·
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
1917
BULLETIN No. 13
THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN OF
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
SUBMITTED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BY THE COM-
MISSION TO COMPILE INFORMATION AND DATA FOR THE
USE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
BOSTON
WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS
32 DERNE STREET
1917



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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
1917
BULLETIN No. 13
THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN OF
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
M:
SUBMITTED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BY THE COM-
MISSION TO COMPILE INFORMATION AND DATA FOR THE
USE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
}
BOSTON
WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS
32 DERNE STREET
1917
3
A
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
COMMISSION TO COMPILE INFORMATION AND DATA
FOR THE USE OF THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
ROOM 426, STATE HOUSE
BOSTON

OWILD
KASANAY
THE COMMISSION
WILLIAM B. MUNRO, CHAIRMAN
LAWRENCE B. EVANS, VICE CHAIRMAN
ROGER SHERMAN HOAR
HENRY WARD BIRD, SECRETARY
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7.
CONTENTS.
I. Systems of Municipal Government in the United States,
II. The City-Manager Movement,
Definition,
History and Development,
Methods of Adoption, .
III. The Dayton City-Manager Plan,
The Commission,
The City Manager,
Administrative Departments,
Initiative, Referendum and Recall,
•
IV. The City-Manager Plan in Other Cities,
In General,
The Ashtabula Plan,
V. The City-Manager Plan in Massachusetts,
The Optional Charter Law,
The Norwood Town-Manager Plan,
VI. Conclusion,
APPENDIX A. — Digest of the Charter of Dayton,
APPENDIX B. — Plan D provided for in the Massachusetts Optional
Charter Law, .
APPENDIX C. — List of Cities with City Managers,
Bibliography,
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THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN OF MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENT.
I. SYSTEMS OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN
THE UNITED
STATES.
There are at the present time three general types of mu-
nicipal government in the United States: namely, the mayor
and council form, the commission form and the city-manager
form. Under the mayor and council system, which was the first
to develop, the powers of government are divided between a
mayor as the chief executive, a council of one or two houses
elected usually by wards, and a number of independent ad-
ministrative officials such as the city clerk, treasurer, auditor,
etc., who as a general rule are elected by the people or by the
council. In other words the mayor and council plan in its usual
form has followed the customary American scheme of organiza-
tion which is based on the principle of separation of powers or
a system of checks and balances.
The mayor and council form of municipal government pre-
vailed universally in this country until 1901, when Galveston,
Texas, following a disastrous tidal wave, adopted a new system
known as commission government. Under the commission
plan as it has developed since its beginning in Galveston, the
autonomous mayor, council and other independent departments
are abolished and all the powers of government except the ad-
ministration of the schools are vested in a small popularly-
elected commission of from five to seven members. Each
member individually has charge of one of the administrative de-
partments of the city, while collectively they enact ordinances
and regulations for the municipality. One of the commissioners
is usually given the title of mayor, but he has no greater powers
than any of the others, except that he presides over meetings of
the commission, represents the city in a ceremonial capacity,
etc.
6
Since its adoption in Galveston in 1901, commission govern-
ment has spread rapidly throughout the country, until to-day
every State except Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New Hamp-
shire and Vermont has one or more commission government
cities. There are in all about three hundred and fifty cities.
which are operating under the new system.
II. THE CITY-MANAGER MOVEMENT.
Definition.
The most recent development in municipal government has
been the city-manager plan, which carries the concentration of
administrative responsibility one step farther than does com-
mission government, and provides an apex for the local ad-
ministration. As noted above one of the essential features of
commission government is the division of the administrative
work among the various members of the commission. Under
the city-manager plan the small commission elected at large is
continued for legislative and supervisory purposes, but instead of
making each commissioner the head of a particular phase of the
city's affairs, all administrative details are turned over to a
specially trained administrator appointed by the commission.
The city-manager plan may be defined, therefore, as a form of
municipal government in which all the corporate powers having
to do with the determination of policy and the general direction
of municipal affairs are vested in a small group of elective
officials constituting a council or commission elected usually at
large on a non-partisan ballot, while the administrative func-
tions are concentrated in a single executive official appointed by
the commission on the basis of professional qualifications and
designated as the city manager. Such a plan is very similar to
the method of organization commonly employed in corpora-
tions, the commission corresponding to the board of directors
and the city manager to the president or general manager of the
corporation.
In addition to the above fundamental elements, city-manager
charters also provide for the initiative, referendum and recall,
while most of them also have provisions for civil service, for the
proper management of the city's finances, and for the control of
public utilities.
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History and Development.
Staunton, Virginia, in 1908, was the first city in the United
States to provide for a city manager. This was done merely by
local ordinance without any charter revision. The old mayor
and council form was retained, but the greater part of the ad-
ministrative work was turned over to a special official known as
the "general-manager." Five years later, in 1913, Sumter,
South Carolina, commenced operation under a legislative charter
which contained most of the features of the city-manager plan.²
It remained, however, for Dayton, Ohio, following a serious
flood in 1913, to be the first city to adopt a complete city-
manager charter containing all of the essential features out-
lined above. This charter went into effect on January 1, 1914.
Since that date a number of other cities have taken action on
the matter, until to-day there are about ninety cities which have
either adopted a complete city-manager charter, as in Dayton,
or have provided for a city manager by ordinance, as in Staun-
ton. So far the city-manager movement has been confined very
largely to the smaller cities of the country. Only two cities of
more than one hundred thousand inhabitants - Dayton, Ohio,
and Grand Rapids, Michigan - have come under this plan,
each having a population of about one hundred and twenty-
three thousand. Other cities of fairly large size are Wichita,
Kansas, 64,972; Springfield, Ohio, 50,058; Wheeling, West
Virginia, 42,957; Portsmouth, Virginia, 37,000; Niagara Falls,
New York, 35,127; San Jose, California, 37,010; Jackson,
Michigan, 34,202; Watertown, New York, 26,730; and New-
burgh, New York, 27,805. Most of the city-manager cities,
however, are places with populations of from two thousand to
twenty-five thousand, thus showing that the movement has
been chiefly a small city development.3
Methods of Adoption.
