Minutes - Charter Commission - 07/18/2002

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of the City Clerk position. As the City's operations grow in complexity, it became unrealistic £or the elected body to oversee day-to-day operations. In a step to move towards delegating many of these functions, many City Councils have chosen to create the position of City Administrator. The City Manager position is found in Plan B statutory cities and in many home rule Charter cities. This form of Government is known as the Council-Manager plan. In this type of Government, the council exercises the legislative power of the city and determines all matters of policy, similar to a board of directors in a private sector company. The City Manager formulates policy recommendations to the city council, and administers and implements the policies-much as a CEO would do in a private sector company. The City Manager is responsible for the administration of all City business, and is answerable to the council. The law prohibits the Council as a whole or any of the individual councilmembers from interfering with the manager's prerogative to hire employees. It also prohibits any individual councilmember from attempting to deal with or control any administrative person who is subordinate to the manager. Instead, the Council must observe all of its controls through the manager. This provision, however, does not prohibit individual councilmembers from obtaining information pertaining to city business from employees other than the manager. Changing the form of government would require changes in City Charter Chapter 2 (FORM OF GOVERNMENT). The Charter Commission may consider changes to City Charter Chapter 2 (FORM OF GOVERNMENT) section by consideration of a voter referendum to approve a City Manager form of government. Chairperson Vogt inquired if the title would change from City Administrator to City Manager. City Administrator Norman replied yes. Commissioner LaMere stated that currently the City Administrator is responsible to the Council, and inquired as to who would the City Manager be responsible to. Chairperson Vogt replied that the City Manager would still be responsible to the City Council, but the City Manager would deal with the personnel issues rather than the Council. City Administrator Norman explained that in a City Manager form a government the Council is not as involved with day to day operations. Commissioner Ebel inquired if the Council would no longer have input over who is hired and who is fired. City Administrator Norman replied that the only person the Council would hire is the City Manager. Commissioner Ebel stated that she would favor the Council having some authority. Mr. Kiefer spoke in favor of the change. He stated that the City Manager form of government provides a much clearer chain of command. Currently the City has five council members and they might give an employee direction that is not the same as the City Administrator. It becomes an awkward situation. He thought it would take a lot of confusion out of the process. It Charter Commission/July 18, 2002 Page 18 of 22