The agenda for a council meeting ultimately should be controlled by the council, not the mayor. Although the mayor is usually the presiding officer at the meeting, he or she does not have the authority to refuse to place on the agenda items the council wishes to discuss.  In many cities, the council may delegate the authority to set the agenda to the administration as a practical matter.  

First, it is important to note that the term "city or town administrator" is not universal. The essential functions of such a person might also fall under the following titles:

Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant to the Mayor
City Administrator
City Superintendent
City Supervisor
Executive Assistant
Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Operations Director/Chief of Staff
Town Administrator

A large number of mayor-council cities have added a professional position of city administrator or chief administrative officer (CAO) in the mayor's office. CAO's serve under the mayor and assist with the mayor's administrative and policy-related responsibilities. In theory, the appointment of a CAO frees the mayor from the need to attend to administrative details and allows the mayor to focus greater attention on policy development and political leadership roles.

There are 75 cities or towns with a city or town administrator or equivalent.

MRSC has consistently advised that a noncharter code city can establish legislative staff positions involving employees who will provide assistance to the city council, however, the authority to appoint and remove the person holding the position would remain with the mayor. A similar analysis appears to apply to a mayor-council noncharter code city.

RCW 35A.11.020 and RCW 35A.12.020 give the city council in a mayor-council code city broad authority to organize the council's internal affairs and to define the functions, authority, duties, and qualifications of city officers and employees. Under this authority, a city council could create a city "legislative department" and provide for council staff positions whose responsibilities were to provide research and assistance to city council members in performing their legislative functions. Although the city council could provide that such legislative staff members work under the direction of the elected council members, the authority to appoint and remove the person would still remain with the mayor under RCW 35A.12.090.

Even if the city council requires that persons appointed or hired for the position of council legislative staff be confirmed by the council, the authority to remove the person would still rest with the mayor and would not be subject to council review.

It does not appear possible for the council in a noncharter code city to provide for legislative staff positions that are subject to appointment and removal by the council members rather than the mayor. The only method for creating a form of government in which legislative staff members were appointed by the city council would be to adopt a charter under chapter 35A.08 RCW.

Arguments For the Mayor-Council Form

This is the form that is familiar to most Americans because it is patterned after our traditional national and state governments. There is a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. There are checks and balances.

Also separation of powers provides healthy independence, debate and creative tension. Separate legislative and executive branches provide the best opportunity for debate and consensus building.

By electing, rather than appointing a mayor, political leadership is established. The city has a political spokesperson who has a high degree of visibility.

Some argue that an elected mayor will have a higher standing and greater voice in regional affairs of the city.

In most cities the mayor is vested with the veto power, and can serve as a check on an unpopular council decision.

A professional administrator can be hired to assist the mayor in the management of the city's operations therby freeing the mayor to concentrate on political leadership or to minimize weaknesses in the mayor's management background or experience, but the mayor is still ultimately responsible.

Arguments Against the Mayor-Council Form

The office of the mayor gives too much power and authority to one person. It permits an incumbent to make decisions based largely on political considerations, and to use the office to further personal political objectives.

The qualities needed to win an election are not the same qualities needed to manage a modern city. A mayor while politically astute may not always possess the necessary management training and experience.

If an elected mayor proves to be incompetent or worse, he/she cannot be removed until the end of their term, or after an expensive and divisive recall election.

A separately elected mayor may resist requests from the council. The mayor may attempt to isolate the council by controlling staff, information, and reports.

(*Note: These "arguments" have been collected from a variety of sources and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MRSC or MRSC Staff.)

The mayor-council form consists of an elected mayor (elected at-large), who serves as the city's chief administrative officer, and a council (elected either at-large or from districts), which serves as the municipality's legislative body. The council has the authority to formulate and adopt city policies and the mayor is responsible for carrying them out. The mayor attends and presides over council meetings but does not vote, except in the case of a tie. In code cities, the mayor may veto ordinances; although the veto may be overridden by a majority plus one of the entire council membership. In second class cities, the mayor may veto an ordinance, but the mayor's veto can be overriden by five members of the council. In first class cities the mayor's veto power is specified in the charter. Town mayor's have no veto power.

A growing number of mayor-council cities have added a professional position of city administrator or chief administrative officer (CAO) in the mayor's office. CAO's serve under the mayor and assist with the mayor's administrative and policy-related responsibilities. In theory, the appointment of a CAO frees the mayor from the need to attend to administrative details and allows the mayor to focus greater attention on policy development and political leadership roles.

