Council-manager government

The council-manager government is one of two main variations of representative municipal government in the United States. This system of government is used in the majority of American cities with populations over 25,000. (for contrast, see Mayor-Council government).

Related Topics:
Representative - Municipal government - United States - Mayor-Council government

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In the council-manager form of government, an elected city council (typically between 5 and 11 people) is responsible for making policy, passing ordinances, voting appropriations, and having overall supervisory authority in the city government. In such a government, the mayor (or equivalent executive) will perform strictly ceremonial duties or will act as a member and presiding officer of the council.

Related Topics:
Mayor - Executive

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The council will hire a city manager or administrator who will be responsible for supervising government operations and implementing the policies adopted by the council. The manager serves the council, usually with a contract that specifies duties and responsibilities. Ideally, the manager is apolitical, but this is often difficult.

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Municipal governments are usually administratively divided into several departments, depending on the size of the city. Though cities differ in the division of responsibility, the typical arrangement is to have the following departments handle the following roles:

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• Urban planning and zoning:
• Public Works: construction and maintenance of all city-owned or operated assets, including the water supply system, sewer, streets, snow removal, street signs, vehicles, buildings, land, etc.
• Parks and Recreation: (construction and maintenance of) city parks, common areas, parkways, publicly owned lands, etc. Also, operation of various recreation programs and facilities.
• Police
• Fire
• Accounting / Finance: collects taxes owed to the city.
• Human Resources: incorporates human resources department for city workers,
• Legal - Risk Management: handles all legal matters including writing municipal bonds, verifying the city is in compliance with state and federal mandates, responding to citizen lawsuits such as lawsuits allegedly stemming from city actions or inactions. Typical legal actions include someone who fell on city-owned sidewalks suing the city for negligence, or a city annexing land.
• Transportation (varies widely): If the city has a municipal bus or light rail service, this function may be its own department or it may be folded into the another of the above departments.

The council-manager system can be seen to place all power into the hands of the legislative branch. However, a city manager can be seen as a similar role to that of corporate CEO in providing professional management to an organization. Council-manager government is much like a publicly traded corporation. In a corporation, the board of directors appoints a CEO, makes major decisions and wields representative power on behalf of shareholders. Likewise in council-manager government, the city council appoints a city manager, makes major decisions, and wields representative power on behalf of the citizens.

Related Topics:
Legislative branch - Corporation

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The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) (see http://icma.org ) is a professional organization for city managers.

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It was founded in 1914, and has more than 8000 members worldwide.

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In New England, where municipal government is often invested in an incorporated town, the city manager may be called town manager, and the council can often be referred to its traditional name of Board of Selectmen.

Related Topics:
New England - Town - Board of Selectmen

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Council-manager government: History of the council-manager government in the United States ►