Acity manager is an appointed municipal official who carries out the administrative and executive duties of a city government. In some municipalities, the position is also known as a chief administrative officer.^[1]

The city manager is not an elected position. Rather, the holder of this office serves at the pleasure of the mayor and/or city council, which retains the legal right to dismiss and replace them.^[2]

Generally, cities that usecouncil-manager forms of government employ city managers.^[2] However, somemayor-council government cities, such asFresno, California andHouston, Texas also utilize city managers.^[3][4]

Responsibilities

Some of the basic features and responsibilities of city managers in cities throughout the United States include the following:^[5][6][7]

• Appointed and dismissed by city council.
• Responsible for drafting and proposing a balanced city budget.
• Responsible for amending the city budget as dictated by city council.
• Responsible for appointing departmental heads and directors (sometimes with the approval of city council).
• Responsible for implementing and enforcing council policies and legislative initiatives.

History

The city manager position originated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then, most cities utilized aweak mayor-council form of municipal government in which all executive, legislative, and administrative powers were invested in city councils. Though most of these governments also featured a mayor, the role was primarily a ceremonial one with duties that included ribbon-cutting events and presiding over official city events such as festivals and parades.^[8]

In the late nineteenth century, cities began experimenting with other types of municipal government.^[9] In fact, a reform movement took hold in cities all throughout the United States in response to what many saw as the inefficiency of early weak mayor-council governments and their failure to break the power of the political bosses and machines that, at the time, dominated American politics. A major development that emerged out of this reform movement was the council-manager government in which city councils were required to hire a professional administrator, who would be responsible for municipal finances, the implementation and enforcement of law, and basic city administration. This professional administrator gradually became known as a city manager.^[9][10]

Hiring process

The hiring process for a city manager is comparable to that of a corporate chief executive officer. It begins with general discussions amongst city council members, potentially in consultation with voters and professional consultants. After a hiring notice is drafted and distributed to professional organizations, the process then moves to a multistage interview process that includes a review of applications and onsite interviews with qualified candidates. The process ends with a vote taken by city council.^[5]

Statistics

Typically, modern city managers have specific qualifications. Most have a Master's in Public Administration or Business Administration. A 2012 survey found that the average city manager is male, Caucasian, aged 51-60, has a Master's degree, serves for slightly longer than seven years and makes approcimately $111,000 per year.^[11]

See also

• Municipal Government
• Mayor
• City
• County executive
• Mayor-council government
• Council-manager government

Footnotes