§ 246. _The county manager; appointment; qualifications; tenure; compensation. The board of supervisors shall appoint an officer who shall be a citizen of the United States but who, at the time of his appointment, need not be a resident of the county, to be known as the county manager. The said county manager shall execute to the county good and sufficient sureties, to be approved by the county judge, in a sum to be fixed by the board of supervisors, conditioned upon the faithful performance of his duties. He shall not be personally interested in any contract to which the county is a party; he shall hold office at the pleasure of the board of supervisors, and upon removal, the said board shall furnish him with a written statement of the reasons for such action, signed by at least two members thereof. The board of supervisors shall prescribe the salary of such county manager and the compensation of the assistants and subordinates to be appointed by him, which shall be a county charge and may be increased or diminished at any time. A member of the board of supervisors, during the term for which he is elected or appointed, shall not be eligible for the office of county manager._ § 247. _Duties and powers of the county manager. The county manager shall be the administrative agent of the board of supervisors. It shall be his duty_ (_a_) _To attend all meetings of the board of supervisors_; (_b_) _To see that the resolutions and other orders of the board of supervisors and the laws of the state required to be enforced by such board, are faithfully carried out by the officers and employees of the county, including all officers chosen by the electors_; (_c_) _To recommend to the board of supervisors such measures as he may deem necessary or expedient for the proper administration of the affairs of the county and its several offices_; (_d_) _To appoint all county officers whose election by the electors is not required by the constitution, except county supervisors and the county auditor or comptroller, and for such terms of office as are provided by law._ _Subject to resolutions of the board of supervisors he shall_ (_e_) _Purchase all supplies and materials required by every county officer, including the superintendents of the poor_; (_f_) _Execute contracts on behalf of the board of supervisors when the consideration therein shall not exceed five hundred dollars_; (_g_) _Obtain from the several county officers reports of their various activities, in such form and at such times as the board of supervisors may require_; (_h_) _Obtain from the several county officers itemized estimates of the probable expense of conducting their offices for the ensuing year, and transmit the same to the board of supervisors with his approval or disapproval of each and all items therein, in the form of a tentative budget_; (_i_) _Perform such other duties as the board of supervisors may require._