[RP TownTalk] Change in Government

[Alan K. Thompson]

Hi Audrey,

Thank you for your interest in this.  I'm happy to answer your questions
for the current draft, but things may change because of feedback from the
citizens and the Council.  I'll answer your questions after each one below.

On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 6:24 PM, Audrey Bragg <abragg7393 at aol.com> wrote:

> Just reading the Town Crier and Mayor's report regarding the change in the
> town government.  A professional manager will be in charge of the town
> instead of the Mayor.  I would like to hear what other residents have to
> say about this and I do have questions.
> Will the CEO be required to live in the town?  I think this is very
> important.
>

This is not in the current draft.  Greenbelt requires this of their City
Manager, but I don't think that either College Park or Hyattsville (both of
which have forms of government closer to the "Council-Manager" form than we
do) require this.  I can check into that and get back to you if you're
interested.


> What are the education and experience requirements for the position?
>

Currently full membership in good standing in the International City and
County Manager's Association, which is a professional accreditation
organization for managers of local governments.  They have stringent
requirements including educational requirements, and are recognized around
the world.


> Why do we even need a Mayor if the CEO is in charge?  Why not just have a
> board?
>

In a lot of ways the Mayor is just a member of the Council under the
proposal, but he or she does have some additional responsibilities, and is
elected to represent the whole Town and not just part of it.  As I said in
my February Town Crier article about this change, in Greenbelt (the closest
to a pure Council-Manager form of government near us) the Mayor is not
directly elected.  The language from the current draft says: "*The mayor
shall be recognized as the head of the town government for all ceremonial
purposes, by the court for serving civil process, and by the Governor for
the purpose of military and emergency law*."


> Will the Mayor and Council be the only ones who decide this matter or will
> it go to referendum for a vote by the residents?
>

Unless the citizens want a referendum, it will be decided by the Council. §
4-304 of the Local Government Code of Maryland (which governs amendments to
municipal charters) allows referendum only at the request of the voters -
the Council cannot initiate a binding referendum.


> Who will the CEO be responsible to?  Can the council hire and fire?  Is
> the CEO elected or appointed by council?
>

The Town Manager is hired and removed by the Town Council, and is
responsible to them and to the law; the exact language is "serves at the
pleasure of the Council" and means that the Town Manager can be removed for
any reason (or no reason, if the Council decides so).  The current charter
change draft has a specific process for removal of the Town Manager.


> Do any of the other local towns do this and how does it work for them?
>

College Park, Hyattsville, and Greenbelt all have City Managers, though the
split in power between the Council, Mayor, and Town Manager in all three
are different (and that split is still being adjusted in my draft, even
before formally introducing it).  I would say that this system works well
in all of those municipalities.


> I think this is a very serious and important matter and I think the
> residents need to be involved and notified when we can review any
> legislation and ask questions and it should be well advertised so people
> are aware and know what's going on.
>

I agree.  I wrote my long article on it in the February Town Crier, Mayor
Archer wrote about it this month, and we can have up to 60 days after
introduction to discuss it before we have to pass it reject it.


> I would really like to hear the opinions and ideas and questions from the
> residents.
>

Me too!

Thanks again for writing, and I'd love to continue the discussion.

Best regards,

Alan
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