Comparing City Government Structures: A Critical Thinking Analysis, High school final essays of Local Government Studies

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Critical Thinking Assignment - City Government Samuel A. Caspers Northeast Lakeview College GOVT 2306-047: Texas Government Lanny Lambert April 27, 2022

Introduction This is an evaluation essay on why the council-manager arrangement of city government is personally most preferable. I will be using a compare and contrast format to define the three executive structures of mayor-council, council-manager, and commission.^1 I will describe how each structure is different from the other two and describe what essential executive functions each would control in subsections. I will also be presenting my position on why the city manager arrangement is my preferred structure of local government. Mayor-Council A city government modeled after the mayor-council structure, has a strong mayor elected at-large with the power to make executive decisions over all city departments. In a mayor-council government, the mayor and city council work together to balance and pass a budget, draft and enforce legislation and oversee city departments and appoint departmental heads^2. What makes a strong mayor-council unique, is that the mayor runs the executive branch of the city government. A typical mayor-council structure will have a strong mayor in charge of the administrative, judiciary, public safety, parks and enrichment services, and public works departments. This style of government limits the amount of officials who are elected. A current example of a city government set up this way, is the city of Houston, Texas^3. (^3) See City Government tab from the City of Houston website. (^2) Stuart MacCorkle, Mayor-Council Form of City Government (Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association, 1995) (^1) Anthony Champagne, Edward Harpham, Jason Casellas, Governing Texas (New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2021), 350.

chairperson. There are few current examples of a city government set up this way, though at the state level, Texas is an example of a commission based plural executive. Appoint and Remove Departmental Heads The strong mayor-council structure of city government gives the power to appoint and remove departmental heads to the mayor. The mayor is able to exercise this power at will without prior approval from a council. The council-manager structure gives similar authority to the city manager, though they may require council approval. The commission structure is the most decentralized of the three structures, limiting the appointal and removal of department heads to the assigned commissioner for said department. Draft and Propose a Budget In the strong mayor-council structure of city government, the mayor drafts and proposes a budget to the city council to be voted upon. The council-manager structure is similar to the strong mayor-council structure, with the city manager possessing the power the mayor has to draft and propose a budget. The commission structure is the most decentralized of the three structures, because each department head drafts and proposes a budget to their commissioner causing delays and inaction. Possesses Veto or Line-Item Veto Power The strong mayor-council structure of city government gives the mayor veto or line-item veto powers. The council-manager and commission structures do not give their mayor's veto powers, as the position is merely a symbolic one and the mayor has limited powers. The commission structure does not offer this power.

Represents the City on Higher Levels Both the mayor-council and council-manager structures have their mayor’s represent the city on the state, national and international levels. In the commission structure, if a commissioner has been chosen for the symbolic title of mayor or chairperson, then they would represent the city at higher levels. If there is a vacancy for the mayor or chairperson slot, a commission structure government would be delayed in voting to fill the slot due to departmental parochialism. Enforces City Laws and Ordinances The strong mayor-council structure of city government gives the mayor the power to enforce city laws and ordinances as they are in charge of the judiciary and public safety departments. The council-manager structure splits the power to enforce city laws and ordinance in half by providing half of the power to the council who are in charge of the judiciary department, and half to the city manager who is in charge of the public safety department. The commission structure splits the power to enforce city laws and ordinances in half by providing two of the five commissioners in charge of the judiciary and public safety departments the power. Preferred Structure I believe that the council-manager structure of city government is the most beneficial structure for a home-rule city, because of its similarities to how corporate businesses are run. Efficiency is the most important goal of any city governmental system, as Texan’s prefer limited interference in their daily lives. Local governments must find a way to serve their citizens and function competitively.

References Blodgett, T. (n.d.). Council-Manager Form of City Government , Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.tshaonline.org/handbooj/entries/council-manager-form-of-city-government Champagne, A., Harpham, E. J., & Casellas, J. P. (2021). Chapter 10, Local Government, City Government in Texas. In Governing Texas (pp. 343–354). book, W. W. Norton & Company. City of Houston. (n.d.). City Government. City of Houston. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/citygovernment.html City of Lubbock. (n.d.). City Manager's Office. City Manager's Office. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://ps.ci.lubbock.tx.us/city-government/city-manager City of San Antonio. (n.d.). About Us. Office of the City Council. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.sanantonio.gov/Council/about-us MacCorkle, S. A. (n.d.). Mayor-Council Form of City Government , Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.tshaonline.org/handbooj/entries/mayor-council-form-of-city-government Rice, B. R. (n.d.). Commission Form of City Government , Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.tshaonline.org/handbooj/entries/commission-form-of-city-government