First, it is important to note that the term "city or town administrator" is not universal. The essential functions of such a person might also fall under the following titles:

• Administrative Assistant
• Administrative Assistant to the Mayor
• City Administrator
• City Superintendent
• City Supervisor
• Executive Assistant
• Executive Assistant to the Mayor
• Operations Director/Chief of Staff
• Town Administrator

A large number of mayor-council cities have added a professional position of city administrator or chief administrative officer (CAO) in the mayor's office. CAO's serve under the mayor and assist with the mayor's administrative and policy-related responsibilities. In theory, the appointment of a CAO frees the mayor from the need to attend to administrative details and allows the mayor to focus greater attention on policy development and political leadership roles.

According to the AWC 2009 Salary & Benefit Survey the following cities have established city or town administrator positions:

Cities 50,000 and over:

• Bellingham Chief Administrative Officer
• Everett Chief Administrative Assistant
• Kent Chief Administrative Assistant
• Renton Chief Administrative Officer
• Spokane City Administrator

Cities 30,000 - 49,999:

• Marysville Chief Administrative Officer

Cities 15,000 - 29,999:

• Arlington City Administrator
• Bonney Lake City Administrator
• Camas City Administrator
• Issaquah City Administrator
• Monroe City Administrator
• Mukilteo City Administrator
• Oak Harbor City Administrator
• Pullman City Supervisor
• Tukwila City Administrator
• Tumwater City Administrator

Cities 7,500 - 14,999:

• Burlington City Administrator
• Cheney City Administrator
• College Place City Administrator
• DuPont City Administrator
• Enumclaw City Administrator
• Ferndale City Administrator
• Grandview City Administrator
• Hoquiam City Administrator
• Lake Forest Park City Administrator
• Lake Stevens City Administrator 
• Lynden City Administrator
• Shelton City Administrator
• Snoqualmie City Administrator
• Sumner City Administrator
• Washougal City Administrator
• West Richland City Administrator

Cities 2,500 - 7,499:

• Algona City Administrator/Clerk Treasurer
• Black Diamond City Administrator
• Buckley City Administrator
• Chelan City Administrator
• Clyde Hill City Administrator
• Colfax City Administrator
• Connell City Administrator
• Ephrata City Administrator
• Gig Harbor City Administrator
• Goldendale City Administrator/Manager
• Medical Lake City Administrator
• Milton City Administrator
• Moxee City Supervisor/Public Works Supervisor 
• North Bend City Administrator
• Omak City Administrator
• Orting City Administrator
• Othello City Administrator
• Prosser City Administrator
• Quincy City Administrator
• Selah City Supervisor
• Stanwood City Administrator
• Steilacoom Town Administrator
• Sultan City Administrator
• Warden City Administrator
• Yelm Chief Administrative Officer

Cities 1,500 - 2,499:

• Bridgeport Administrator
• Chewelah City Administrator
• Cle Elum Administrator
• Davenport City Administrator
• Eatonville Town Administrator
• Friday Harbor Town Administrator
• Leavenworth City Administrator
• Newport City Administrator
• McCleary City Administrator/Public Works Director
• Newport City Administrator
• South Bend City Supervisor
• Westport City Administrator

Cities 500 - 1,499:

• Bingen Administrator
• La Conner Administrator
• Naches Administrator
• Roslyn City Administrator
• Stevenson City Administrator
• Woodway Town Administrator

For more information on city administrator positions, see:

• Creating the City Administrator Position
• "Trends in Forms of Government in Washington Cities," Byron Katsuyama, Public Policy Consultant, Municipal Research News, MRSC, December 1991
• The Unofficial Role of the Administrator - from Public Management, October 2008

See the following resources on our Web site:

MRSC's Forms of Government Web page
Forms of Government Overview
Comparing/Contrasting the Mayor-Council and Council-Manager Forms of Government - A Brief Comparison of Key Characteristics of Mayor-Council and Council-Manager Forms
"Trends in Forms of Government in Washington Cities," Byron Katsuyama, Public Policy Consultant, Municipal Research News, MRSC, December 1991
Washington Cities Incorporating Under, Adopting or Abandoning the Mayor-Council, Council-Manager and Commission Forms of Government from 1970 to 2003 - MRSC, August 2003
Selected MRSC Library Holdings - Forms of Government