THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN OF GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION The city-manager plan was first used in Staunton, Va., in 1908. Since then many cities have adopted it. In this plan the people elect a small group or council to make city ordinances and to decide general matters of planning. They give to the council an important duty, which is to elect as the head of the city organization a manager who is especially well qualified by experience and training for that kind of work. The people authorize the council to pick the best man they can get, whether he lives in their own city or not. This city manager appoints the heads of departments and some of the other officers. The manager is responsible for the enforcement of the ordinances passed by the council. He reports to the council on the needs of the city and suggests plans as to how the city's money shall be spent and how improvements shall be made. In most cases he holds office as long as the council is pleased with his work. The people retain control over their city government because their council can dismiss the manager at any time. Furthermore, the members of the council are, in some cities, subject to recall by the voters. And, of course, they can be voted out of office at the next regular election if the people are not satisfied with them. (Study Figure 36.) ALL CITIES HAVE A SYSTEM OF COURTS Every city has some kinds of courts. Sometimes the judges of these courts are elected by the voters of the city, but sometimes they are appointed by the city council or commission, by the governor of the State, or by some other person or group to whom authority is delegated by the people for that purpose. WHAT KIND OF LAWS DOES A CITY MAKE? There are many kinds of city ordinances. Some of them are about the organization of the city government; others are about the raising and spending of money, the planning The City-Manager Form Of The Voters of the City elect A Small Commission which thoses The City Manager who, appoints Head of Head of Head of Figure 36 The City-Manager Form of City Government Organization and upkeep of public buildings, parks, and city streets, and still others are about such matters as water supply, drainage, and sewage. Many deal with the health, safety, and lives of the people. Other ordinances give permits to certain kinds of private businesses which serve the people. We have learned that sometimes private companies supply the city with gas, electric lights, telephones, streetcars, and busses. Each of these companies is required to get from the city government an operating permit called a franchise, which states its right to do business and is its authority to act. For example, if a streetcar or bus company wishes to run a new line through a city, it must get a franchise to do so from the city government. THE TEST OF A CITY GOVERNMENT No matter what the form of organization of a city government may be, the important thing is whether or not it reaches its objectives and gives the people what they need. The people of the city should be interested in knowing how their officials operate the government, in keeping themselves well informed, and in making known to the officials their real needs and wishes. They should use their final authority and speak their "last word" by voting intelligently and by putting and keeping honest and able men and women in public office. All of us should study our city governments, having in mind the following questions: 1. What is the general objective of the city government? 2. What are the objectives of the principal departments? 3. How is the government organized to reach these objectives? 4. Are the several departments and other parts of the government doing their work well and at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers? PROBLEMS OF MY CITY Think about the general conditions of your own city. Does it have good lights, good streets, clean alleys, and attractive parks? Does it have a traffic problem and are there enough policemen to enforce the laws and prevent accidents? Try to complete this chart. SOME PROBLEMS OF MY CITY ARE: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Figure 37 Work Project: Problems of My City THINGS TO DO Select the word or words which will finish each of the following statements correctly: 1. Three forms of city government organization are the 2. The oldest form of city government organization is the 3. City laws are called 4. The permit which the city may give to a private company to carry on a public service is called a 5. In the mayor-council plan of city government the chief executive officer is called the 6. The form of city government in which an elected group of representatives makes the city laws and each member of it acts as the head of an operating department is called a 7. In the mayor-council plan of city government the legislative body is generally called the 8. In the city-manager plan of government the person responsible for the business management of the city government is called the Questions about your city government (for students who live in cities): 1. What form of city government organization do you have? 2. What important officials do the people elect? 3. For how long a term does the mayor or manager of your city serve? 4. What departments are there in your city government organization? What are the chief objectives of each? |