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Originally published January 2002, www.gmanet.com

Background

The council manager form of government has been in existence for almost one hundred years. In 1908, Staunton, Virginia, adopted an ordinance creating the first position resembling what is known today as the city manager. In 1912, Sumter, South Carolina, became the first city to adopt a charter incorporating the council-manager form of government. In Georgia, the City of Cartersville, became the first municipality to adopt the council-manager form of government in 1917.

The city management profession was developed in the early 1900s by reformers who advocated the ideology of professional management in local government. Under this form of government, the city's residents are viewed as shareholders. The shareholders elect a board of directors (city council) to set major policies, and the board (council) then hires a chief executive (city manager) to implement their policies.

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) reports that more than 3,300 cities and counties now operate under this form of government, representing 48% of all local governments.

According to ICMA:

--- 63% of U.S. cities with populations of 25,000 or more have adopted the council-manager form.

--- 57% of U.S. cities with populations of 10,000 or more have adopted the council-manager form.

--- 53% of U.S. cities with populations of 5,000 or more have adopted the council-manager form.

The council-manager form is flexible enough to address the challenges of both small cities and large ones. Among the larger cities operating under this form of government are: Dallas, Texas (pop. 1,188,580); Phoenix, Arizona (pop. 1,321,045); and San Diego, California (pop. 1,223,400).

In Georgia, this form of government exists in cities of all sizes, including small cities such as Adel (population 5,307) and Morrow (population 4,882), medium cities such as Alpharetta (population 34,854) and Valdosta (population 43,724), and large cities such as Columbus (population 185,781) and Savannah (population 131,510).

The council-manager form of government can work effectively in cities having large councils or small councils. Additionally, this form can work in cities where council members are elected at-large, by single-member districts, or by a combination of the two.

Primary Features of the Council-Manager Form of Government

Generally, the council-manager form of government deviates from the traditional separation of powers structure that exists at the national and state levels of government (as well as in many cities and counties throughout the United States). Instead of having an elected chief executive (such as the president or governor), the council-manager form of government gives formal governmental authority to an elected city council. The city council then hires a professional city manager to oversee all administrative and executive functions.

The city manager serves at the pleasure of the city council. Accordingly, if a majority of the city council is displeased with the manager's performance, the manager can be fired, subject to applicable laws and ordinances, as well as the terms of the manager's employment agreement with the city council, if any.

In summary, the council-manager form of government combines the strong political leadership of elected officials (mayor and council) with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. Under this form of government, responsiveness to citizens can be enhanced, as administrative accountability is centralized in one individual, the city manager. Additionally, because political power is concentrated in the entire city council rather than in one elected official, the council-manager form may provide citizens with greater opportunities to serve their community and to influence the future of their community.

Responsibilities of the City Council

The council is the city's legislative and policy-making body. Its members are the community's decision-makers. As such, the city council is responsible for enacting policies, approving the city's annual budget, setting the city's tax rate, and focusing on such major projects and issues as land use planning, capital financing, and strategic planning. The council is also responsible for hiring the city manager, supervising the manager, and evaluating the manager's performance.

By its very nature, the council-manager form of government is designed to free the city's governing body from the administration of daily operations, allowing them to instead devote attention to policy-making responsibilities.

Responsibilities of the Mayor

In the purest sense of the council-manager form, the mayor is a member of the city council, with the position of mayor usually being chosen from among the council members on a rotation basis (similar to many county commission chairs). Under this scenario, the mayor presides at council meetings, signs official documents (ordinances, resolutions, proclamations, etc.) and serves as the city's official spokesperson. In this sense, the mayor in a council-manager city is similar to a corporation's chairman of the board.

In actual practice, however, numerous cities, including many in Georgia, now elect the mayor citywide by the voters. In these cities, the mayor may possess expanded powers, including the power to veto legislation, appoint council committees, appoint citizen advisory boards, and/or prepare an annual report ('State of the City") to the council and the community. However, the mayor normally does not possess any administrative responsibilities.

In summary, in the council-manager form of government, the mayor normally assumes a significant and symbolic role as a key political leader and policy developer.

Responsibilities of the City Manager

The city manager is hired by the city council to carry out the policies established by the city council and to oversee the city's daily operations. The manager should be hired solely on the basis of relevant education and professional experience.

Typically, the city manager is responsible for the following: implementing policies and programs of the city council; hiring (normally subject to council approval) and supervising the city's department heads and administrative staff; developing a proposed budget for the council's consideration; administration and enforcement all city contracts; and serving as the mayor and council's chief advisor. The city manager may also serve as the mayor and council's liaison to the city's department heads.

While the reformers who created the council-manager form of government originally sought to separate the politics of local government from its administration, this separation is now mostly fiction. Today, most city councils desire and expect their managers to make policy recommendations, with such recommendations providing accurate and detailed information, possible alternatives, and any long-term impacts. The city council can then adopt, modify, or reject the manager's recommendations.

While city managers are typically hired by the city council and serve at the council's pleasure, most managers now operate under the terms of an employment agreement. Such agreements normally outline the terms and conditions of employment and separation, along with providing clear guidelines for evaluating the manager's performance.

How to Adopt the Council-Manager Form of Government

A city's form of government may be changed by amending the city's charter through a local act of the Georgia General Assembly. The charter amendment should specify the duties and responsibilities of the city manager, the manager's relationship to the city council, and other associated requirements that involve this form of government.

Georgia law requires a local Act of the General Assembly to take '(A)ction affecting the composition and form of the municipal governing authority..." O.C.G.A. Section 36-35-6. Additionally, the Georgia Supreme Court has held that fundamental and substantive changes in city government cannot be made by a municipality under general home rule laws. See Jackson v. Inman, 232 Ga. 566, 207 S.E.2d 475 (1974).

Please note, however, that a city council may be able to establish the position of city administrator or city manager through the passage of an ordinance creating such position. Such ordinance could be abolished at any time by a subsequent city council. To avoid running afoul of the limitation on home rule powers contained in O.C.G.A. 36-35-6, such an ordinance could not fundamentally alter the city's form of government.

References

International City-County Management Association (ICMA), Internet Web site, http://icma.org.

Handbook for Georgia Mayors and Councilmembers, third edition, The University of Georgia, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1993.

Available Resources

Georgia Model Municipal Charter (Third Edition), Georgia Municipal Association, 1994.

Model City Charter, National Civic League, 1992

Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting a Local Government Administrator, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), 2001.
Author: Perry Hiott, Georgia Municipal Association