With so many new
residents in DuPont, I am forwarding a series of reports to help citizens
understand the processes used in our city government.
UNDERSTANDING DuPONT’S FORM OF CITY
GOVERNMENT
and CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
DuPont has one of the oldest forms
of city government found in Washington a “strong mayor” –
council.
The mayor is elected at-large every four years by a majority of
the popular vote in a general election and serves as the city’s chief executive
and administrative officer. In DuPont the mayor and the seven councilmembers
serve on a part-time basis leaving most of the day-to-day operations to various
full and part-time administrative personnel. As such, DuPont hires a
professional city administrator to serve under the mayor to gain the benefits of
professional management, allowing the mayor to focus greater attention on policy
development, political leadership roles or their own livelihood.
The individual who is appointed as city administrator
as well as those serving as department heads are recommended by the mayor to the
city council for confirmation. Confirmation is made by a majority vote. All
administrative staff and employees are responsible and accountable to the mayor
and serves at the pleasure of the mayor.
The mayor has the authority to remove department heads
and union employees by following the provisions contained in their
individual/union contracts. The mayor is in-charge and responsible for the
operations and actions of all city departments. Further, the mayor sees that
all laws and ordinances are faithfully enforced and that law and order is
maintained in the city and shall have general supervision of the administration
of city government and all city interests. The mayor attends and presides
over council meetings but does not vote, except in the case of a tie. The
mayor may veto an ordinance or action by the city council, but the mayor’s veto
can be overridden by a majority plus one of the entire council membership. The
mayor reports to the council items concerning the affairs of the city and its
financial and other needs, and makes recommendations for council consideration
and action.
The seven member city council is elected at-large for a four year period with their
terms staged on odd-numbered years. The council serves as the city’s legislative
body and has the authority to formulate and adopt city policies.
The mayor can propose policy solutions for many issues
and concerns facing the city. Any councilmember may bring forth a resolution or
ordinance by submitting a timely request to the city administrator for inclusion
on the city council agenda. For the development of policy, the city council
relies upon recommendations from many sources, including those from
administrative staff, citizens’ groups, advisory committees/boards, community
organizations and individual citizens. It is the council’s responsibility to
consider the merits of each recommendation and then approve, modify, or reject
it. Recommendations are examined during council study/work sessions which are
exclusive of the regular scheduled business meetings. The mayor is responsible
for implementing the decisions of the city council.
As implied in this article, the “strong mayor” –
council form is characterized by a separation of executive and legislative
powers and a system of checks and balances. This means that it is not the role
of the councilmember to supervise city employees on the job or become involved
in the day-to-administration of city affairs. The majority of council meetings
are open to the public with the exception of those authorized and conducted as
“executive session” under state law. The budget and comprehensive plans are
powerful policy tools that are adopted by city council action. Internal council
committees can be established by a majority vote for policy review and
discussion in order to assist the council in examining issues that may come
before it in greater depth and detail. Many cities of our size have established
internal committees such as Community Relations and Public Affairs, Finance and
Economic Development and General Government & Public Safety. In DuPont the
city council relies upon staff research and reports for background data and
recommendations.
Citizen Involvement There are many ways by which citizens are engaged
in our city government. As a resident of DuPont either as a renter or owner,
keeping yourself informed on what is currently happening is extremely
important.
Several ways this can be done are: to frequently read
the city administrator’s Friday Letter and other notices on the
city’s webpage (www.ci.dupont.wa.us), be aware of the messages on the
city’s reader board and subscribe to an on-line local news source such as
the South Puget Sound News or the Suburban
Times.
More direct involvement might be actively
participating in future elections by being a possible candidate for public
office, supporting candidates with their campaign activities, or voting for a
candidate based upon their views and opinions on issues. Being a citizen
volunteer on a city project would be very helpful. Coordination can be done
with Amy Walker (912-5245).
A variety of methods are available for communicating
your opinions, issues and ideas to your fellow citizens and to the city
leadership. You can express your concerns by joining a citizen on-line
discussion group, prepare editorials and letters-to-the editor, email or phone
call your elected representatives (including the mayor). Speaking –out during
public comment periods at city council meetings, study sessions, and
committee/board discussions is effective.
Open citizen communication is essential to maintain
accountability and responsiveness within our local representative government.
While public opinion goes along ways in decision-making, your elected
representatives may vote in an opposite direction. DuPont does not have the
citizen’s rights of initiative and referendum. The final decisions on many
matters lie with the majority vote of your elected representatives.
Therefore, voting for your city council representatives is very serious
business.
For Further inquiry,
contact:
ROGER WESTMAN
DuPont City Council, Pos.
1
(253) 964-3282
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