The city-manager plan has been established in the various
municipalities by four different methods: namely, home-rule
charters, special legislative charters, general city-manager
1 S. D. Holsinger, General Manager Plan of Government of Staunton, Virginia, 7-8.
2 Laws of South Carolina, 1912, Act No. 453. In effect January 1, 1913.
For a list of city-manager cities see Appendix C.
8
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charter laws or codes, and optional charter acts. In this con-
nection it should be made clear that no State has provided in
its constitution for the city-manager plan as such, and that the
movement has been the result of charter revision, and legislative
action. Twelve State constitutions, however, contain home-rule
provisions which give to cities the right to frame and adopt their
own charters, and a number of cities in such States as Cali-
fornia, Ohio, Michigan and Texas, acting under these grants of
power, have drawn up home-rule charters establishing the city-
manager system.
In addition to the home-rule charter plan, the next most im-
portant method of providing for the city-manager scheme is by
special charter acts passed by the Legislature for each individual
city. Then in the four States of Idaho, Iowa, Kansas and
Montana general city-manager codes have been enacted during
1917, the provisions of which may be adopted by any city by
popular vote.¹ Very similar to the general city-manager laws
are the optional charter acts of Massachusetts, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, which enable a city to adopt
any one of several plans of government, including the manager
form.2
Then, too, a number of municipalities such as Staunton and
Fredericksburg, Virginia, have a modified plan of government by
a manager. In these cities the aldermanic form of organization
is retained, and the only change is that certain of the adminis-
trative functions and duties of the city are assigned to a general
superintendent or manager whose position has been provided for
merely by ordinance of the city council. Such cities, of course,
do not possess all the essentials of the orthodox manager plan,
such as the small commission, initiative and referendum, and so
on. Also the organization is less stable than if it were provided
by charter or by statute, since it may be abolished at any time
by vote of the council. Strictly speaking, these cities should be
considered as having only a partial or modified city-manager
plan.
1 Reference to laws of Idaho, Kansas, Iowa and Montana in National Municipal Review, VI,
416-417 (May, 1917).
2 General Acts of Massachusetts, 1915, Chap. 267; Laws of New York, 1914, Chap. 444; Laws of
Ohio, 1913, 767-786; North Carolina Legislature, "An Act to provide for the organization and gov-
ernment of cities," March, 1917; Laws of Virginia, 1914, Chap. 94.
}
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III. THE DAYTON CITY-MANAGER PLAN.
Considerable variation as to details is found in the several
city-manager charters, but only a few of the points of difference
are of essential importance. Since the Dayton charter has been
the model for other municipalities, it is believed that an
analysis of its provisions will best serve as a method of making
clear the fundamental features of the system in general.¹
1
The Commission.
Under the Dayton charter provision is made for a commission
of five citizens elected at large by the people for a term of four
years, either two or three commissioners being chosen every two
years so as to make the commission a continuous body. Nomina-
tions are made at a non-partisan primary and any qualified voter
is entitled to have his name placed on the primary ballot by
filing a petition signed by at least two per cent of the registered
voters. The names receiving the largest number of votes at the
primary are placed on the final ballot without party designa-
tion,2 and the two or three candidates, as the case may be,
who obtain the highest votes at the election are declared
elected. The commissioner who receives the greatest number of
votes is designated as mayor,³ but he is little more than a
figurehead and has no special powers except to preside at meet-
ings of the commission and to act as the official head of the city
for ceremonial purposes and for the purpose of serving civil
processes against the city. The salary of the mayor is fixed at
$1,800 and that of each commissioner at $1,200.4
The duties of the commission are to enact ordinances and
regulations for the government of the city, to raise taxes and
vote appropriations, create or abolish departments, investigate
the financial transactions or the official acts of any officer.or de-
partment, and finally the very important function of appointing
the city-manager.
1 Charter for the city of Dayton adopted by the people August 12, 1913. For summary see
Appendix A.
2 The number of candidates who are entitled to have their names placed on the final ballot is
limited to twice the number to be elected; i.e., if three candidates are to be chosen, the names of
the six receiving the highest votes at the primary are placed on the ballot for final election. See
Dayton Charter, Sects. 4-12.
3 The mayor is the candidate who receives the largest vote at the election at which three com-
missioners are chosen.
4 Dayton Charter, Sects. 36-38.
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The City Manager.
From the above description of the commission's powers and
duties, it is seen that this body does not have anything directly
to do with the actual management of the various departments,
but delegates these responsibilities to its appointee, the city
manager. The city manager is the administrative head of the
municipality and is responsible to the commission for the
efficient administration of all the departments under his charge.
He is appointed without regard to his political beliefs, is not
required to be a resident of the city of Dayton, and receives
such salary as the commission may determine, which has been
fixed by ordinance at $12,500. The city manager is not ap-
pointed for any definite term, but serves during the pleasure of
the commission except that he may be recalled by the people in
a manner to be described later. In providing for the recall of
the manager, the Dayton charter differs from that of the other
cities.¹
The powers and duties of the city manager may be divided
into four groups. (1) First of all, in an advisory capacity, he
attends all meetings of the commission with the right to be
heard and to make recommendations, but not to vote. In this
connection it is his duty to keep the commission informed as to
the financial condition and needs of the city. (2) Secondly, he
must see that all laws and ordinances are enforced. (3) In the
third place, he appoints all directors of departments and sub-
ordinate employees subject, however, in the case of minor
officials, to civil service regulations, and may suspend or dismiss
any of them for proper cause. In the performance of these
functions he assigns to each official the work which he is ex-
pected to carry on. (4) Finally the city manager prepares the
annual budget of estimated revenues and expenditures which is
submitted to the commission for action, and is the general
supervisor of all the work done in the several departments. In
addition to these duties which are specifically provided for in
the charter, the city manager is required to perform such other
duties as may be prescribed by the commission.2
1
1 Dayton Charter, Sects. 13-20.
2 Ibid., Sects. 47-50.
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Administrative Departments.
