FORMS OF CITY GOVERNMENT MARCH 22, 2016

Mayor-Council Form The mayor-council form of city government is a structure of municipal government in which the voters elect a mayor as the chief executive officer of the city and a council that serves as a legislative body. Houston has the mayor-council form.

Big city officials In big cities, the mayor in this form of government has a full-time job. Houston’s mayor earns $209,138 a year. Council members ($56 K) work many hours on city business as well. Who is this? Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

Variations Strong mayor The mayor is the foremost figure in city government, acting as both a political leader and the city's chief administrative officer. Strong Council The strong council variation of the mayor-council form of city government fragments political authority by forcing the mayor to share power with council and other elected officials, including, perhaps, a tax assessor, treasurer, and even a police chief. The mayor is a ceremonial figure with real power in the hands of the council. Houston uses the strong mayor variation.

Houston’s strong mayor  Prepares the budget  Appoints department heads (council confirmation)  Sets council agenda The council has final say on the budget, confirms department heads, and passes measures by majority vote.

Pros and Cons Pros  Provides for efficient government  Ensures accountability Cons  Strong mayor variation gives the mayor too much power What do we mean by accountability?

Popular nationwide The mayor council form of city government is used in many of the nation’s largest cities. In Texas, however, Houston is the only big city to use it. Who is this? Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City

Council-Manager Form The council-manager form of city government is a structure of municipal government in which the city council/mayor appoints a professional administrator, called a city manager, to act as the chief executive officer of the municipality.

Municipal Structures

Mayor and Manager The mayor is a ceremonial leader who presides at council meetings. The city manager runs the city departments. Mayor Castro resigned to take a position in the Obama administration as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Salaries of Municipal Officials

Pros and Cons Advocates say...  keeps politics out of administration and administrators out of politics  professional city manager can provide more efficient policy administration than a mayor with no admin- istrative experience. Critics charge...  may work fine for mid- size, uncomplicated cities but not for larger cities  big cities with diverse populations need the policy leadership of a strong mayor

Quiz Who appoints department heads in the city of Houston? A) Mayor B) City manager C) City council D) Comptroller The answer is A.

What You Have Learned  How are mayor-council cities organized?  What are the pros and cons of the mayor-council form?  How are council-manager cities organized?  What are the pros and cons of the council-manager form?