§ 7. Powers of mayor and aldermen.

Said mayor and aldermen shall have power to pass, from time to time, such ordinances, bylaws, rules and regulations as may in their discretion be necessary to enforce this act, and the laws of Georgia, relative to municipal corporations and provide penalties for their violation. They shall have general and exclusive jurisdiction over the streets, alleys, by-ways, sidewalks, and commons, and public squares of said city, and may provide against obstructions thereupon. They may lay such drains or gutters therein as may be necessary and take all necessary and proper means for keeping the corporate limits of said city free from garbage, trash and filth of all kinds. They shall have power to summarily abate all nuisances, whenever in their judgment, such nuisance is injurious to the health, comfort, or convenience of the inhabitants, either with or without complaint against it. They may regulate the running of locomotives by steam, electricity or other power. They may provide against obstructions in the streets, alleys and sidewalks therein and may prevent the placing thereon of any grass, stones, sticks, fruits, vegetables, or anything of like character calculated to cause inconvenience or injury to individuals or to make such streets unclean. They may make such regulations as they may deem proper, relative to the keeping, storage, or sale of gunpowder and explosives, or inflammable oils, chemicals, and powder in said city. They may prohibit the commission of nuisances in said city and provide punishment therefor. That said mayor and aldermen may, by ordinance, provide for the laying and paving of any or all of the sidewalks of said city, for the laying and paving of any or all of the street ditches of said city, for the laying of surface water drains under said pavement, and for the placing of curbing between the sidewalks and streets of said city at such time, in such sizes and shapes, and of such material, as in their judgment may be expedient, and at the same time provide for the levy and collection of assessments against the contiguous or abutting land, and against the owner thereof, for the cost of the material used in said work and construction. The city shall furnish and pay for all supervision of the construction, and the work and labor connected with the same. The said city may do any part of the above described work at such time as it sees fit, and provide at the same time for the levy and collection of assessments against said contiguous or abutting land, and against the owner thereof, for the material used in said work. Should the owner of any of the contiguous or abutting property, when said work is done, fail or refuse to pay the pro rata part of the cost of said construction the said mayor and aldermen are hereby authorized to pay for the said material for said property owners and issue executions against said contiguous or abutting land, and the owner thereof, for such pro rata part of said construction as is chargeable against the same, which execution shall be issued, levied and collected in the same manner and upon the same terms as is now provided for the collection of unpaid city tax fi. fas. under sections 56 and 57 of the charter of said city. The said property owners may interpose his [sic] illegality to the levy of said execution, as is now provided in cases of the levy and collection of unpaid tax fi. fas. under section 58 of said charter.

(1900 Ga. Laws, page 345, § 21; 1914 Ga. Laws, page 1051, § 1; 1924 Ga. Laws, page 666, § 2)

Charter cross reference— Adoption of ordinances, procedure, § 12.

State law reference

Ordinances of a council not to bind succeeding councils, O.C.G.A. § 36-30-3.