MAYOR, COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATOR FORM OF GOVERNMENT

The organizational structure for the City can be characterized as a Mayor-Council form with a City Administrator. Authority is vested in an elected Mayor and City Council which, in turn, hires and appoints the City Administrator. The City Administrator is appointed by the Governing Body, and serves at the pleasure of that body.

The City Administrator is responsible for the day to day administration and operation of the City, implementation of policies set by the City Council and presenting a budget to the Governing Body. The City Administrator, with the help of City staff, provides the Governing Body with the information needed to fulfill their policy-making role.

THE GOVERNING BODY

The Governing Body is the legislative and policy making entity of the City. It is the Governing Body’s responsibility to enact ordinances, resolutions and orders necessary for governing the affairs of the City as outlined in the City Charter Ordinance No. 1, 1989 and State Statute, to approve or amend the annual budget, to authorize certain contracts on behalf of the City, to act as the final appeal body on rulings of some boards and commissions, to appoint and evaluate the City Administrator, approve the appointment of all members of the various boards and commissions, and to submit propositions to the electors at any election.

FORMAL AUTHORITIES OF THE MAYOR

The Mayor has certain duties and authorities which are required or implied by Municipal Code and Wyoming State Statute including:

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS OF THE MAYOR

The Mayor is elected at-large within the City and serves a four-year term. The Mayor has many unofficial performance expectations which vary. Some of those include the following:

CITY COUNCIL

The City of Powell Council is composed of two elected officials from each of the three wards. Municipal elections are held every even-numbered year, with three Council members selected; one from each ward at one election and three at the next, unless a vacancy has occurred.

At the first regular Council meeting in January, following the November general election, the newly elected Council members are sworn in and assume the duties of office.

The Mayor serves as the presiding officer; the City Council selects a President from its membership to serve in the absence of the Mayor.

FORMAL AUTHORITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC LEADERSHIP

Although it is the primary responsibility of the Mayor to provide public leadership on City issues, it is also a fundamental role of the Council. While the Mayor may be the “point person” in the City’s efforts to generate and promote support for community-wide programs, the individual serving in that position cannot effectively do so without the support and active involvement of the members of the City Council.

The presentation of policy decisions to the public in a consistent manner is a critical component of the Council’s ability to function effectively as a team. The extent to which the community accepts a policy decision by the Council will be limited to the Council’s ability to reconcile diverse interests in the context of its decision-making. Given that every policy decision the Council makes has the potential for conflict, the Council’s success in this area is critical to exhibiting successful public leadership.

View City Council Orientation document for more information, sources and additional footnotes.

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