HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/10/2010 00 Misc Distributed at the Meeting y uk.0 bons ky , r g-3 c 8 ` 6 /1
Comparing /Contrasting the Mayor - Council and
Council - Manager Forms of Government
Washington cities and towns are organized under three principal forms of government: the
mayor - council form, the council - manager form and the commission form. Of Washington's 281
cities and towns, 226 (81 %) operate under the mayor - council form, 54 (19 %) have adopted the
council- manager form, and 1 ( <1 %) operates under the commission form. As a practical matter,
the primary forms are the mayor- council and the council - manager forms, since there is only one
remaining commission city, Shelton. No cities have adopted this form in recent years, and even
Shelton has established a hybrid commission — administrator form.
What are the major characteristics of the mayor- council form of government?
The mayor- council form consists of an elected mayor (elected at- large), who serves as the city's
chief administrative officer, and a council (elected either at -large or from districts), which serves
as the municipality's legislative body. The council has the authority to formulate and adopt city
policies and the mayor is responsible for carrying them out. The mayor attends and presides over
council meetings but does not vote, except in the case of a tie. In code cities, the mayor may veto
ordinances; although the veto may be overridden by a majority plus one of the entire council
membership. In second class cities, the mayor may veto an ordinance, but the mayor's veto can
be overridden by five members of the council. In first class cities the mayor's veto power is
specified in the charter. Town mayor's have no veto power.
A sizeable number (75) of mayor- council cities, as large as Spokane and as small as Stevenson,
have added a professional position of city administrator or chief administrative officer (CAO) in
the mayor's office. CAO's serve under the mayor and assist with the mayor's administrative and
policy- related responsibilities. In theory, the appointment of a CAO frees the mayor from the
need to attend to administrative details and allows the mayor to focus greater attention on policy
development and political leadership roles.
What are the major characteristics of the council - manager form of government?
The council - manager form consists of an elected city council which is responsible for policy
making, and a professional city manager, appointed by the council, who is responsible for
administration. The city manager provides policy advice, directs the daily operations of city
government, handles personnel functions (including the power to appoint and remove
employees) and is responsible for preparation of a budget. Under the council - manager enabling
law, the city council is prohibited from interfering with the manager's administration. The city
manager, however, is directly accountable to, and can be removed by the council at any time.
The mayor in council- manager cities is selected by the city council from among its members.
The charter of an optional municipal code city or first class city may provide for the mayor to be
directly elected by the people. The mayor generally presides at council meetings and is
recognized as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes, but has no regular administrative
duties.
'Characteristics Mayor- Council :Council- Manager
(Legislative authority Council Council
1Executive authority 'Elected mayor :Appointed manager
!Selection of CEO Popularly elected
Appointed by council on the basis of
experience
Removal of CEO Recall election :Removed by a majority vote of the council
Tenure of executive 4 -year term Indefinite
!Tenure of council 4 -year term 4 -year term
Appointment of .Mayor (with council Manager (no council confirmation)
department heads :confirmation if provided) .
;Removal of department Mayor Manager
heads
`Veto Mayor Manager has no veto
Policy development ;Mayor can propose Manager can recommend
,Policy implementation Mayor Manager
Separation of powers Separation of politics from administration
`Underlying principles :Political leadership Promotion of economy and efficiency
Strong central executive : through professional management
Strong central executive
What are some of the arguments for and against the council- manager form of government?
Arguments For the Council - Manager Form
Administration of city business is removed from politics.
Council- manager form is based on an efficient business model.
Since city managers are appointed rather than elected, greater attention can be given to selecting
a qualified manager. The pool of qualified candidates is larger since candidates can be recruited
from as far as the city council desires up to and including a nationwide search. (Mayors must be
a resident of the city prior to their election.)
Since managers are appointed not elected, they are less likely to have political obligations which
will affect the quality of their administration.
Emphasis is placed on the role of the legislative body and its policy - making function. Council
gets better cooperation and information because the city manager is their employee.
Since manager serves at the pleasure of the council without a definite term, he /she can be
removed at any time, limiting the danger of an abuse of authority.
The council /manager relationship is similar to the school board /superintendent relationship.
Arguments Against the Council - Manager Form
The council - manager form gives too much power to one person -the city manager.
A professional manager chosen from outside the city may not know the community and is too far
from the voters.
Councils may leave too much decision making to the manager, who is not directly accountable to
the public.
The community lacks political leadership of an elected chief executive.
The council- manager form is too much like a business corporation which is not suitable for
managing community needs.
City managers cost too much, local people could handle the job for less cost.
Citizens may be confused about who is in charge. Most expect the mayor to respond to their
problems. The mayor has no direct control over the delivery of services and can only change
policy through the city council.
A city manager may leave a city when offered a higher salary and greater responsibility in
another city.
What are some of the arguments for and against the mayor- council form of government?
Arguments For the Mayor- Council Form
This is the form that is familiar to most Americans because it is patterned after our traditional
national and state governments. There is a separation of powers between the executive and
legislative branches. There are checks and balances.
Also separation of powers provides healthy independence, debate and creative tension. Separate
legislative and executive branches provide the best opportunity for debate and consensus
building.
By electing, rather than appointing a mayor, political leadership is established. The city has a
political spokesperson who has a high degree of visibility.
Some argue that an elected mayor will have a higher standing and greater voice in regional
affairs of the city.
In most cities the mayor is vested with the veto power, and can serve as a check on an unpopular
council decision.
A professional administrator can be hired to assist the mayor in the management of the city's
operations thereby freeing the mayor to concentrate on political leadership or to offset
weaknesses in the mayor's management background or experience, but the mayor is still
ultimately responsible.
Arguments Against the Mayor - Council Form
The office of the mayor gives too much power and authority to one person. It permits an
incumbent to make decisions based largely on political considerations, and to use the office to
further personal political objectives.
The qualities needed to win an election are not the same qualities needed to manage a modern
city. A mayor while politically astute may not always possess the necessary management training
and experience.
If an elected mayor proves to be incompetent or worse, he /she cannot be removed until the end
of their term, or through an expensive and divisive recall election process.
A separately elected mayor may resist requests from the council. The mayor may attempt to
isolate the council by controlling staff, information, and reports. "Turf wars"
( *Note: These "arguments" have been collected from a variety of sources and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of MRSC or MRSC Staff.)
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Mid - Valley Insurance, Inc.
CI
Rv of AK MA
AUG 9 - 2010
PO Box 2608
Yakima, WA 98907
509- 248 -9360 - 509- 248 -9363 (fax)
OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL
August 09, 2010
Mayor Micah Cawley
Members of the Yakima City Council
Re: Strong Mayor Form of Government
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I want thank you for sending me a copy of the study session material considering a strong Mayor
form of government.
I would encourage each to study the excellent coments made by Rick Linneweh in 1988. They still
apply today. I have lived in seven cities during my life. Some have had City Manager form of
government, others have had a strong Mayor form of government.
A strong mayor form of government is a one man show. Too often a small group of individuals
control that person. In Yakima, a newspaper editor who expresses his disappointment with the City
Council regularly and freely when the council fails to do his bidding, could very well be the leader
of that small group.
A common characteristic of the cities with a strong Mayor I am familiar with is corruption to the
point of indictments being issued and convictions being rendered.
Being a former council member the one characteristic of the Yakima City Council I like is its
tendency to have spirited debates. Most of time the agreement of the majority only lasts as long as
the issue. When the next issue comes up it is a different cast of council members who are in the
majority.
The most important characteristic of a City Manager form of government is the professionalism of
the City Manager. This professionalism keeps the city out of trouble both financially and legally.
Thank you of listening,
Don Hinman