Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/09/2025

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Achievement of the organizational goal is hampered or disrupted if disputes are not addressed as part of the process. The city manager may use both formal authority, or informal mediation or persuasion to resolve conflicts. The city manager may need to make decisions about a project that have two conflicting viewpoints, for example, the need to provide physical access to a sculpture, weighed against cost or public safety concerns. Resource allocator role: The resource allocator role recognizes that limited resources must be distributed properly in order to achieve the desired outcomes. The allocation of time and financial resources must address both urgent as well as long term needs. For example, devoting personnel and budgets to fight crime in the short term, must be balanced against the need of the city to establish place making art installations as part of urban renewal projects. Negotiator role: In the negotiator role, the manager must bargain formally and informally to achieve desired outcomes. For example, the manager may need to negotiate a land lease or maintenance contract for a public art installation. On the other hand, promotional or fund raising events may be managed more informally, with each party providing a commensurate level of support based upon their interest level and available resources. Policy role: Finally, the policy role recognizes the fact that the manger recommends, shapes, and implements public policy. The nature of a manager's relationships and skill set will help determine the scope and nature of how policy direction is put into practice. For example, the city manager may want to avoid the city incurring any long-term maintenance responsibilities and, therefore, pursue agreements with other parties to assume these responsibilities. These type of policy consideration are shaped and managed on a day-to-day basis by the city manager and occur both formally and informally. 68