Under the supervision of the city manager in Dayton there
are five departments, the department of finance, the depart-
ment of law, the department of public welfare, the department
of public safety, and the department of public service, each in
charge of a director appointed by and responsible to the city
manager in all matters.¹ The heads of departments are not
under civil service, but the appointments of all other subordi-
nate officials except the deputy directors are made after com-
petitive examinations. The charter provides for a civil service
board of three to be appointed by the commission for the
purpose of conducting such examinations and for administering
the merit system in general.2
Initiative, Referendum and Recall.
In addition to the above essential features, the Dayton
charter provides also for the initiative, the referendum and the
recall. Upon petition of ten per cent of the total number of
registered voters, an ordinance may be drawn up and presented
to the commission whose duty it is to take action on the same
within thirty days. If the commission rejects the proposed
ordinance or amends it, the people may demand its submission
to a popular vote by filing a petition signed by an additional
fifteen per cent of the voters. It is further provided that any
ordinance enacted by the commission must be submitted to a
referendum vote upon presentation of a petition signed by
twenty-five per cent of the registered voters.³
Provision is also made in the Dayton charter for the popular
recall of members of the commission and of the city manager.
Whenever a petition is filed by at least twenty-five per cent of
the registered voters demanding the removal of a commissioner
or the manager, a recall election must be held within sixty days,
provided the official against whom charges are made does not
resign in the meantime. At the recall election a vote is taken
on the question as to whether the official should be recalled and
also upon the names of candidates to succeed him in case a
1
1 Dayton Charter, Sects. 51-87.
2 Ibid., Sects. 93-107.
3 Ibid., Sects. 21-35.
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majority of the voters are in favor of such recall. Unlike the
usual arrangement, the name of the person whose removal is
sought may not appear on the recall ballot as a candidate to
succeed himself.¹
IV. THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN IN OTHER CITIES.
In General.
As a general rule the charters of other city-manager munici-
palities provide for a plan of government which is very similar
to that of Dayton, with the exception that in a number of the
smaller cities provision is not made for such a highly central-
ized departmental organization. In some cities, such as Ash-
tabula, Ohio, for example, the charter provides for separate
directors for only a part of the departments, and stipulates that
the city manager shall be the acting head of all other depart-
ments unless otherwise ordered by the commission.2
The charters of some of the cities also differ from that of
Dayton in that they do not give the city manager the entire
responsibility for administering the city's finances. This
tendency is illustrated in the Springfield, Ohio, charter, where
the city auditor, treasurer and purchasing agent are appointed
by the commission instead of by the city manager, and in the
charter of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the comptroller is
elected by the people and the city treasurer and city assessors
by the city commission.3 It is not unusual to find also that the
city clerk and sometimes the city solicitor are appointed by the
commission instead of by the manager. The argument ad-
vanced in favor of the decentralization of financial administra-
tion is that it places a check upon the city manager in the
expenditure of funds.
*
The Ashtabula Plan.
As explained above, Dayton and most of the other cities
provide for the election of members of the commission from the
city at large. This method has been criticized by some persons
on the ground that it does not provide for the proper reflection
of minority wishes. Ashtabula, Ohio, has attempted to solve
1 Dayton Charter, Sects. 13-20.
2 Charter of the City of Ashtabula, Sect. 29.
3 Charter of Springfield, Ohio, Sects. 19-23; Charter of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Title II,
Sects. 2, 3.
1
J.
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the problem by providing in its charter for the Hare system of
proportional representation, the purpose of which is to give to
any group of electors which can control an appreciable block of
votes a number of representatives roughly in proportion to its
relative strength.¹
1
Under the Ashtabula charter there are seven members on the
council. The procedure of election as described by Dr. A. R.
Hatton is as follows: At the left of each name on the ballot
“is a square in which the voter marks his preference by placing
the figure 1 opposite the name of his first choice, 2 opposite the
name of his second choice and so on. He may mark as many
preferences as he pleases, but a ballot can count for only one
candidate. To determine the number of votes necessary for
election to the council the total number of valid ballots is
divided by eight, and the whole number next higher than this
quotient is taken as the number of votes required to elect.”2
For example, at the first election in November, 1915, the total
number of valid ballots cast was 2,972, which number divided
by eight gives a quotient of 372, or the number of votes re-
quired for election. The number so established is known as the
"quota.
""
In counting the votes the process is as follows:
If upon counting the first-choice votes any candidate is found to have
received the full quota or more, he is at once declared elected. Any votes
which such a candidate has above the quota are then transferred, accord-
ing to the highest available choice marked on such ballots, to candidates
not already elected. It may happen that several candidates receive more
than the necessary quota. In that case the surplus votes are transferred
to other candidates in the order of size of the surplus.
Whenever during the transfer of votes the number of ballots for any
candidate equals the quota, he is declared elected and no further votes
are transferred to him. When all surplus votes are transferred, if enough
candidates to fill all the places have not reached the quota, the lowest
on the list is dropped and his votes are transferred in like manner. This
process continues until the required number of candidates have received
the quota, or until, by dropping the low men, only seven remain.³
¹ Charter of Ashtabula, Ohio, Sects. 46-1, 46-2. Amendment adopted August 10, 1915.
