Types of City Government

Name

Tutor

Course

Date

City governments are defined with the different shapes that they tend to assume. The type of government that a metropolitan adopts primarily depends on the size of the township, and as a result, larger cities have more representatives that the smaller ones. Also, the bigger the urban area, the more the population it accommodates and hence the need to have representatives to make decisions on behalf of the citizens. Regardless of the type of government, the cities are obligated to remain responsive to its residents. This essay expounds on the different kinds of city governments and outlines explicitly the structure of Houston administration by discussing the role of prominent representatives.

Strong Mayor Type of City Government

This type of organization is at most times employed in bigger US cities whereby it is mandatory for the mayor to have a kind of political background and must also have participated in either state or national administrative activities (Maxwell, William, Ernest, and Adolfo 398). Strong Mayor cities differ in precisely how much power the mayor possesses in comparison to the members of the city council. In general, the strong mayor type of government has a close similarity with the US federal system of government.  The mayor is the head executive personnel of the town, and there is no position of the city manager as demonstrated in the council-manager type of government (Jillson 233). City departments report directly to the office of the mayor.  The city council plays the role of legislators, and their interaction with the mayor is outlined by the local regulations.  Although this system is demonstrated in many of the big cities, there are exceptions whereby the mayor has veto power over decisions and is therefore not involved in the actions of the council officials.

Council-Manager/ Weak Mayor Structure Form of Government

The council-manager is the most common kind of city administrations in the United States. Under this type of government, the legislative arm consists of elected representatives and everyday operations are undertaken by professional administrators (Newell, Charldean, David and James 310). The city council serves as the town’s legislative body by upholding laws and ordinances as stipulated by the state and federal law. The city’s residents (citizens and authorized individuals) elect the council members in accordance with the laid down local and state regulations. In some states, this kind of administration is also known as a Weak Mayor Structure of government since each of the elected members of the council possesses almost equal authority as that of the mayor. Depending on the area law, the mayor can be appointed to the position through the existing council members or be elected directly by the citizens (Jillson 232). The city manager is the public administrator and is entitled to complete the duties of the chief officer of the area as well as provide expertise that most of the newly elected council members are unlikely to possess. The manager also implements the decisions of the council.

Commission Form of City Government

In this kind of administration, the city council plays the role of legislators and also undertakes executive duties of the government. The department heads report to a panel of commissioners rather than to a manager or a mayor.

Town Meeting

In this structure of administration, citizens gather at predetermined times of the year (maybe twice or thrice) and create, amend or abolish specific local laws and policies. Additionally, this assembly selects an individual or a group of citizens to run city affairs. However, this kind of organization is mostly applied in smallest of the cities.

Structure and Powers of Houston City Government

Houston is a city located in Texas, and it is among the fastest growing urban centers in the United States. Founded in 1836, Houston assumes a “strong mayor-council” type of government. The mayor, sixteen members of the council and the professional city administrator are all elected and required to serve a leadership term of four years (Jillson 232). As from year January 2016, elected officials manning the city were eligible to serve a maximum of two-four years terms (Newell, Charldean, David and James 14). Houston’s administrative structure provides that the mayor should head the executive office of the town while official representatives and the principal administrator enforce laws/regulations and must oversee the overall management of the city. After the passage of a series of amendments to the referendum, the mayor can now only vie for the office up to two consecutive four-year terms (Jillson 232). The council members are permitted to contend in three successive terms. The term limits are taken very seriously and any individual who tries to violate the law is barred from campaigning for his or her previous post.

Powers of Houston’s Mayor

The mayor is CEO, chief administrator and an official representative of the city (Jillson 233). He or she is responsible for overall management and ensures that citizens comply with ordinances and laws. With the approval of the members of the council, the mayor’s office has the authority to appoint department heads and advisory committees. Amongst other duties, the mayor has the mandate to administer oaths, preside the voting of the city council, advise the members of the board and also presents yearly budgets before the council for approval.

Powers of Houston’s City Council

The city council is the area’s legislative structure and has the authority to amend and enforce all regulations and resolutions. A total sixteen members (eleven elected from districts and five are voted by all over the city) and the mayor are only warranted to act on resolution, ordinance or motion (Jillson 236). The council scrutinizes and may even alter the yearly budgets, verify the mayor’s appointments, issue bonds and award some contracts.

11/5 Plan

Each year, Houston City Council designates time to evaluate and discuss a comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan that is meant to provide direction for infrastructural projects in five years (Newell, Charldean, David and James 118). A specified amount of funds is divided amongst the districts, and the council members are expected to initiate development in the next five years using the resource. Nonetheless, the funds are allocated by needs and hence all the districts get varied amounts of share.

In conclusion, administrators of cities are responsible for the provision of health, sanitation, education, transport systems, and protection, to all the residents irrespective of their backgrounds. These forms of governments are usually arranged as a Mayor-Council, a council-manager, a commission or a strong-mayor government.  Depending on their size, most types of city organizations assume either of the structures. Houston is defined by a strong Mayor-Council type of government. Both the mayor and the council of members play a crucial role in ensuring continuous operations of the city and compliance with the law.  The administrative duties also entail rolling out budgets for five-year plans that are meant to achieve development.

Works Cited

Jillson, Cal. Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State. Routledge, 2015.

Maxwell, William Earl, Ernest Crain, and Adolfo Santos. Texas Politics Today, 2013-2014 Edition. Cengage Learning, 2013.

Newell, Charldean, David F. Prindle, and James Riddlesperger. Texas Politics 2015-2016. Cengage Learning, 2015.