City Manager Duties & Independence
ChangeDecatur believes that the MANAGER form of government ineffectively apportions too much power into the hands of someone not directly elected by the citizens of Decatur. After a presentation to community leaders yesterday, we heard that some presume that Decatur's mayor and council have certain authority over the affairs of the city. Mayoral authority is limited by statute in IL (why the form of government is called a "weak mayor" system.)
Under the MANAGER form of government, the unelected city manager is the executive head of government. The following memorandum explains the role of the council, the mayor and city manager prepared for the Illinois City/County Management Association. For those interested in a copy of this memo, please click on this link.