2 Professor A. R. Hatton, "The Ashtabula Plan," National Municipal Review, V, 56–65 (1916).
3 Ibid., 59-60 (1916). As a result of the first election under this plan it is reported that the
business, professional and laboring interests were represented on the commission, also the various
nationalities and political parties. Ibid., 61. The system has not been adopted by any other
American city and has been in operation in Ashtabula for too short a period to draw any definite
conclusions as to its workings.
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V. THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN IN MASSACHUSETTS.
The Optional Charter Law.
Geographically most of the municipalities under the city-
manager plan are to be found outside of New England, especially
in the west and southwest. Massachusetts, in fact, is the only
one of the New England States which has authorized the intro-
duction of the new system. In 1915 the Legislature of the
Commonwealth enacted an optional charter law under which
any city may adopt Plan D providing for the city-manager
form.¹ Provision is made in this act for a city council of five
members elected from the city at large for two years, either two
or three members being chosen each year. The councillor re-
ceiving the largest number of votes at the election at which
three members are elected is given the title of mayor, but has
no extraordinary powers except to preside at meetings of the
council. The mayor and councillors receive such salaries as
may be determined by vote of the council, except that the com-
pensation of the former may not exceed $2,000 per annum and
that of the latter $500 each.
The city manager is appointed by the council on the basis of
merit alone, holds office during the pleasure of that body, is not
required to be a resident of the city when chosen, and has the
usual powers and duties assigned to city managers. The initia-
tive and referendum are included, but there is no provision for
the recall of either the city manager or members of the council.
So far no city in Massachusetts has adopted the manager plan
of government as provided for in the optional charter act.
The Norwood Town-Manager Plan.
Although no city in the Commonwealth has as yet adopted
Plan D of the optional charter law, the town 'of Norwood in
1914 obtained a special act from the Legislature authorizing the
reorganization of its government so as to provide for a town
manager.2 Under the Norwood plan the town meeting is re-
tained for the purposes of legislation and the voting of taxes
1 General Acts of Massachusetts, 1915, Chap. 267, Part V, Plan D, Sects. 1-14. See Appendix B.
2 Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts, 1914, Chap. 197.
;
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and appropriations. Five selectmen are then elected by the
voters for terms of three years each, to have general oversight
of town affairs and to appoint a town manager. The act pro-
vides for the abolition of a number of independent offices and
boards including the water commissioners, sewer commissioners,
park commissioners, municipal light board and tree warden, and
transfers their duties to the selectmen who in turn appoint a
town manager to look after the actual administration of the
same.
The powers and duties of the general manager in Norwood
are with a few exceptions much the same as in other mu-
nicipalities under the manager type of government. According
to the act providing for the administration of town affairs his
functions include the following:
(a) To organize, continue or discontinue such divisions or departments
from time to time as may be determined by vote of the selectmen, or in
the absence of such vote, as may be determined by said general manager
to be required for the efficient conduct of his office;
(b) To appoint upon merit and fitness alone, and . . . to remove all
superintendents or chiefs of departments and all subordinate officers and
employees in such departments, and to fix all salaries and wages of all
subordinates and employees subject to law. The superintendents or
chiefs of departments shall not be removed by the general manager ex-
cept on five days' notice in writing which shall state the cause of such
removal;
(c) To exercise control over all such departments or divisions so created,
or that may hereafter be created, which shall be made subject to the
supervision of said general manager;
(d) To attend all regular meetings of the selectmen, and to recommend
to the selectmen for adoption such measures requiring action by them or
by the town as he may deem necessary or expedient;
(e) To keep full and complete records of the doings of his office, and
to render as often as may be required by the selectmen a full report of all
operations during the period reported on;
(f) To keep the selectmen fully advised as to the needs of the town
within the scope of his duties, and to furnish the selectmen on or before
the thirty-first day of December of each year a careful, detailed estimate
in writing of the appropriations required during the next ensuing fiscal
year for the proper conduct of all departments of the town under his
control;
(g) To keep in repair the . . . library and all school and other town
buildings and to purchase all supplies for every department of the town . . .;
16
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(h) To perform such other duties, consistent with his office as may
be required of him by the by-laws of the town or by vote of the select-
men;
(i) To have control and supervision of the department of police of the
town, subject, however, to the direction of the selectmen.¹
In pursuance of this act the town manager has been given
charge of the police and fire departments, the care of parks and
public buildings, the management of the water and light plants,
the construction, repair and maintenance of highways, sewers
and bridges, and other work of an engineering nature. But
contrary to the practice in most city-manager municipalities,
the administration of finances, public health and poor relief
has been assigned to authorities other than the manager. The
collection and disbursement of funds and the keeping of ac-
counts are under the control of the treasurer and the town
accountant appointed by the selectmen. In addition to these
two fiscal officers there is a finance commission of three members
elected by the voters to prepare the annual budget, investigate
all articles in the town warrant requesting the appropriation of
money, and to have general oversight of the entire finances of
the town. The protection of the health of the community is
under the supervision of a popularly elected board of health of
three members, while the care of the poor is entrusted to a
board of relief appointed by the selectmen.
Thus it is seen that according to the Norwood plan the
manager is directly responsible for the supervision of only a
part of the departments of the town and that his powers and
duties are confined very largely to the administration of public
safety and public works, the purchase of supplies, and the
general oversight of such other matters as the selectmen may
from time to time assign to him.
No provision is made in the Norwood act for the initiative
and referendum as such, since the people already have the
power of direct legislation through their town meetings. The
selectmen, however, are made subject to the recall and an
election for the removal of any or all of the selectmen may be
called upon petition of two hundred qualified voters. Any
1 Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts, 1914, Chap. 197, Sect. 9.
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selectman whose removal is sought may be a candidate to
succeed himself.¹
The operation of the manager plan in Norwood has attracted
the attention of other communities in the State with the result
that several towns, including Winchester and Walpole, have
been considering the adoption of a similar form of government.
