Transitioning to a mayor-council form of government
A transition team led the work to clarify and plan for the roles and responsibilities of the City’s elected officials. To do this, the team worked with city partners to understand how council meetings and the policy process will change under the mayor-council form of government. They worked with the Government Transition Advisory Committee to seek community input about their ideas and desired outcomes for participating in the council’s policy discussions.
Characteristics of a Mayor-Council Form of Government
Mayor is elected separately from the council, is often full-time and paid, with significant administrative authority.
Depending on the municipal charter, the mayor could have weak or strong powers.
Council is elected and maintains legislative powers.
Some cities appoint a professional manager or city administrator who maintains limited administrative authority.
This is the second most common form of government. It is found mostly (but not exclusively) in older, larger cities, or in very small cities, and is most popular in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Cities with variations in the mayor-council form of government are New York, New York; Houston, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Council Operations in the Mayor-Council Form of Government
The legislative council is the policy body for the City of Portland. They convene public meetings, gather input, debate, and evaluate policy choices and adopt laws to reflect those choices. The future council will continue to approve the budget, issue bonds, levy taxes, and set most rates and fees. The City Charter amendments approved by voters in 2022 explicitly prohibit the council from exercising the executive and administrative powers granted to the mayor.
The Mayor no longer serves on council. Instead, they lead the executive branch and have administrative authority. The future Mayor appoints, and council confirms, a professional city administrator. The mayor and city administrator work together to implement the laws and policies developed by council and manage all city bureaus. The mayor also develops and proposes the city’s budget to council’s review and approval.
This means that the mayor will be accountable to all administrative issues instead of the multiple commissioners-in-charge that were part of the commission form of government. The city will continue to host meetings, events, and surveys to understand what programs or projects should be created or could be improved. The community should focus on reaching out to the mayor and city administrator about service delivery questions and improvements.
| City Council Sets Citywide Policy | Mayor Oversees City Services |
|---|---|
| Engages the public on community needs. | Engages with staff and leadership on City operational needs. |
| Sets the direction of city government through a strategic planning process, usually with the help of a city administrator. | Leads implementation of council’s strategic plan, with help from City leadership. |
| Approves the City budget in accordance with the strategic plan. | Proposes necessary budget funding to implement the strategic plan. |
| Approves policies as necessary to respond to community or organizational issues and to achieve strategic outcomes. | Requests development of policies to address community or operational issues or to achieve strategic outcomes. |
When should you contact city council?
Contact the city councilors representing your district to highlight a pattern of issues in your community or to encourage them to advocate for budget allocations to resolve these issues.
Ways to engage with your councilors:
- Attend or provide input at a council committee or regular meetings.
- Participate in council-hosted meetings, events and town halls.
- Call or provide written input to council offices.
When should you contact the mayor?
Contact the mayor to improve a program that is important to you or help a bureau improve their service.
Ways to engage with the mayor:
- Participate in City-hosted meetings, events, and surveys.
- Apply to serve on a City advisory board, committee or commission.
- Call or provide written input to the mayor’s office.