Municipal Government

1
Municipal Government

• A coordinating agency that provides needed and
  desired services that no one else can provide in
  as an efficient and effective manner.
• Like police and fire.

2
Municipal Government

• Render services demanded by public
• Government agencies may not make a profit on
  citizens.
• Therefore, when structured like the most
  efficient organizations, will be cheaper for
  citizens.
• Business operates to show a profit. Govt
  measurement of success is if we keep children
  healthy, if we educate children, if we have good
  roads.
• Higher accountability than private sector

3
Municipal Government

• Services, like criminal justice, are hard to
  measure.
• Desire for a professional civil service work
  force.
• Desire little turnover rather than one composed
  of high turnover amateurs in a constant state of
  trying to learn the job.

4
General Law City

• General Law Cities are those less than 5,000
  population.
• Most Texas cities (more than 800) are general law
  whose powers are limited by the Texas Legislature.

5
Home Rule

• Home Rule Cities. Those Texas cities 5,000 and
  up in population (about 350 in 1999) may elect to
  be home rule cities by adopting a charter
  (constitution) created by city citizens.
• Allows city to do anything it chooses as long as
  not against the U. S. or state constitutions.
• By incorporating with a charter the city is
  independent of the surrounding county government.

6
Home Rule

• Began in Missouri in 1875
• Reverses Dillons Rule concept in 1911 that
  argued
• City only has those powers specifically granted
  in a charter.
• Home rule states that a home rule city can
  exercise any power not prohibited by charter.

7
Strong Mayor Council Plan

• Mayor in charge of citys executive branch
  similar to a president being in charge of the
  federal executive branch.
• Examples are New York, Chicago, Houston El
  Paso.
• Nations largest cities prefer this government.

8
Strong Mayor Council Plan

• Mayor has real power to manage the bureaucracy
  his/her way, and to appoint and dismiss all
  department heads.
• Mayor hires a chief administrative officer (CAO)
  to run the city for the mayor.
• Mayor has control over the budget preparation and
  has veto power over council actions. Mayor
  elected city-wide.

9
Strong Mayor Council Plan

• Executive and legislative functions are separate
  and distinct.
• Advantages
• one person to blame.
• provides strong leadership in large complex
  cities.

10
Strong Mayor Council Plan

• Disadvantages
• (1) Council (legislature) has no power to direct
  day to day activities of the executive branch.
  Members do not have the power vested in the
  mayor
• (2) Mayor is an amateur who knows nothing about
  the details of running complex cities.

11
Strong Mayor Council Plan

• (3) Executive branch jobs are not based on the
  merit system and occupant serves at the pleasure
  of the mayor
• (4) hard to get qualified people to run for
  office.

12
Council-Manager Plan

• Developed in Virginia in early part of 20th
  century.
• Texas first used in 1913 in Amarillo.
• Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio are
  examples of large cities that use it.
• Most popular form of city government used in the
  U.S. (53)

13
Council-Manager Plan

• No two council-manager cities are exactly alike
  in structure.
• Because each is defined by the local community in
  its constitution known as a charter.
• There are from 9 to 15 elected council members
  chosen from single member districts in
  non-partisan elections.

14
Council-Manager Plan

• Sometimes the mayor is chosen by the council from
  its membership, while sometimes the mayor is
  elected city-wide.
• Sometimes a charter permits a mayor to vote and
  sometimes not.

15
Council-Manager Plan

• The council develops policy, organizes
  departments, approves budgets, raises taxes,
  borrows money, and oversight power of city
  agencies.
• Council hires a professional city manager to
  manage city agencies.

16
Council-Manager Plan

• 9/2002, Ft. Worth city manager is a big job.
  Supervises 5,200 earned 187,000. Budget in
  FY2003-2004 is 726 million.
• Dallas city manager earns 230,000. Arlington
  earns 180,000. North Richland Hills earns
  130,000.

17
Where does FTW tax money go?
18
Council-Manager Plan

• Advantages (1) allows separation of politics and
  administration so as much as possible to avoid
  political manipulation.
• (2) Allows the hiring of a professional
  administrator (city manager) to conduct the day
  to day conduct of city government with a minimum
  of political interference.
• (3) City workers are hired and fired based on the
  merit system.

19
Council-Manager Plan

• Disadvantage ...
• Potential that since the council hires and fires
  the city manager that they will only hire a yes
  man.

20
Weak Mayor Council Plan

• Mayor is weak because is only one of many
  decision makers.
• Mayor has little control over policy or
  implementation.
• Mayor has little appointment power.
• Mayor lacks bureaucrat removal power.

21
Weak Mayor Council Plan

• Mayor has limited budget powers.
• Mayor shares power in directing city
  administration with other council members and
  other elected officials.

22
Weak Mayor Council Plan

• Too many chiefs. Many other elected posts
  compete with the mayor.
• All of government subject to political
  manipulation, since many posts are elected.

23
Weak Mayor Council Plan

• Many department heads are political appointees
  who got jobs often because of who they know.
• The merit system, with a professional civil
  service, requires one to get job based on what
  one knows once hired can only be dismissed for
  cause.

24
Weak Mayor Council Plan

• Plan came from early 1800s during President
  Jackson era.
• Attempted to diffuse power so that no one person
  had too much power to do harm.
• Council is both the legislative and executive
  body. Lines are blurred.

25
Commission Plan

• Each commissioner is elected in a non-partisan
  election to be the head of an agency.
• Usually 5 commissioners are elected.
• Today in Texas there are usually only 2 elected.
• The commission is both the legislative and the
  executive branch.

26
Commission Plan

• Commissioners viewed as policy makers, not
  administrators.
• Amateurs directing the administration of complex
  city programs.
• Multi headed monster often lacking in
  coordination.

27
Commission Plan

• All of government is subject to political
  manipulation, rather than under a merit system.
• Much buck passing. Dont blame me, Im only
  responsible for the police department.
• No single individual can be identified as being
  in charge.

28
Commission Plan

• Minimal oversight of budget and executive branch
  implementation of policy.
• Started in Galveston, Texas after a hurricane
  disaster early in 20th century when the
  government in power failed to adequately respond
  to the crisis.

29
Commission Plan

• Citizens viewed that this form would be more
  responsive than the government that managed the
  hurricane disaster.
• Due to its failures, few remaining Texas cities
  use the commission form of government.