A bill was also introduced in the 1917 session of the Legislature
providing for an optional town charter act somewhat similar to
the optional charter law for cities, which would permit any
town to adopt one of several plans including the manager
system. This bill did not become a law, but a recess com-
mittee has been appointed to make a further study of the
matter and to report its findings at the next session of the
Legislature.
VI. CONCLUSION.
Since the city-manager plan has been in operation for only a
few years, it is difficult to state any definite conclusions as to
its actual results. Letters and reports, however, from officials
in nine representative cities- Dayton (123,794); Springfield,
Ohio (50,058); Jackson, Michigan (34,202); Sherman, Texas
(12,412); Bakersfield, California (12,727); Manistee, Michigan
(12,381); Staunton, Virginia (10,604); Amarillo, Texas (10,000);
and La Grande, Oregon (7,000) — show that central purchasing
departments have been established in eight of the nine places;
that in all but one the accounting methods have been reorgan-
ized; and that in all but four new budget systems have been
introduced. At the time the above information was obtained
none of the cities had found it necessary to issue bonds for cur-
rent expenses incurred during the city-manager administration.
The following is a tabular view of the financial administration of
the above-mentioned cities under the city-manager plan: 3
1 For the workings of town-manager plan in Norwood see Forty-fifth Annual Report of the
Town of Norwood, 1916, 103-132; and also Second Annual Report of the Proceedings of the City Man-
agers' Association, held in Dayton, 1915, 81-82.
2 House Bill No. 1080, Massachusetts General Court, 1917, “An Act to modify town government
and to provide for a limited town meeting."
3 Information obtained from questionnaires sent to city managers in 1915-16 by the Bureau for
Research in Municipal Government, Harvard University, and from annual reports of city man-
agers, 1914-16.
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CITY.
Dayton,
Ohio.
Springfield,
Ohio.
Financial Condition.
Expenditures kept within
revenue. Has not been
necessary to issue bonds
for payment of current ex-
penses since the first month
when bonds were issued to
pay expenses incurred dur-
ing the flood of 1913. Per
capita expenses of general
departments during 1915
show 5 per cent increase
over those for last year un-
der aldermanic form; per
capita net debt, 19 per cent
increase; per capita rev-
enue receipts 32 per cent
increase.
Floating debt of $120,000
liquidated in two years.
Not necessary to
to issue
bonds for payment of cur-
rent expenses. Per capita
expenses of general depart-
ments for 1915 show 1 per
cent increase over last year
under aldermanic form;
per capita net debt 10 per
cent increase; per capita
revenue receipts 20 per
cent increase.
Tax Rate.
I
Į
Tax rate lowered from
$1.50 to $1.31 per
$100 of valuation, or
decrease of $0.19 per
$100.
Accounting Methods.
""
Completely centralized
system of accounting in-
stalled. Based on prin-
ciples laid down in
Metz's "Handbook of
Municipal Accounting.
Cost accounting in the
matter of street clean-
ing, street repairing,
garbage and ash removal,
maintenance of horses
and automobiles, etc.
Budget Methods.
Budget estimates sub-
mitted to the commis-
sion by the city manager;|
segregated type of bud-
get adopted with a uni-
form classification of all
items according to de-
partment, character and
object. A budget code
with a uniform classifi-
cation of items has been
provided.
Completely centralized, | Budget estimates sub-
double entry system of mitted to the commis-
accounting installed. sion by the city manager.
Segregated type of bud-
get adopted.
1
Purchase of Supplies.
sub- All supplies purchased
by central purchasing
department.
(
Central purchasing
agent provided for.
T

Jackson,
Michigan.
Sherman,
Texas.
Manistee,
Michigan.
Amarillo,
Texas.
Outstanding bonded indebt- Tax rate not raised.
edness reduced by $50,000
and floating indebtedness
of $14,000 paid off. Sink-
ing fund balance increased
from $27,000 to $45,000.
Bonds have not been is-
sued for current expenses.
No bonds issued for payment
of current expenses.
$20,000 delinquent taxes col-
lected; had been on books
many years. "Have not
found it necessary to bor-
row any money under city-
manager plan; not even in
anticipation of taxes
(1915).
""
1
M
I
Bonds not issued to meet Tax rate for city pur-
current expenses.
poses lowered from
$16.62 per $1,000
valuation during 1913
to $13.51 in 1915-16,
or decrease of $2.61
per $1,000.
1
Complete double entry
system of accounting in-
stalled. All accounts
kept by Finance Depart-
ment, except for City
Hospital and Park Trus-
tees, who use uniform
system.
City manager reports the
installation of an im-
proved system of ac-
counting.
Budget estimates sub-
mitted by the city man-
ager. Segregated type
of budget adopted.
Uniform classification of
items according to de-
partment and object of
expenditure.
Improved system installed. Budget of segregated type. Central purchasing
agent.
7
City manager
presents
budget estimates to com-
mission. Question as to
form of budget un-
answered.
New system of accounting City manager presents
established.
budget items to com-
mission. Modified
"lump sum type of
budget.
City manager acts as
purchasing agent.
""
City manager purchases
all supplies.
City manager purchases
most of supplies.
19
·
1

20
CITY.
La Grande,
Oregon.
Bakersfield,
California.
Staunton,
Virginia.
Financial Condition.
Floating indebtedness of
$110,000 from previous
administration reduced by
almost one half in two
years. Water and street
departments put on a cash
paying basis. No bonds
for current expenses.
Bonds have not been issued
to pay current expenses.
Bonds bearing high rate of
interest have been taken
up with new bonds at lower
rate. No money has been
borrowed for current ex-
penses. All improvements
in 1915-16 paid out of
ordinary income.
Tax Rate.
