Because of natural population growth, greater job opportunities and an influx of immigrants, cities and the surrounding suburban communities have become bigger and more complex to manage. They work in cities both large and small. The increase in demand for city manager jobs across the country has led to some schools offering training in city management or offering a certificate in city management as part of a Master of Public Administration MPA program.
City managers operate at the heart of municipal government, where efficient operations touch the day-to-day lives of people in the community. Job duties for a city manager typically include:. City managers focus on the practical, everyday responsibilities of running a city and long-range programs that benefit residents.
While people may equate city managers with large cities, any community can employ a city manager to ensure operations run smoothly. Skilled professionals are needed to take their place.
For many young professionals, working in public service means working at the federal or state level, not for local government. City manager salaries often depend on the size of the city or town where they work.
One aspect of the city management profession that may be different from other local government positions is that the jobs typically last about three to six years. In addition, most employers require at least five years of municipal government experience.
Before assuming a city manager role, professionals typically have backgrounds as an assistant city manager or department leader. Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, had to declare a local state of emergency in when a fire got so out of hand it burned more than 11, acres and was threatening lives, land, and structures. The declaration allowed for state and federal assistance. But mayors also get involved with less pressing but still important issues, including when community members are unhappy with local businesses.
McFarlane is currently serving her third term as mayor of Raleigh. City managers often play a more behind-the-scenes—but equally important—role. Ruffin L. His staff also conducts research, develops policies, and evaluates potential public programs. Request information about the MPA UNC program to learn how you can gain the skills you need to become a leader in the field.
There are three main forms of municipal government:. This is the most common form of local government and is the type used to govern most major cities in North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and Greensboro. The city council oversees local policy and budgets and appoints a professional city manager to handle administrative tasks on a day-to-day basis.
Typically, the mayor is a member of the city council. In this form of local government, the mayor is elected separately from the legislative body and has strong or weak powers based on the municipal charter, a legal document that includes everything a town or city government provides like water and transportation services.
In some cities, the mayor plays a more ceremonial role; in others, the position involves responsibilities ranging from administrative to legislative to operational.
But smaller cities have mayors, too. This is the oldest form of city government in the United States—and also one of the rarest.
Voters elect individual commissioners to a governing board, with each commissioner in charge of a portfolio of city functions, such as police, fire, public works, finance, and health. The board has legislative and executive powers and elects one of its members as chairman or mayor to preside over meetings. This structure is most common in cities with fewer than , residents, such as Bismarck, North Dakota, and Nicholasville, Kentucky.
City managers—who are generally full-time workers—are expected to be nonpartisan and politically neutral as they carry out the decisions of the council or mayor. City managers following this code of ethics should refrain from campaigning on behalf of candidates, donating to political campaigns, and displaying political allegiances with bumper stickers or yard signs.
Generally, cities that use council-manager forms of government employ city managers. Some of the basic features and responsibilities of city managers in cities throughout the United States include the following: [5] [6] [7]. The city manager position originated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then, most cities utilized a weak 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.
In the late nineteenth century, cities began experimenting with other types of municipal government. 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. 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.
Typically, modern city managers have specific qualifications.
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