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What is a City Administrator?
A professional City Administrator is closely related to a City Manager. A City Manager/Administrator normally has a gradute degree (Masters or Ph.d) with several years of local government, managerial, and/or leadership experience. City Administrators perform the same duties as City Managers such as managing the entire City and its departments.
City Administrators vary from City Managers in the fact that they usually have less authority than City Managers. For example, Administrators don't have the authority to hire and dismiss his/her employees without Council approval, unless specified in a City Charter. City Managers have their own operating budget and they are established by a City Charter.
Professional City Administrators normally have a minimum of a Masters degree in Public Administration, Urban Studies, Political Science or related field. Several professional City Administrators and Managers have Ph.ds.
Professional City Administrators and/or Managers serve as Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) for the City. Many professional City Administrators and/or Managers could transfer easily into the private sector based on their training and experience and run other types of companies fairly easily.
Professional City Administrators and/or Managers have specialized training and experience in Strategic Planning, Economics, Urban Studies, Statistical Analysis, professional report writing, Performance Measurement, Fleet Management systems, Organizational Structures and management, Personnel Management, and statistical trends and scientific research methods.
Professional City Administrators and Managers also perform duties such as lobbying at the State Legislature, hosting large events, and performing other political activities. Occasionally, City Administrators/Managers gather political support at the Federal level in order to protect local municipalities.
What does the League of Minnesota Cites say about City Administrators?
According to the (LMC) League of Minnesota Cities:
"City Administrators are appointed by the City Council for the proper management and operation of city affairs. Standard Plan and Plan A City Councils may establish, by ordinance or resolution, a chief administrative officer, often called the City Administrator.
The history of the City Administrator position is less defined than the history of the Clerk and Manager positions. In Minnesota, the City Administrator position has apparently grown out of the City Clerk position. As a city's operations grow more complex, it becomes unrealistic for the elected body to oversee day-to-day operations. In a step to move toward delegating many of these day-to-day functions, many city councils have chosen to create the position of City Administrator.
A key issue in the creation of the City Administrator position is the level of authority, particularly supervisory authority of other city staff, that will be vested in the position. In some cities, the responsibilities may be an expansion of the City Clerk's duties. Other cities may give the administrator broader powers similar to a City Manager."
Reference: This information was obtained from the League of Minnesota Cities.
What is a City Clerk?
A traditional City Clerk performs clerical duties related to the City. Thus, the title "Clerk". City Clerks are the "Keeper of Records". They maintain data bases and filing systems according to the Data Practices Act and MN State Statutes. Traditional City Clerks perform clerical duties such as writting ordinances and resolutions, meeting minutes, providing public notices, handling all licensing to include liquor and tobacco licenses, filing of all capital improvement projects, bids, grant writting, and other clerical duties. The City Clerk is also responsible for coordinating and running a smooth election process.
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