Tax rate has remained No changes in accounting
the same.
system (1915).
I
Accounting Methods.
[
1
Budget Methods.
Budget making not cen-
tralized. Lump-sum
type of budget (1915).
New system adopted which City manager presents
budget estimates to the
commission.
provides for a full segre-
gation of all items of ex-
pense in each depart-
ment.
"Tax rate is one of the Improved double entry City manager presents
lowest in Virginia system installed.
cities of
of the first
class."
budget estimates to the
commission. Segregated
type of budget.
Purchase of Supplies.
Central purchasing
of supplies not es-
tablished (1915).
City manager purchases
all supplies.
1
Central purchase of all
supplies.
!

21
1
GOVERNING BODY:
DIGEST OF THE CHARTER OF DAYTON.¹
Home Rule Charter adopted by the people in 1913.
Title: Commission.
Number: Five.
APPENDIX A.
Term: Four years. Partial renewal biennially.
Removal: Recall.
Salary: Twelve hundred dollars (Mayor, $1,800).
MAYOR:
SEC. 36. The mayor shall be that member of the commission who,
at the regular municipal election at which the three commissioners
were elected, received the highest number of votes, except that
at the first regular municipal election held under this charter the
mayor shall be the commissioner receiving the highest number of
votes. . . . The mayor shall be the presiding officer, except that
in his absence a president pro tempore may be chosen. The mayor
shall exercise such powers conferred and perform all duties imposed
upon him by this charter, the ordinances of the city and the laws
of the State. He shall be recognized as the official head of the city
by the courts for the purpose of serving civil processes, by the
Governor for the purposes of the military law, and for all cere-
monial purposes.
CITY MANAGER:
SEC. 47. The commission shall appoint a city manager who shall be
the administrative head of the municipal government and shall
be responsible for the efficient administration of all departments.
He shall be appointed without regard to his political beliefs and
may or may not be a resident of the city of Dayton when appointed.
He shall hold office at the will of the commission and shall be
subject to recall as herein provided.
SEC. 48. Powers and Duties of the City Manager. The powers and
duties of the city manager shall be
(a) To see that the laws and ordinances are enforced.
1 From Loose Leaf Digest of Short Ballot Charters, edited by Charles A. Beard for the Short
Ballot Organization, New York, 1911-15.
22.
{
+
CITY MANAGER — Concluded.
SEC. 48. Powers and Duties of the City Manager - Concluded.
(b) To appoint and, except as herein provided, remove all directors
:
of departments and all subordinate officers and employees in the
departments in both the classified and unclassified service; all
appointments to be upon merit and fitness alone, and in the classi-
fied service all appointments and removals to be subject to the
civil service provisions of this charter;
(c) To exercise control over all departments and divisions created
herein or that may be hereafter created by the commission;
(d) To attend all meetings of the commission, with the right to take
part in the discussion but having no vote;
(e) To recommend to the commission for adoption such measures
as he may deem necessary or expedient;
(f) To keep the commission fully advised as to the financial condition
and needs of the city; and
(g) To perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this charter
or be required of him by ordinance or resolution of the commission.
SEC. 49. Salary. The city manager shall receive such salary as may
be fixed by ordinance of the commission.
APPOINTMENTS:
A
Enumeration: (1) City Manager, Civil Service Board, Clerk of the
Commission; (2) City Attorney, Director of Public Service, Direc-
tor of Public Welfare, Director of Public Safety Director of Fi-
nance; (3) The following subordinate officers: Health Officer,
Chief of Police, Fire Chief, City Accountant, City Treasurer, City
Purchasing Agent.
Manner: Group (1) by the Commission; Groups (2) and (3) by the
City Manager.
Civil Service Provisions: The following officers are in the unclassified
service: Those elected by the people, the City Manager, the heads
of departments and divisions of departments, members of appoint-
ive boards, the Clerk of the Commission, and the deputies and
secretaries of the City Manager, and one assistant or deputy and
one secretary for each department.
All other positions are in the classified service in the competitive,
non-competitive or labor divisions, and are under the regulations
of the Civil Service Board.
ELECTION PROVISIONS:
Non-partisan nominations and elections. Names are placed on the
ballot at the primary election by petition of two per cent of the
registered voters.
Candidates to twice the number of offices to be filled, receiving the
highest number of votes at the primary are the candidates at the
second election.
31
23
INITIATIVE:
Petition of ten per cent of the registered voters to bring the ordinance
to the attention of the council; after thirty days a petition of an
additional fifteen per cent to have it submitted to the people
(special election).
REFERENDUM:
Petition of twenty-five per cent of the registered voters (special election).
RECALL:
Petition of twenty-five per cent of the registered voters.
No recall petition may be filed within the first six months of office. The
question of removal is separated from that of the choice of a suc-
cessor, and the name of the officer sought to be recalled does not
appear as a candidate to succeed himself.
The recall may be applied to the City Manager.
24
·
APPENDIX B.
PLAN D PROVIDED FOR IN THE MASSACHUSETTS OPTIONAL CHARTER LAW.
GENERAL ACTS OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1915, CHAPTER 267, 312-315.
SECTION 3. The government of the city and the general management
and control of all its affairs shall be vested in a city council, which shall
be elected and shall exercise its powers in the manner herein and in Part
I set forth; except that the city manager shall have the authority herein-
after specified, and that the general management and conduct of the
public schools of the city and of the property pertaining thereto shall be
vested in the school committee.
•
SECTION 4. The city council shall consist of five members, who shall
be elected at large by and from the qualified voters of the city for a term
of two years and until their successors are elected and qualified; except
that at the first election the three candidates having the highest number
of votes shall serve for two years and the two candidates having the next
highest number of votes shall serve for one year.
