The City of Broken Arrow operates under a council-manager form of government. Voters made the change from a strong mayor form in 1956.

The council-manager form of local government is the most popular structure among U.S. municipalities with populations of 2,500 or more. It is one of several ways municipalities and counties can organize.

Under this form, residents elect a governing body — the City Council — to adopt legislation and set policy. The Council then hires a manager who acts as an administrator with broad executive authority to carry out those policies and oversee the local government’s day-to-day operations.

The council-manager form of government recognizes the critical role of elected officials as policy makers, who focus on mapping out a collective vision for the community and establishing the policies that govern it. The form also recognizes the need for a highly-qualified individual who is devoted exclusively to the delivery of services to residents.

Think about the structure used by many corporations, in which the board of directors hires an experienced CEO who is granted broad, executive authority to run the organization. While these boards establish the company’s overall policy direction, the CEO oversees implementation of that policy. Another similar structure is that of many school districts’ board of education and superintendent.

Today more than 105 million people in the U.S. live in communities that operate under a council-manager government. Forty-eight percent of the more than 7,300 U.S. municipalities with populations of 2,500 or more use the form, as do nearly 62 percent of municipalities with populations greater than 100,000. More than 800 counties also employ a similar system.

There are three primary benefits to this form of government:

• Flexibility — The council-manager form can adapt to local needs and demands.
• Clearly Defined Roles — While the Council serves both executive and legislative functions, there is clear distinction between the administrative role of a city manager and the policy leadership role of the elected council members.
• A Road Map for Success — Under this system, city managers can focus on service delivery, policy implementation, and performance management and can align city services with the values, mission, and policy goals defined set by the community and elected officials.

Makeup and role of the City Council

Comprised of five members, the City Council is the elected governing body for the City of Broken Arrow. Four of the members serve one of the City’s wards and the last member is elected at-large.

Council members are elected on a staggered schedule (Wards 1 & 2, then two years later Wards 3, 4 & at large) and serve four-year terms. One unique aspect of Broken Arrow is that while the four ward representatives must live in their ward, all registered voters in the City are able to vote for each seat.

The Council elects a mayor and vice mayor from among its own members. One of their primary functions is to serve as the chairperson and vice chairperson to the Council.

The primary role of the Council is to serve as the policy makers for the City. Its responsibilities include adopting local codes and ordinances, approving the budget and approving contracts for the City.

Members of the City Council tend to focus on the big picture goals of the City, such as community growth, sustainability and economic development, leaving routine day-to-day issues to the City Manager.

Most importantly, the City Council is responsible for hiring the City Manager, who oversees operations in the City, as well as the Presiding Judge for the Municipal Court.

City Manager's role

To purpose of the City Manager is to serve as the chief executive officer for the City of Broken Arrow. He or she manages all the “day-to-day” operations within the City.

The City Manager provides for the oversight and administration of all City Departments, directs the implementation of policies and programs adopted by City Council, resolves citizen concerns, represents the City within the community, region and state and elsewhere as required and serves as the chief advisor to the City Council, making recommendations regarding the annual budget and policy.

Other responsibilities of the City Manager include:

• Administering city government in accordance with city ordinances
• Advising the Council of the condition and needs of the city
• Appointing or removing all city employees
• Performing other activities as directed by the City Council
• Preparing an annual budget
• Reviewing and recommending items for City Council action
• Supervising and controlling all administrative departments

The City Manager directly supervises two Assistant City Managers as well as the Police, Fire and Legal departments. The City Manager’s office also contains the Communications and Tourism and Economic Development divisions.

The City Manager is hired and can be dismissed by a majority of the City Council.

Council-Manager form of government FAQs (PDF)

Information for this page came from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)

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