Outline and describe the three major ways of organizing a city government? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Council Manager
Voters
Council
Mayor
City Manager
City Departments
Strong Mayor Council
Voters
Council
Mayor
City Departments
Weak Mayor Council
Voters
Council
Mayor
Treasurer
Clerk
City Departments
A city with a council manager style government is the most popular among Michigan cities. This type of government allows for the citizens to elect the council, who then appoints a city manager. The manager is an expert in law, public administration, and/or finance and civil engineering. He/she serves an indefinite term, and can be fired if the council saw fit to appoint someone else. City council handles legislations and policy making while the manager handles the daily operations of the city.
Advantages with the council-manager government make it simple for voters to understand. Daily operations are compacted into a single entity known as the manager.
Ron Thomas speaks to the Fullerton City Council an...
Mayor Kline (LOC)
Mayor of North Sydney Ald. Primrose cutting RibbonThe council enforces upon the manager, responsibilities and duties that may be enforced upon them by the voters. This cuts down on delays of things getting accomplished in the city. The disadvantages of this style of government presents the problem of not having strong leadership within the city and that too much power is given to a manager. The manager is not elected into office so the manager holds no direct responsibility to the voters and would not have direct power to remove the person from their position.
The mayor-council form of government is the most common form of city government behind the council-manager. There are two types of mayor-council government, one being the strong-mayor type. This type gives the mayor more power over the city. For example the mayor can appoint or remove major department heads, has the power to veto acts of council as well...