use within the city, including the inspection and testing of the quality and sufficiency of electric current and gas and meters used in measuring the same.

The council may by ordinance add to the functions and duties of the said several divisions or bureaus; or rearrange and group the said functions, as said council may deem expedient. (Acts 1944, Ch. 309; Acts 1966, Ch. 52)

Editor's note— The above section is not in accord with the current administrative organization of the city. For instance, the department of public welfare has been replaced by the department of human resources and there is now a separate department of public health. For the current organization, it is suggested that the budget ordinance be consulted.

Editor's note

The above section is not in accord with the current administrative organization of the city. For instance, the department of public welfare has been replaced by the department of human resources and there is now a separate department of public health. For the current organization, it is suggested that the budget ordinance be consulted.