Frederickson, H. George, Curtis Wood, and Brett Logan. George, and Gary Alan Johnson. Hill, Jr. Washington, D. Moulder, Evelina. National League of Cities. Choices of the Citizenry: Forms of Municipal Government. Under the council-manager statutes, the city council is prohibited from interfering with the manager's administration.
The city manager, however, is directly accountable to and can be removed by a majority vote of the council at any time. The council-manager form aims to improve public services and make them more efficient by introducing professional management and removing politics from the day-to-day administration.
This is based on the model of a business with a board of directors that appoints a chief executive officer; another familiar public example is the school board-superintendent relationship. However, as noted earlier quite a few mayor-council cities have hired professional administrators to work toward similar goals.
In council-manager cities, a ceremonial mayor presides at council meetings and is recognized as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes but has no regular administrative duties. The mayor is generally selected by the city council and this person must also be a councilmember.
According to the provisions of RCW 35A. While the commission form of government is still common among counties, it is now largely obsolete among cities. There are no longer any commission cities in Washington; the last remaining commission city — Shelton, which also employed a city administrator — switched to a council-manager system in The basic structure and organization of the commission form of government is laid out in chapter The commission form provides for the election of three commissioners who function collectively as the city's legislative body and individually as city department heads.
The public safety commissioner also serves as mayor but essentially has the same powers as the other commissioners, with no veto power and no authority over other departments. Cities with local charters can adopt a form of government that does not necessarily adhere to the statutory rules. First class cities and optional municipal code cities with a population over 10, may use charters to establish their form of government.
However, only one code city Kelso has done this. Below are links to all city charters adopted in Washington, along with the dates they were originally adopted. Any city may change its form of government and adopt another authorized form of government. In general, the procedure may be initiated either by a resolution adopted by the city council or by a petition process, both of which are then followed by an election on the issue of reorganizing under a different form of government.
The procedures differ slightly depending on the type classification of the city or town. Non-code cities and towns can adopt or abandon the council-manager form of government through chapter MRSC has developed a sample petition for use by code cities. It is worded to reflect a change from the mayor-council form of government to council-manager but can be easily revised for a change from council-manager to mayor-council if desired.
This is also true for most charter counties that have county councils, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Whatcom counties.
Administrative authority is vested in a directly elected mayor sometimes called a "strong mayor" or county executive. Mayors in second class mayor-council cities and code mayor-council cities may veto ordinances but the mayor's veto can be overruled by two-thirds vote of the council. Council-Manager Form of Government: All legislative and policy powers are vested in the city council.
The council hires a professional city manager, who heads the administrative branch of government, to carry out the policies the council develops. The mayor is usually selected by the city council from among its members, although in a few larger cities such as Tacoma, Vancouver, and Olympia , the voters directly elect the mayor through provisions of a charter or through RCW 35A.
The mayor's responsibilities are primarily to preside at council meetings and to act as head of the city for ceremonial purposes and for purposes of military law.
The mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have any veto power. Political skills possessed by the mayor can be helpful in bringing parties together in the policy development process.
Currently, the only county that has adopted this organizational model is Clark County, which is in the process of transition. San Juan County has adopted a hybrid form that includes a county manager position but retains much of the commission form as well. Commission Form of Government: In the commission form of government, one elective body includes the executive, legislative, and administrative functions of government. No cities in Washington operate under a commission form of government any more, but 32 of the 39 counties in Washington use a commission form of government.
The board of commissioners sits as a body, passes laws, and makes policy. Clallam County's home rule charter established a county administrator to assist the commissioners, but both the executive and legislative functions are retained by the commissioners. What Staff Needs to Know about Elected Officials Policy development processes are most effective and productive when key players work well together. Elected officials have different needs than staff.
To be effective, elected officials must be responsive to the needs of their constituents. Concerns for "fairness" and "minority views" may outweigh issues of effectiveness or efficiency.
Elected officials want to know where various groups stand on an issue. This information is important in attempting to balance the conflicting values that often come into play during the policymaking process. Elected officials do not like surprises. This is particularly true at the end of a long and arduous process.
A staff member's credibility can be seriously undermined if key interests introduce relevant, new information at a final public hearing before action is to be taken. Councilmembers depend on staff to provide pertinent, timely, and complete information on issues the council must take under consideration.
Elected officials like to have choices. No one likes to feel backed into a corner with only one solution. Even a brilliant staff proposal may not carry the day if other choices were not seriously considered. Staff can be an enormous help. Staff can set an example by showing how compromise can be reached on thorny issues.
What Elected Officials Need to Know about Staff Some key staff belong to national and state associations that hold members to professional and ethical standards. Asking staff to help on certain political matters, such as election and ballot campaigns, puts them in a difficult position. State laws also significantly limit the use of public resources for campaign issues.
Explore challenging issues with staff and encourage their creativity.
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