SECTION 5. All the legislative powers of the city shall be vested in the
city council
SECTION 9. The mayor shall be that member of the city council who,
at the regular municipal election at which the three members of the council
were elected, received the highest number of votes, except that at the
first regular municipal election held in a city adopting this plan of gov-
ernment the mayor shall be the councillor receiving the highest number
of votes. . . The mayor shall be the presiding officer, except that in
his absence the president of the council shall preside; and in the absence
of both the mayor and the president of the council, a president pro tem-
pore may be chosen. The mayor shall be the official head of the city.
He shall have no power of veto, but shall have the same power as the
other members of the council to vote upon all measures coming before it.
SECTION 10. The mayor shall receive for his services such salary as
the city council shall by ordinance determine, not exceeding two thousand
dollars a year, and he shall receive no other compensation from the city.
Such salary shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which
he is elected.
The council may by a vote of not less than three members, taken by call
of the yeas and nays, establish a salary for its members, not exceeding
five hundred dollars a year for each. Such salary may be reduced, but
25
no increase therein shall be made to take effect during the year in which
the increase is voted.
SECTION 11. The city council shall appoint a city manager, who shall
be the administrative head of the city government and shall be respon-
sible for the administration of all departments. He shall be appointed
with regard to merit only, and he need not be a resident of the city when
appointed. He shall hold office during the pleasure of the city council
and shall receive such compensation as it shall fix by ordinance.
SECTION 12. The city manager shall (1) be the administrative head
of the city government; (2) see that within the city the laws of the State
and the ordinances, resolutions and regulations of the council are faith-
fully executed; (3) attend all meetings of the council, and recommend
for adoption such measures as he shall deem expedient; (4) make reports
to the council from time to time upon the affairs of the city, keep the
council fully advised of the city's financial condition and its future finan-
cial needs; (5) appoint and remove all heads of departments, superin-
tendents and other employees of the city.
SECTION 13. Such city officers and employees as the council shall
determine are necessary for the proper administration of the city shall
be appointed by the city manager, and any such officer or employee may
be removed by him; but the city manager shall report each such appoint-
ment and removal to the council at the next meeting thereof following
any such appointment or removal.
SECTION 14. The officers and employees of the city shall perform
such duties as may be required of them by the city manager, under general
regulations of the city council.
}
CITY.
Dayton, Ohio,
Grand Rapids, Mich.,
LIST OF CITIES WITH CITY MANAGERS.
I. CITIES WITH COMPLETE CITY-MANAGER PLAN ESTABLISHED BY CHAR-
TER OR STATUTE. SMALL COMMISSION, INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM
AND OTHER ESSENTIAL FEATURES USUALLY PROVIDED FOR.
A. Cities over 100,000, Two in Number.
Wichita, Kan.,
Springfield, Ohio,
Wheeling, W. Va.,
Portsmouth, Va.,
San José, Cal., .
Niagara Falls, N. Y.,
Jackson, Mich.,
Alameda, Cal. (city and county),
3
Newburgh, N. Y.,
Watertown, N. Y.,
APPENDIX C.
•
·
26

·
•
Population. In Effect.
B. - Cities of 25,000 to 100,000, Ten in Number.
123,793
123,860
64,972
50,058
42,957
37,569
37,010
35,127
34,202
30,000
27,805
26,730
1914
1 Year of adoption.
1917
1917 1
1914
1917
1916
1916
1916
1915
1917 1
1916
1918
Salary of
Manager.
$12,500
$6,000
6,000
5,000
6,000
5,000
27
C. — Cities under 25,000, Thirty-seven in Number.
Albion, Mich.
Alhambra, Cal.
Alpena, Mich.
Amarillo, Texas.
Ashtabula, Ohio.
Bakersfield, Cal.
Big Rapids, Mich.
Brownsville, Texas.
Bryan, Texas.
Cadillac, Mich.
Collinsville, Okla.
Denton, Texas.
East Cleveland, Ohio.
Eldorado, Kansas.
Elizabeth City, N. C.
Hickory, N. C.
La Grande, Ore.
Lakeland, Fla.
Manistee, Mich.
Abilene, Kan.
Beaufort, S. C.
Benton Harbor, Mich.
Bristol, Pa.
Charlottesville, Va.
Total number of cities with complete city-manager plan, 49.
Clarinda, Iowa.
Clark, S. D.
II. CITIES WITH MODIFIED CITY-MANAGER PLAN. OLD FORM OF Gov-
ERNMENT RETAINED. CITY MANAGER USUALLY PROVIDED FOR BY
ORDINANCE OF CITY COUNCIL OR BY AMENDMENT OF EXISTING
CHARTER.
Cynthiana, Ky.
Fredericksburg, Va.
Glencoe, Ill.
Glendale, Cal.
Montrose, Colo.
Morganton, N. C.
Grand Haven, Mich. ¹
Grove City, Pa.
Morris, Minn.
Petoskey, Mich.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Rock Hill, S. C.
St. Augustine, Fla.
San Angelo, Texas.
Sandusky, Ohio.
Santa Barbara, Cal.
Sherman, Texas.
Sumter, S. C.
Taylor, Texas.
Thomasville, N. C.
Tyler, Texas.
Webster City, Iowa.
Westerville, Ohio.
Yoakum, Texas.
Horicon, Wis.
Inglewood, Cal.
Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Johnson City, Tenn.
Norwood, Mass.
River Forest, Ill.
Roswell, N. M.
San Diego, Cal. 2
Staunton, Va.
Titusville, Pa.
Tuscon, Ariz.
Winnetka, Ill.
Number of cities with modified city-manager plan, 25.
1 Commission form of government retained; mayor appoints city manager.
2 Commission form of government retained; manager of operations appointed to administer
engineering work of city, public works, etc.
28
III. CITIES REPORTED AS HAVING CITY MANAGERS. INFORMATION
NOT AVAILABLE AS TO WHETHER THE PLAN IS OF THE COMPLETE
OR MODIFIED TYPE.
