Laserfiche WebLink
The mayor of a charter city could have more limited or more expansive powers <br />than those of a mayor of a statutory city, depending upon what the charter <br />says. <br />II. Forms of city organization <br />Cities in Minnesota generally use one of three administrative formats in their <br />internal organization: weak mayor -council, strong mayor -council, and council- <br />manager. There's overlap as well; almost all cities with a council-manager form <br />of organization simultaneously follow a weak mayor -council form. <br />A. Weak mayor -council <br />The weak mayor -council plan is by far the most common plan in Minnesota. <br />Under the weak mayor -council plan, administrative as well as legislative <br />authority is the ultimate responsibility of the council as a whole. The only <br />exception would be if under authority of statute or home rule charter, a city <br />has an independent board, such as a utilities commission, to handle one or <br />more specific functions. <br />The mayor's powers in the weak mayor -council system are no greater than <br />those of other members of the council, except that the mayor is the presiding <br />officer at council meetings and has a few other legal and ceremonial <br />responsibilities listed below. The weak mayor has no extraordinary power to <br />individually make administrative decisions for the city. <br />B. Strong mayor -council <br />The strong mayor -council plan is rare in Minnesota and can only appear in a <br />home rule charter city. Only four cities in Minnesota operate under this form <br />of government including Duluth, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and St. Paul. Under <br />the strong mayor -council plan, the mayor is responsible for the operation of all <br />administrative agencies and departments within the city. Typically, a strong <br />mayor has the following powers. <br />• Can appoint and remove department heads and other subordinate staff, <br />subject to civil service provisions where applicable. <br />• Is not a council member but can veto council legislation subject to the right <br />of the council to override the veto by an extraordinary majority. <br />• Prepares and administers a budget that the council approves. <br />These and other features can vary under city charter provisions. <br />Minnesota <br />Mayors <br />Association Chapter 1 5 <br />