18
City of Granite Falls - Proposition No. 1
Explanatory Statement
Ballot Title
Whether to Adopt the Council/Manager Form of Government Within the
City of Granite Falls
Shall the City of Granite Falls Adopt The Council Manager Form Of
Government And Abandon The Council/Mayor Form Of Government?
Yes
No
Approval of Proposition No. 1 would change the City’s organization from
a council-mayor to a council-manager plan of government. In a council
manager plan of government, the manager is hired by the council and the
manager is responsible for the daily operations of the city government,
including preparing an annual budget for the Council’s approval, hiring
and firing employees and providing policy advice. If passed, the current
mayor would serve the balance of his term as a sixth council member.
If passed, the council biennially would elect one of its members to chair
its meetings and be titled “mayor.” The titled mayor’s duties in a council
manager form of government are generally ceremonial, except in times of
public danger or emergency. The titled mayor would continue to vote as a
council member but have no regular administrative duties.
The mayor’s current annual salary is $12,000. The salary of a
professional city manager is expected to be higher. The total fiscal impact
on the city, whether positive or negative, has not been determined at this
time. If the change in government is approved, it cannot be modified or
abandoned for six (6) years.
Argument in Favor
Argument Against
Our local taxes deserve the best possible investment and management,
by a City staff who are professionally equipped to respond to all
situations.
The City of Granite Falls is a Mayor/Council form of government. This
insures that we get a Mayor who lives in and serves a vested interest in the
community. The elected Council of five sets policy and the elected Mayor
and hired staff implement those policies.
According to state law, in both a Council-Mayor and Council-Manager
form of government, the elected Council establishes the direction,
policies, and ‘personality’ of the City. In a Council-Manager form of
government, the Council will also hire (or fire) a professional manager
based on community success. The professional city manager is not
concerned with politics, and not subject to the whim of four-year
elections. Most important of all, a city manager is experienced and
qualified to fulfill the complex requirements of the job: personnel
administration and supervision, fiscal management, budget preparation,
civic law and contracts. A professional city manager is also experienced
in working with State legislators and County government to get things
done, including pitching grants to multiply the power of our local taxes.
Expecting that level of know-how – and time commitment – from a parttime, virtually unpaid Mayor who may or may not have any experience,
and who may or may not need to also work a full-time outside job, is
simply unrealistic. It’s also how we’ve gotten into trouble – again and
again – with our current system. We will still have a mayor with this change, but he/she would be unpaid
and would be our ceremonial head.
It costs voters nothing to make the change. But it could cost us
everything if we don’t. Vote for the Council-Manager form of government.
It’s a robust path to success.
If you as a citizen have a problem or concern, you can voice your issues
directly to the Mayor. If you don’t like the response you get, you have the
ability to recruit the replacement and vote in someone to do a better job.
The Mayor is directly accountable to the public, and should be available and
approachable to the citizens of Granite Falls.
The $12,000.00 per year Mayor salary is incredibly cheap for someone who
can network relationships within the County, and lobby for funds in Olympia.
The right Mayor can do so much for our City by building relationships with
our State and Federal representatives to have the voice of our Community
heard in the places where they can make a difference.
We have a part time Mayor position whose roles include: to preside over
Council meetings, hire and fire the City staff employees, serve as a public
figure for community events. The initial cost may be minimal to initially
change to Council/Manager, but if we have to recruit and hire a new City
Manager the cost of a replacement would be substantially more than the
savings made by eliminating our Mayor.
Statement by: Tom FitzGerald
Statement by: Catherine Anderson, Fred Cruger, Matt Hartman
Response from Committee Against
Response from Committee in Favor
A professional city manager system may work for a large city with a big
staff of administrators, but it is not always the best fit for a small city, nor
a guarantee of success. A Mayor should have a personal interest in the
community, and pulse of the city that a manager may not necessarily
share. Having the right elected people are the key to success in either
option.
By including the Public Works Supervisor duties into the City Manager
position, we will avoid substantial cost increases over what is currently
projected. A part time Mayor simply cannot compete with full time
Managers for much needed State and Federal dollars. And we will insure
that the City Manager is fully accessible to our citizens. If we want to
move forward, a City Manager is truly the best option.
Statement by: Tom FitzGerald
Statement by: Catherine Anderson, Fred Cruger, Matt Hartman
The statements are printed as submitted.