As the City’s newest City Manager, I am often asked, “What does the City Manager do?” It is a great question, and I wanted to share a few highlights about what the role of City Manager means in South Jordan.
In South Jordan, our approach to governance is similar to that adopted by major cities such as Phoenix, AZ, Charlotte, NC, and San Antonio, TX, which is often called a council-manager form of government. Our City operates under the six-member council form of government, where the City Council delegates specific responsibilities to the Mayor and other responsibilities to the City Manager, providing a stable foundation for decision-making. This deliberate distribution of duties ensures that power isn’t overly centralized, promoting a balanced approach to city leadership.
The Mayor and City Council hire the City Manager, who is accountable to the whole Council. When this form of government was adopted many years ago, the City Council, by ordinance, delegated some of the duties that the Mayor could hold to the City Manager for the City’s day-to-day functions and municipal operations. The Council, however, is prohibited by state law from removing any of the Mayor’s legislative or judicial powers or ceremonial functions, the Mayor’s position as chair of the Council, or any ex officio position that the Mayor holds. All department directors report to the City Manager.
The South Jordan Municipal Code details some of the City Manager’s duties in Title 2.28.020. These roles include the following:
- Managing the internal affairs of the city; developing, recommending, and implementing city policies, practices, rules, regulations, and procedures
- Carrying legislative directives and decisions from the Mayor and City Council
- Administering contracts
- Issuing public statements to the press and responding to questions from the press related to city management, policies, procedures, and administrative decisions that is consistent with the majority opinion or direction of the City Council
- Supervising city financial operations and keeping the governing body advised as to the financial condition and needs of the City
- Enforcing all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, and policies of the City, and being responsible for the overall personnel management function
- Creating all necessary departments
- Preparing recommendations for the governing body regarding the addition, deletion, or reduction of municipal services
The City Manager is also responsible for performing all other duties and obligations and exercising the powers set forth by ordinance, resolution, regulation, or directive imposed by the governing body.
However, how we interact and respect one another’s roles fuels the success of our governance model. Regardless of the specific government structure, our ability to work together respectfully and acknowledge each other’s areas of expertise drives the success of the city’s achievements.
Here in South Jordan, we’ve found that our success hinges on everyone understanding their role and appreciating the contributions of their peers. We firmly believe our city thrives when each of us fulfills our responsibilities and respects the contributions of our colleagues.
I am grateful for our vibrant community and fantastic staff, and I look forward to continued collaboration for the betterment of South Jordan.