Under which system are the city council members elected by voters, and the council appoints a city manager to carry out the administrative functions?

Under which system are the city council members elected by voters, and the council appoints a city manager to carry out the administrative functions?

• A. Council-manager system
• B. Mayor-council system
• C. Commission system
• D. Strong-mayor system

Answer: (A)

This question tests how city governments separate policy from administration by appointing a professional manager. In this setup, voters elect a city council to set policy, and the council hires a professional city manager to handle daily administrative tasks, run departments, and implement council decisions. The manager’s role is to keep operations efficient and nonpartisan, while the council focuses on making policy and overseeing the city’s direction. This differs from other systems: in a mayor-council arrangement, voters elect a mayor who serves as the chief executive and runs the city’s administration; in a commission system, voters elect commissioners who both legislate and administer city departments; and in a strong-mayor system, the mayor holds substantial executive power and directly oversees administration. The described structure—council elected to set policy and a separately appointed city manager to run administration—fits the council-manager system.

This question tests how city governments separate policy from administration by appointing a professional manager. In this setup, voters elect a city council to set policy, and the council hires a professional city manager to handle daily administrative tasks, run departments, and implement council decisions. The manager’s role is to keep operations efficient and nonpartisan, while the council focuses on making policy and overseeing the city’s direction.

This differs from other systems: in a mayor-council arrangement, voters elect a mayor who serves as the chief executive and runs the city’s administration; in a commission system, voters elect commissioners who both legislate and administer city departments; and in a strong-mayor system, the mayor holds substantial executive power and directly oversees administration. The described structure—council elected to set policy and a separately appointed city manager to run administration—fits the council-manager system.