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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.) s 4 - 1'i (sy/o /v 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