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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDon Mayor-City Manager Structu DRAFT THE ASHLAND CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE THE MAYOR-CITY MANAGER STRUCTURE, THE ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS AND THE MAYORAL VETO POWER AND ABILITY TO VOTE ON COUNCIL ISSUES November 18, 2004 Prepared By Hal Bashaw Hal Cloer Donald Montgomery THE MAYOR-CITY MANAGER STRUCTURE, THE ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS AND THE MAYORAL VETO POWER AND ABILITY TO VOTE ON COUNCIL ISSUES ? The Issues. The City of Ashland has, from it's inception, used a variation of the Strong Mayor form of government, involving a City Administrator with the responsibility for the general administrative coordination of all City departments (except Parks, Hospital and Library). At issue is whether this form of government remains viable for the City, or if another form of government will better serve the needs of the City now, and in the future. A companion issue pertains to the veto power of the mayor and the matter of the mayoral vote on council issues. At present the Ashland mayor may veto a council decision, and only votes in the event of a tie. Is this arrangement satisfactory and will it continue to be so in the future? Will a change in the form of the City government necessitate a change in the voting and veto powers of the mayor? ? Background. Over the past several decades, four basic forms of municipal/city government have evolved. Structurally, these forms are shown in Figures 1 and 2. These basic forms are the Weak Mayor Form, the Strong Mayor Form, a Council-Manager (Administrator) Form, and a Commission Form. There are hybrid forms which may posses some of the characteristics of two or more of these basic forms. In the Weak Mayor Form, the mayor is the ceremonial head Of the city, and the presiding officer of the council. The mayor does not appoint administrative personnel, has no special administrative responsibility and has no power to veto ordinances adopted by the council. Most small cities in Oregon have this form of government. The other mayor-council form of government differs from the "weak mayor" form mainly by making the mayor the chief executive of the city. This is the Strong Mayor Form. The mayor has the power to appoint all or most administrative personnel of the city and has general responsibility for proper administration of the city. In addition, the mayor is the ceremonial head of the city and presides at council meetings, and usually has the power to veto ordinances adopted by the council. In the Council-Manager Form of government the council is the legislative and basic policy-making body of the city. The city manager is responsible for administration of the affairs of the city and appoints all other city administrative personnel. The manager serves at the pleasure of the council. The council may deal with administrative personnel only through the manager. A few cities have what may be characterized as a city administrator form of government. While this form resembles council-manager government, it differs from that form mainly in requiring city council approval of the administrator's appointment of other administrative personnel. Ashland remains one of the few cities in Oregon with populations over 10,000, with a version of this form of government. In the commission form of government there is no separation of legislative from administrative powers. A board of three or five popularly elected commissioners is the legislative and basic policy-making body of the city, and each commissioner heads an administrative department of the city. Portland is the only city in Oregon with this form of government. The League of Oregon Cities Model Charter For Oregon Cities provides for the Council-Manager form of government. Under the Model Charter, all powers of the city are expressly vested in a city council consisting of six elected councilors and an elected mayor. The mayor presides over the council and has a right to vote on all matters before the council and is the political head of the city government. The mayor would have no administrative, executive or legislative power except as part of the council. Under the Model Charter, a city manager is appointed by the city council who is charged with the responsibility of carrying out all the powers and functions of city government and city enterprises, in accordance with policies set by the council, and by the provisions of ordinances and state law. The city manager has the authority necessary to accomplish the functions for which he/she has been charged by the council. The city manager may be terminated by the city council by a simple majority vote. ? The Pros. ? The Cons. ? Budget Implications. ? References And Attachments. Attachment 1: Figure 1 and Figure 2 ? Summary.