Born out of the progressive reform movement at the beginning of the 20th century, the council-manager system of local government is one of the few original American contributions to political theory. In 1908, Staunton, Virginia, instituted the first position legally defining, by ordinance, the broad authority and responsibility associated with today's professional local government manager. Sumter, South Carolina, was the first city to adopt a charter incorporating the basic principles of council-manager government in 1912. Westmount, Quebec, introduced the form to Canada in 1913. The first large city to adopt the plan was Dayton, Ohio, in 1914. The first counties to adopt it in the 1930's were Arlington County, Virginia, and Durham County and Robeson County, North Carolina.

Since its establishment, the council-manager form has become the most popular form of government in the United States in communities with populations of 5,000 or greater. The form also is popular in Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Honduras, Chile, and Brazil. For more than 94 years, council-manager government has responded to the changing needs of citizens and their communities.

The council-manager form is the system of local government that combines the strong political leadership of elected officials in the form of a governing body, with strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. The governing body is commonly known as the council. The council-manager form establishes a representative system where all power is concentrated in the elected council and where the council hires a professionally trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services.

The council is the legislative body; its members are the communityís decision makers. The council also focuses on the community's goals, major projects, and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development, capital improvement plans, capital financing, and strategic planning. The council hires a professional manager to carry out the administrative responsibilities and supervises the managerís performance.

SOURCE: International City/County Management Association