The Council/Manager Plan

History of The Form

The Council-Manager system of local government is one of the few original American contributions to political theory. Approximately 90 years old, the Council-Manager form of government has proven its adaptability. Today it is the most popular choice of structure among U.S. communities with populations of 2,500 or greater. During the past dozen years, an average of 44 U.S. cities annually have adopted the Council-Manager form, while an average of only two per year have abandoned it.

It began in the early 20th century, when reformers were looking for ways to return control of municipal government to citizens. Those reformers advocated the Council-Manager structure of government to eliminate the corruption and diffuse the power entrenched in turn-of-the-century city political machines and special interests. With its emphasis on professional training and accountability, the Council-Manager form of government eventually was adopted by thousands of cities.

In 1908, Staunton, Virginia, instituted the first position legally defining, by ordinance, the board authority and responsibility associated with todays professional local government manager. Sumter, South Carolina, was the first city to adopt a charter incorporating the basic principles of Council-Manager government in 1912. Westmont, Quebec, introduced the form to Canada in 1913. The first large city to adopt the plan was Dayton, Ohio, in 1914. The first counties to adopt it in the 1930s were Arlington County, Virginia, and Durham County and Robeson County, North Carolina.

The form also is popular in Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Honduras, Chile, and Brazil.

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Michigan Local Government Management Association, 1675 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105