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Forms of Local Government <br /> <br />Council Manager <br /> [n the council-manager form of <br />.government, the council is the governing <br />body of' the city elected by the public, and <br />the manager is hired by council to carry out <br />the policies it establishes. The council <br />usually consists of five to nine members <br />including a mayor (or council president) <br />who is either selected by the council or <br />elected by the people as defined in the city <br />charter. The size of the council is generally <br />smaller than that of a mayor-council <br />municipality, and council elections are <br />usually nonpartisan. <br /> The council provides legislative <br />direct/on while the manager is responsible <br />iYr day-to-day administrative operation of <br />th~ city based on the council's <br />recommendations. The mayor and council <br />as a collegial body are responsible for <br />setting policy, approving the budget, and <br />cletermming the tax rate. The manager <br />serve:; as the council's chief advisor. <br />Managers also serve at the pleasure of the <br />council and are responsible for preparing <br />the budget, directing day-to*day operations, <br />ami hiring and firing personnel. <br /> Typically, the mayor is recognized <br />as the political head of the municipality, but <br />is a member of the legislative body and does <br />not have the power to veto legislative <br />actions. <br /> <br />The Cmmcil-Mannger Form <br /> <br /> VOTERS <br /> <br /> [COUNCIL [ <br /> <br />PARTIvIENT I-IEADS <br /> <br />Mayor-Council <br /> The mayor-council (council-elected <br />executive counties) form of government is <br />the form that most closely parallels the <br />American federal government, with an <br />elected legislature and a separately elected <br />executive. <br /> The mayor or elected executive is <br />designated as the head of the city or county <br />government. The extent of his or her <br />authority can range from purely ceremonial <br />to functions to full-scale responsibility for <br />day-to-day operations. But the mayor's or <br />elected executive's duties and powers <br />generally include the following: hiring and <br />firing department heads, preparation and <br />administration of the budget, and veto <br />power (which may be overridden) over acts <br />of legislature. The legislature has the <br />following responsibilities: adoption of the <br />budget, passage of resolutions with <br />legislation, auditing the performance of the <br />government, and adoption of general policy <br />positions. <br /> In some communities the mayor or <br />executive may assume a larger policy- <br />making role, and responsibility for day-to- <br />day operations is delegated to an <br />adrmnistrator appointed by and responsible <br />to the chief executive. <br /> <br />The Mayor-Council Form <br /> <br />VOTERS <br /> <br />COUNCIL <br /> <br />-41- <br /> <br /> <br />