Weak Mayor form of government



Forms of Administration for North Carolina Municipalities

North Carolina law permits cities, towns, and villages to use either of two forms of administration: mayor-council or council-manager. In the mayor-council form the governing board is not only responsible for policy making but also day-to-day administration of the town, including hiring and firing town employees. (In national terms, this is a “weak mayor,” system, in which the mayor presides at council meetings but has no executive power.) Under the council-manager form the governing board is responsible for policy-making while the manager is responsible for policy implementation and for managing the employees and operation of the town. Some mayor-council towns use a hybrid model in which the board hires a town administrator whose job is similar to a manager; however, the administrator’s authority is by delegation from the board rather than by statute.

In the mayor-council form of administration, the mayor is the recognized head or spokesperson of town government and presides at council meetings; the mayor, however, usually votes only in the event of a tie and has no power to veto actions of the council. (Some mayors are elected by the board from among its members and retain the right to vote on all matters; in addition, a few mayors in mayor-council towns are given by charter the right to vote on all matters.) More informally, the mayor often exercises considerable influence and helps coordinate and build consensus among council members. In some mayor-council towns, the governing board delegates supervision of individual departments to separate board members or to small committees of board members.

The council-manager form of administration emerged during the Progressive Era. The second Model City Charter, propounded by the National Municipal League in 1919, recommended the council-manager plan as the preferred municipal form of government. In this form, the governing board appoints a manager who serves at the board’s pleasure, has executive authority, prepares the budget, and oversees town employees and operations. In theory, managers are responsible for administrative decision-making and supervising municipal employees while the board is responsible for policy creation. However, many researchers suggest that the manager’s role has expanded to include making policy recommendations to the board and building consensus. In a 1996 survey, 94.9 percent of managers responded that they “play a significant role in policy initiation through advice and recommendations to the body” (DeSantis, Leal, 1998).

- Nalbandian (1989) found that city managers play a larger role in policy making than might be expected. He cites research suggesting that as political representation has become more diverse, managers often find themselves in a behind-the-scenes negotiating role. He also cites Hale (1989) who found in her study of five city managers in Los Angeles County that 78 percent of the manager’s time was spent in contact with someone.

- A 1999 study of council manager cities by Svara found: “…the boundary line between the council and the city manager is increasingly blurred and shifting to include more administration and management in the council’s sphere and more mission formulation in the city manager’s.”

As with the mayor-council form of government, the mayor’s formal role in a council-manager city is quite limited; this official presides at council meetings, usually votes only to break ties, and has no independent executive or legislative authority. A number of studies, however, have found that some mayors exercise a more robust role.

- Wikstrom (1979) found that mayors in council-managers cities actually played a larger role than city charters would suggest. He interviewed 41 mayors in council-manager cities and found that they played significant roles in policy development and constituent relations. “Two-thirds of the mayors felt that their legislative role is of greater policy impact than as is suggested by the charter.”

- A 1987 study by Svara found that mayors in council manager cities can play a coordinating role “in which the mayor pulls together the parts of council-manager government to improve their interaction.”

Possible effects of choosing mayor-council or council-manager

Effects within the organization

Managers typically have administrative expertise, and many are members of the International City and County Management Association and thereby bound by that organization’s code of ethics. In addition, many have graduate degrees in administration or management. In a mayor-council form, council members are more likely to be elected based on their policy positions than their administrative skills. In addition, in the mayor-council form there is a greater likelihood that employment decisions are based on political considerations rather than performance.

In the mayor-council form, executive authority rests with the entire council, which may make it difficult to monitor individual council member’s performance.

In the mayor-council form, council members usually have other jobs, thus limiting the amount of time they can spend in their roles as day-to-day overseers of town operations.

Administration by committee (that is, the council) can be more difficult than administration by a single officer (that is, the manager), especially if there are serious disagreements within the council.

The council-manager form may reduce tension among council members. A 2003 study by Svara found that “In large cities, 25% of the council manager form of government consider council member conflict a problem versus mayor council, where 41% of the council members consider conflict an issue”

Effects vis-à-vis citizens

The mayor-council form can facilitate political responsiveness because elected officials have direct oversight of both policymaking and day-to-day operations.

Managers may be able to improve the functionality of the council by bringing a more strategic, long-term viewpoint (especially if council turnover is high).

Effects on the cost of government

A city using the council-manager form must pay for a manager’s salary, benefits, and retirement.

Managers may be able to trim costs and make government more efficient. Caver (1996), however, cites evidence to suggest that “the form of government has no statistically significant effect on local government efficiency.” He does report that council-manager cities are more likely to make “non-incremental budgetary change,” and he concludes that “…council-manager localities will be better able to address public demands and take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace.”

Smaller communities using the council-manager form may have to deal with frequent turnover as managers advance in their career and move to larger cities.

Questions for boards considering changing their form of administration

Set out below are questions the School of Government recommends for councils to consider when thinking about hiring an administrator or manager. Hiring an administrator can often be a “first step” towards hiring a manager.

- Is the community growing?

- Is the town providing services that need better oversight and coordination?

- Are operations inefficient?

- Is there a need for more long-range planning?

- Are elected officials becoming overwhelmed by the amount of information or time required to run a town?

-Are things falling through the cracks?

- Is the governing board willing to make policy and leave implementation to manager?

Bibliography

Carver, Floun’say R. (2006). “Beyond Efficiency: Flexibility and the Realized Potential of Council-Manager Government.” Public Management. September. p. 7-10.

DeSantis, Victor; Leal, Robin.(1998). “The Manager’s Role at Century’s End.” Public Management. p. 10-16.

Feiock, Richard C; Jeong, Moon-Gi; Kim, Jaehoon.(2003). “Credible Commitment and Council Manager Government: Implications for Policy Instrument Choices.” Public Administration Review, 63 (5): 616-625.

Nalbandian, John.(1989). “The Contemporary Role of City Managers.” American Review of Public Administration, 19 (4): 261-278.

Protter, Howard. (2006) “Alternate Forms of City Government. Remarks to city of Newburgh Charter Review Commission” Educational Session, September 28, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2008 from

Romanet, Andrew L. Jr. (2007) “Governance in Mayor-Council Cities.” County and Municipal Government in North Carolina. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Government.

Stenberg, Carl W. III. “Leading and Governing in Council-Manager Counties and Cities.” County and Municipal Government in North Carolina. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Government.

Svara, James H. (1987). “Mayoral Leadership in Council-Manager Cities: Preconditions Versus Preconceptions.” The Journal of Politics, 49 (1): 207-227.

Svara, James H. (1999). “The Shifting Boundary Between Elected Officials and City Managers in Large Council-Manager Cities.” Public Administration Review, 59 (1): 44-53.

Svara, James H. (2003). “Two Decades of Continuity and Change in American City Councils.” Commissioned by the National League of Cities. Retrieved February 25, 2008 from:

Wade, Beth. (1998) “May I Speak with the Manager?” American City & County. p. 27-36

Wikstrom, Nelson. (1979). “The Mayor as a Policy Leader in the Council-Manager Form of Government: A View from the Field.” Public Administration Review, 39 (3): 270-276.

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