Question: What is the difference between a city clerk, city administrator, and city manager?Answer: Have you ever wanted a quick cheat sheet on city administrative positions? If the answer is yes, then look no further. Below is a quick primer on the differences and similarities between city clerks, city administrators, and city managers (warning: this is by no means comprehensive).
Clerk
|
Administrator
|
Manager
|
|
Type
of office
|
Statutory
(elected or appointed)
|
Non-statutory
(usually created by ordinance or resolution)**
|
Statutory
|
Statutory
form of government*
|
Standard
Plan
Plan
A
Plan
B
|
Standard
Plan
Plan
A (most common)
|
Plan
B
|
Duties
|
Numerous
(minute book, ordinance book, notice of elections, notice of meetings,
records custodian, and more than can fix in this little box)
|
Varies
from city to city but generally day-to-day operations
|
Head
of administrative branch
|
Relationship
to other city staff
|
Other than for deputy clerk, no
appointment or removal power of city staff
|
Varies
from city to city
|
Can
appoint and remove city staff without council approval (except for city
attorney)
|
Policymaking
ability
|
None
|
None
|
Can
recommend ordinances, resolutions, and policies
|
Financial
responsibilities
|
Bookkeeper
(maintains financial records except those maintained by treasurer)
|
Varies
from city to city
|
Chief
purchasing agent for anything $20,000 and less (unless lower limit set by
council)
|
*Standard Plan: council and elected clerk
*Plan A: council with appointed clerk
*Plan B: council-manager plan of government
*Home Rule Charter: can have a clerk, administrator, and/or manager. What administrative positions they have would be determined by their charter.
An administrator can be hired in a Standard Plan, Plan A, or Home Rule Charter city, but is not required by statute in any plan.
**Administrator: can be hired in a Standard Plan, Plan A, or Home Rule Charter city, but is not required by statute in any plan.
While there is no way to exhaustively list what those in these city administrative positions do in a blog post (many earn the right to wear a cape on a weekly basis), this chart is meant to give you a few of the highlights.
To learn more about these and other city administrative positions, see the League’s Handbook Chapter on City Administrative Staff.
Written by Irene Kao, research attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities. Contact: ikao@lmc.org or (651) 281-1224.
This blog post conveys general information. It’s not legal advice. Please check with your city attorney before acting on this information.
