CINCINNATI CITY GOVERNMENT
MAYOR/COUNCIL REFORM 1999
MAYOR/ELECTION
Separate additional position of Mayor by direct election following a non-partisan primary election to determine two candidates for Mayor for November election.
MAYORAL TERM
4 years.
ROLE OF MAYOR
Presides at Council meetings but not a member of Council. Official head and representative of city for all purposes unless otherwise provided in Charter.
MAYOR SALARY
Twice Council salary.
MAYORAL SUCCESSION (in event of death, removal or resignation)
Vice mayor becomes Mayor. If Vice-Mayor assumes office of Mayor prior to June 1 in the year of a Council election, an election is held for the unexpired term of Mayor.
TERM LIMITS
Mayor - two 4-year terms
(anyone eligible to run regardless of Council service prior to 2001)
Council - four 2-years terms.
COUNCIL/ELECTION/SALARY
9 members, not including the Mayor, elected at large on non-partisan ballot for 2-year terms.
Salary - 3/4 of Hamilton County Commissioner.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Vice-Mayor
Appointed by Mayor without Council approval from among Council members for 2-year term. No additional compensation. Fills in when Mayor is absent except may not exercise veto power or appointive and removal powers.
Legislation
Mayor, not as a member of council, may propose, introduce and veto legislation. Council may propose, introduce, vote on and override mayoral veto of legislation.
Legislative Assignment
Mayor assigns all legislative matters to the appropriate committees.
Committee Chairs
Appointed and removed by Mayor without Council approval.
Committees
Council forms committees to conduct business not including appointment of committee chairs.
Veto
Mayor may exercise veto power over Council passed legislation which can be overridden by a vote of 6 members of Council (2/3).
City Manager
Only Mayor may appoint City Manager subject to prior approval of Council (majority vote). Only Mayor may initiate removal of City Manager with the advice of Council but such removal requires Council approval (majority vote).
Budget
Mayor transmits to Council the annual budget estimate prepared by City Manager within 15 days of receipt; may include comments.
ROLE OF CITY MANAGER - Chief executive and administrative officer of the city.
CITY MANAGER REPORTS TO - Mayor and Council.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Cincinnati has been governed by the current Charter since 1926. The City operates under the council-manager form of government which separates the legislative and administrative functions of government. The council performs the policy setting legislative role and a professional city manager carries out the administrative duties.
In 1987, voters approved a charter amendment providing that the council candidate who received the highest number of votes in the municipal election was declared mayor. Previously the charter provided for the selection of mayor by council from among its members.
People looked to the mayor for leadership but this was hindered under the system of declaring as mayor the candidate who received the highest number of votes. Those who did not attain that office could obstruct cooperative work. There was a perceived need for council to be a cohesive body with leadership from the mayor. A council with a unified voice could fulfill its function in forging a plan for the city and in formulating policies to carry out that plan but without interfering with the office of city manager. In most other council-manager cities comparable in population size to Cincinnati, the mayor was directly elected.
From the mid 1990's, there was ongoing discussions about Cincinnati city government structure and the electoral system. Charter reform discussions included proposals for district elections or proportional voting for council members; changing from non-partisan to partisan elections; direct election of a mayor who would be the chief executive officer and who would manage the administrative service of the city; or direct election of a mayor as member of council with some enhanced powers.
In the summer and fall of 1998, Build Cincinnati released a draft proposal for an executive mayor/district council plan and hosted community meetings to discuss the plan. Response was divided; discussions continued. In January and February 1999, Build Cincinnati and Cincinnatians for Charter Reform came together to try to find a compromise plan.
The main elements of the charter amendment resulted after a series of meetings, over a few weeks time, with representatives of two groups; Build Cincinnati which included representatives from the Democrat and Republican parties and the NAACP and Cincinnatians for Charter Reform which included representatives from Cincinnatus, Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati, Charter Committee, League of Women Voters, Woman's City Club and Women's Political Caucus.
The City of Cincinnati Charter amendment was placed on the May 4, 1999 ballot and was passed by the voters. The amendment changed the role and powers of the mayor, the manner of selection of the city manager and the way Cincinnati's mayor is elected. The amendment replaced the top-vote-getter selection of the mayor with the direct election of the mayor by majority vote in the November election following a September non-partisan primary to be held every 4 years. Now the mayor is in addition to a 9-member council. The mayor is the presiding officer at council meetings but not a member of council, has veto power over council-passed legislation with an override provision, assigns legislative matters to council committees, and appoints and removes council committee chairs and the vice-mayor without the advice and consent of council. The mayor initiates the hiring and removal of the city manager with the advice and consent of council. The mayor's salary is twice the salary of a member of council. The term limit for mayor is two successive four-year terms. Council members are limited to four successive two-year terms.
March 2001
|
|