Bentonville, Ark.
Bloomfield, Iowa.
Bristol, Va.
Brownwood, Texas.
Charleston, W. Va.
Durham, N. C.
Glasgow, Mont.
Graham, Va.
Grinnell, Iowa.
Highland Park, N. J.
Holtville, Cal.
Norman, Okla.
Oneida, N. Y.
Sherrill, N. Y.
Teague, Texas.
Terrell, Texas.
Winchester, Va.
Grand total of all cities with city managers, 91.
29
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
GENERAL REFERENCES.
American Academy of Political and Social Science.
"Commission Gov-
ernment and the City Manager Plan." Annals. Philadelphia,1914.
"The City Manager Plan in Forty-five Cities." The American City,
XII, 499-507 (June, 1915).
Ashtabula, Ohio, Chamber of Commerce. The Ashtabula Plan of Munic-
ipal Government. The commission-manager form with proportional
representation. Ashtabula, n.d.
Dayton, Ohio, Bureau of Municipal Research. A Charter Primer. By
L. D. Upson. Dayton, 1914.
Hatton, A. R. "The Ashtabula Plan- the Latest Step in Municipal
Organization." National Municipal Review, V, 56-65 (January,
1916).
National Municipal League. Committee on Municipal Program. A
Model City Charter and Municipal Home Rule, as prepared by the
Committee on Municipal Program of the National Municipal League.
Philadelphia, 1916.
Quire, Joseph H. City Manager Plan. Bulletin, University Extension
Division, University of California, I, No. 18 (June, 1916).
Short Ballot Organization. The City Manager Plan of Municipal Gov-
ernment. New York, 1913. (Reprinted from A Loose Leaf Digest of
Short Ballot Charters, edited by C. A. Beard. New York, 1911.)
Toulmin, H. A., Jr. The City Manager. New York, 1915. 310 pp.
(National Municipal League Series.)
Walpole, Mass. Report of the Town Planning Committee on Town Gov-
ernment with Charter for the Town of Walpole. Walpole, Mass.,
1917.
PRACTICAL OPERATION OF THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN.
Brooks, Robert C. Commission Manager Government in San José, Cal.
National Municipal Review, VI, 238-241 (March, 1917).
Childs, R. S. How the Commission-Manager Plan is Getting Along.
National Municipal Review, IV, 371–382 (July, 1915); VI, 69–73.
City Managers' Association. Proceedings of the First Annual Conven-
tion, Springfield, Ohio, December, 1914. Springfield, 1915.
Proceedings of the Second Annual Meeting, Dayton, Ohio, Novem-
ber, 1915. O. E. Carr, Secretary, Niagara Falls, N. Y., n.d.
Dayton, Ohio. The City Commission. Annual Report of the City of
Dayton, 1916. (Complete account of
Dayton for the year 1915.
actual workings in Dayton.)
Bureau of Municipal Research. One Year of City Management in
Dayton, Ohio. By L. D. Upson. Dayton, 1915.
30
ཞ་
1
Short Ballot Organization. Tangible Results at Dayton under the Com-
mission-Manager Plan. Pamphlet, New York, n.d.
Waite, H. M. The City Manager Form of Municipal Government. Engi-
neering News, LXXI, 101–102 (Jan. 8, 1914).
The Commission Manager Plan. National Municipal Review, IV,
40-49 (January, 1915).
CHARTERS OF SOME REPRESENTATIVE CITY-MANAGER CITIES.
Beard, C. A., ed. A Loose Leaf Digest of Short Ballot Charters. The
Short Ballot Organization, 383 Fourth Avenue, New York. New
York, 1911-15. (Contains summary of city-manager charters.)
Ashtabula, Ohio. Charter for the City of Ashtabula, Ohio. Prepared and
submitted by the Charter Commission. Adopted Nov. 3, 1914. Ash-
tabula, 1914. Amended August, 1915, so as to provide for propor-
tional representation.
+
Dayton, Ohio. Charter for the City of Dayton. Prepared and proposed
by the Charter Commission. Reprinted for the Bureau of Municipal
Research, Dayton. Dayton, 1913.
Norwood, Mass. An Act to change the time of holding the annual meet-
ing of the town of Norwood, to enlarge the powers and duties of the
selectmen, to abolish certain offices, and to provide for the admin-
istration of town affairs. (Reprint of special act providing for town-
manager plan.)
CHARTER LAWS PROVIDING FOR CITY-MANAGER PLAN.
A. Optional Charter Laws.
Massachusetts. General Acts of Massachusetts, 1915, Chap. 267, Part V,
Plan D, pp. 312-315.
New York. Laws of New York, 1914, Vol. III, Chap. 444, Art. V, pp.
1900-1901.
North Carolina. An Act to provide for the organization and government
of cities, towns, and incorporated villages. Approved March 5, 1917,
Part V, Plan D.
Ohio. Laws of Ohio, 1913, 771-773.
Virginia. Acts of Assembly, 1914, Chap. 94, pp. 170-171.
B. General City-Manager Laws.
Iowa. Supplemental Supplement to the Code of Iowa, 1915, Chap. 14-D,
pp. 86-95. (Compiled by W. G. Whitney, Des Moines, 1915.)
Montana. House Bill No. 135, enacted by Montana Legislature, session
of 1917.
31
The State Legislatures of Idaho and Kansas have also enacted general
city-manager laws during the present session (1917). For brief sum-
mary of provisions see National Municipal Review, VI, 416-417 (May,
1917).
All the books named in the bibliographies printed with these
Bulletins may be found in the room set apart for the Delegates
to the Convention in the State Library.
PUBLICATION OF THIS DOCUMENT
APPROVED BY THE
SUPERVISOR OF ADMINISTRATION.