Council-Manager Form of Government

Welcome to ICMA’s Council-Manager Form Resource page! 

The collection of articles, statistics, and other information—grouped below as ICMA’s Council-Manager Form Resource Packet—will assist you in helping residents, elected officials, and business leaders within your community gain a better understanding of the value that professional management brings to our cities and towns.

ICMA's origins lie in the council-manager form of local government, which combines the strong political leadership of elected officials (in the form of a council, board, or other governing body) with the strong professional experience of an appointed local government manager or administrator. Under this form, power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professional administrator to implement its policies. These highly-trained, experienced individuals serve at the pleasure of the elected governing body and have responsibility for preparing the budget, directing day-to-day operations, hiring and firing personnel, and serving as the council's chief policy advisor.

Although ICMA actively promotes the council-manager form as the preferred structure, the organization also supports professional management in all forms of local government.

We invite you to use these materials as part of your council-manager form adoption and retention efforts. Click on the link to the packet components and you will be taken to ICMA’s Resource Center, where you will find a description of the material and one or more downloads. In addition to the materials contained in the Council-Manager Form Resource packet, scroll further down this page for a list of other resources, or contact Jared Dailey, assistant program manager, at jdailey@icma.org, for more information on form-of-government issues.

Launching an educational or promotional effort in support of the council-manager form can be difficult, but we hope you find these materials useful.  Thank you for helping ICMA advocate the value of professional local government management and good luck with your efforts!

Sincerely,

Robert J. O’Neill
ICMA Executive Director

COUNCIL-MANAGER FORM RESOURCE PACKAGE (Municipal)

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Brochure: The Council-Manager Form of Government: Frequently Asked Questions
2. Forms of Local Government Structure
3. Sample Ordinance for Establishing a Manager's Position
4. Article: Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100

VALUE OF THE PROFESSION

1. Brochure: Professional Local Government Management: Benefits to Your Municipality
2. Article: How Professional Can Add Value to Their Communities and Organizations
3. Questionnaire for Determining Value of Professional Administrator/Manager
4. Article: The Mayor-Manager Conundrum That Wasn't
5. Article: Council-Manager or "Strong Mayor": The Choice is Clear

 EFFICIENCY/FISCAL SUPERIORITY

1. How Managers Save Local Governments Money
2. Article: Money Magazine's Best Places to Live (2008) and Statistics
3. Article: San Antonio's Bond Rating

STATISTICS

1. Cumulative Distribution of all Forms of Local Government
2. Council-Manager versus Mayor-Council in Specific Population Ranges
3. Local Government Longitudinal Statistics (1984-2009)

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Local Government Innovations

	Council-Staff Communication Guidelines Year: 2009; Pages: 2.
	Monmouth County's Strategic Plan Year: 2009; Pages: 113.
	City of Hallandale Beach's March 24, 2008 Community Forum Year: 2008; Pages: 42.

Sample Government Documents

	New Councilmember Orientation Year: 2009; Pages: 2.
	Welcome to a City of Geneva Public Meeting Year: 2006; Pages: 4.
	Pierre City Charter Year: 2001;
	Montgomery County Charter Year: 1998; Pages: 12.
	Lacombe Bylaw to Establish the Position of Chief Administrative Officer Year: 1997; Pages: 6.

Reports and Articles

	How Professionals Save Local Governments Money Year: 2009; Pages: 5.
	El Paso, Texas Celebrates Five Years as Council-Manager Year: 2009;
	Form of Government Statistics (2008) Year: 2009; Pages: 1.
	Population Ranges (Council-Manager versus Mayor-Council) Year: 2009; Pages: 1.
	Questionnaire for Determining Value of Professional Administrator/Manager Year: 2009; Pages: 2.

Awards

2007 Distinguished Service Award, Thomas C. Kelly Year: 2008; Pages: 1.

ICMA Publications About Council-Manager Form of Government

	Municipal Form of Government 2006 - Full National Datasets E-Document   This electronic Excel file provides you with the complete national survey responses from ICMA's Municipal Form of Government 2006 Survey, which was mailed to 8,278 municipalities. Of that total, 3,864 municipalities (46.7%) responded to the survey.
	Municipal Form of Government 2006 - West Region Datasets E-Document   This electronic Excel file provides you with the West region survey responses from ICMA's Municipal Form of Government 2006 Survey, which was mailed to 8,278 municipalities. Of that total, 3,864 municipalities (46.7%) responded to the survey.
	Municipal Form of Government 2006 - North Central Region Datasets E-Document   This electronic Excel file provides you with the North Central region survey responses from ICMA's Municipal Form of Government 2006 Survey, which was mailed to 8,278 municipalities. Of that total, 3,864 municipalities (46.7%) responded to the survey.
	Municipal Form of Government 2006- South Region Datasets E-Document   This electronic Excel file provides you with the South region survey responses from ICMA's Municipal Form of Government 2006 Survey, which was mailed to 8,278 municipalities. Of that total, 3,864 municipalities (46.7%) responded to the survey.
	Municipal Form of Government 2006 - Northeast Region Datasets E-Document   This electronic Excel file provides you with the Northeast region survey responses from ICMA's Municipal Form of Government 2006 Survey, which was mailed to 8,278 municipalities. Of that total, 3,864 municipalities (46.7%) responded to the survey.

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