It shall be the duty of the city manager to, and he shall appoint, remove, promote and demote any and all officers and employees of the city, excepting elected officers and the city attorney. The city manager shall enter into a contract in writing on behalf of the city with all department heads in a form approved by the city council. (Ord. 444 §1, 2000; Ord. 265 §3, 1980; Ord. 196 §7.3, 1974).