Form of local government
The
council?manager government
is a form of
local government
used for
municipalities
,
counties
, or other equivalent regions, commonly used in the
United States
and the
Republic of Ireland
.
[1]
The council?manager form is also used in
New Zealand
for
regional councils
, and in
Canada
and many other countries for
city
and
county councils
.
[2]
[3]
Overview
[
edit
]
The city manager?council form is much like a
publicly traded corporation
.
[4]
Under the form, an elected governing body, usually called a
city council
, board of
aldermen
, or similar title, is responsible for
legislative
functions such as establishing
policy
, passing
local ordinances
, voting
appropriations
, and developing an overall vision, similar to a corporate
board of directors
.
[5]
The council or commission appoints a
city manager
to oversee the administrative operations, implement its policies, and advise it. The manager position is similar to that of a corporate
chief executive officer
appointed by a board of directors. The position of "
mayor
" present in this type of legislative body is a largely ceremonial title, and may be selected by the council from among its members or elected as an at-large council member with no executive functions,
[6]
similar to a non-executive
chairperson
in a corporation.
The
International City/County Management Association
(ICMA), a
professional organization
for city managers, has listed at least three defining characteristics that distinguish a true council?manager government:
- All governmental authority rests with the council or other elected body, except for certain executive or administrative duties that are assigned to the manager. However, the manager always is employed at the pleasure of the elected body.
- The manager is allocated their functions in codified form by the city charter or other law, not assigned them
ad hoc
by a mayor.
- The manager must be responsible to, hired by, and can be dismissed only by the entire council, not one individual, such as a mayor or chairperson.
This system of government is used in 40.1% of
American
cities with populations of 2,500 or more, according to the 2011 Municipal Yearbook published by ICMA.
[9]
History in the United States
[
edit
]
The concept of the council?manager form of government was a product of a confluence of the prevailing modes of thought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
[10]
Probably the foremost influence was the
Progressive Movement
; following along the thought lines of the movement, the municipal reformers of that time wanted to rid municipalities of the pervasive "
political machine
" form of government and the abuses of the
spoils system
. The thought was to have a politically impartial administrator or manager to carry out the administrative function.
Staunton, Virginia
, is credited as the first American city to appoint a city manager, which it did in 1908.
[11]
This appointment attracted attention to the fledgling profession and caught the eye of
Richard S. Childs
, who would become known as the "father" of the council?manager form of government.
[10]
[12]
The first large city to adopt the council?manager form was
Dayton, Ohio
, in 1913.
Ohio
Progressives
organizing for the city manager plan also prioritized
Proportional representation
and
Single transferable vote
, with adoptions in
Ashtabula
,
Cincinnati
,
Cleveland
,
Hamilton
, and
Toledo
.
[13]
The council?manager form of government developed, at least in part, as a response to some perceived limitations of the
city commission government
form. Since it relies on candidates being elected at-large, minority populations are often unable to elect candidates of their choice. In addition, it may concentrate too much power in individual commissioners, who also manage city departments. The council?manager form became the preferred alternative for progressive reform. After
World War I
, few cities adopted the commission form and many cities using the commission plan switched to the council?manager form.
[
citation needed
]
By 2001, 3,302 cities with a population over 2,500 and 371 counties used the council?manager system.
Phoenix, Arizona
, is the largest city in the United States to retain a council?manager government.
[14]
Since the turn of the 21st century, there have been studies about hybrid forms of local governments that take elements of both council?manager and
mayor?council
forms. The cities that have modified their organizational structure from one of the pure forms have been called "adaptive" forms.
[15]
History in the Republic of Ireland
[
edit
]
Following the turmoil of
World War I
(1914?1918), the
1916 rising
, the
Irish War of Independence
(1919?1921), and the
Irish Civil War
(1921?1923), the Irish government found it necessary to remove the members of several local authorities and replace them temporarily by paid commissioners.
Both Dublin and Cork city councils were so removed. In both cities, there was a body of opinion that the services provided by the councils were delivered more efficiently and fairly under the commissioners than under the previous system, where the executive function had been, in effect, vested in the councils and their committees.
In 1926, a committee of commercial and industrial interests in Cork came together to consider a scheme of city government. Having regard to the city's experience of commissioners and recent experience in the United States a council?manager plan of city government was proposed.
After discussion between the minister for local government and local representatives, the minister, Richard Mulcahy, introduced as a government measure, the
Cork City Management Bill 1929
and it became law despite opposition. The minister proposed and the
Oireachtas
enacted similar provision for Dublin City in 1930. Similar laws were passed for Limerick in 1934 and Waterford in 1939 under the
Fianna Fail
government.
Under the
County Management Act 1940
, which was brought into operation in August 1942, a
county manager
is the manager of every
borough
or
town
in that county, but since the 1990s, has the power to delegate these functions to any other officer of that borough or town council.
The system was modified also in subsequent legislation, particularly the
City and County Management (Amendment) Act 1955
, which made some adjustments to give greater power to the council members, and the
Local Government Act 1985
, which provided for the council?manager system in
Galway City
once detached for local government purposes from
County Galway
.
The above acts have been replaced since that time, in substantially the same form, by the
Local Government Act 2001
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Svara, James H. (21 October 2008). "Strengthening Local Government Leadership and Performance: Reexamining and Updating the Winter Commission Goals".
Public Administration Review
.
68
: S37?S49.
doi
:
10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00977.x
.
- ^
"Cities 101 ? Forms of Municipal Government"
. 21 October 2016.
- ^
"Council-manager government"
.
- ^
Local Government Management, ICMA
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"ICMA information brochure"
. Archived from
the original
on 2006-09-04
. Retrieved
2009-12-19
.
- ^
ICMA forms of government
- ^
"2011 Municipal Yearbook"
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-03-13
. Retrieved
2019-01-03
.
- ^
a
b
Stillman, Richard J. (1974).
The Rise of the City Manager: A Public Professional in Local Government.
Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
- ^
"Staunton, Virginia: Birthplace of the Council Manager Form of Government"
. City of Staunton. Archived from
the original
on November 20, 2005
. Retrieved
2008-11-11
.
- ^
Ammons, David N. and Charldean Newell. (1989).
City Executives: Leadership Roles, Work Characteristics, and Time Management.
State University of NY Press.
- ^
Barber, Kathleen L. (1995).
Proportional Representation and Election Reform in Ohio
. pp. 59?60.
- ^
"From the Mayor's Office"
. City of Phoenix. Archived from
the original
on 2008-08-22
. Retrieved
2008-09-04
.
- ^
Carr, Jered B.
; Karuppusamy, Shanthi (July 2008). "The Adapted Cities Framework".
Urban Affairs Review
.
43
(6): 875?86.
doi
:
10.1177/1078087407311396
.
S2CID
153593604
.
Bibliography
[
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]
External links
[
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]