Agenda - Charter Commission - 01/20/2005

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CASE CONSIDER CITY MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT By: James E. NOrman, City Administrator and - William IC Goodrich, City 'AttOrney Background: Chairperson Vogt had requested this item be placed back on the Commission's agenda. The Charter Commission first began discussion of this item back in 1998. The Chmter Commission did discuss the City Manager form of Govenunent in 1998, 1999, and again in 2002. The item was originally proposed by then Commissioner Susan Anderson. it was reported by the City Administrator in January of 1999, that a survey of 21 comparably based sized cities in the northwest quadrant of the metropolitan area found five cities with administrator form of government and 16 cities with the City Manager fonr~ of Government. An explanation Was made to the Charter Commission in 1999 regarding the differences between a City Administrator and City Manager form of Govermnent. Staffprovided a League of Minnesota Cities research that provides a description of the differences as reVised .in August 2000. Staff is including all the inforrnation fi'om the August 15, 2002 case for CommissiOn review. The information booklet from the League of Minnesota cities entitled City Administrator: Clerk, Administrator, Manager is not included as it is quite outdated. Staff instead, is attaching the booklet - same title - dated April 2004. The differences between the City Administrator and City Manager can be found in the attached description. Tim fo Ilowing paragraphs are actually Copied fi'om the July 2002 Case Cover Sheet: A City Administrator position;is not required by state statute, but has been created by ordinance or resolution by the City. The history of the City Administrator position is less defined then the history of either the City Clerk or Manager positions. In Minnesota, the position has apparently grown out of the City Clerk position. As the City's operations grow in complexity, it became unrealistic for 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 Govenm~ent is lmown as the Council-Manager plan. h~ 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 councihnembers fi'om interfering with the