Proposition No. 1
Council-Manager Plan of Government

BALLOT TITLE
PROPOSITION NO. 1
COUNCIL-MANAGER PLAN OF GOVERNMENT
Shall the City of Carnation, Washington, reorganize and adopt the Council-Manager plan of municipal government?

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT:
If approved by the voters, this measure would reorganize the city's government under the council-manager plan of government. This change would result in the following: the administrative responsibility of the city would be transferred from the mayor to a city manager hired by the city council; and the position of directly elected mayor would be eliminated; and the position of mayor would be appointed from among the city council and have the same legislative rights, privileges and responsibilities as a councilmember. The mayor shall preside at council meetings and be recognized as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes. The city manager shall be chosen by the council solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications with special reference to his actual experience in, or his knowledge of, accepted practice in respect to the duties of his office.
Reorganization of the plan of government also requires that all five city council positions be open to election in November 1999. The new city council would be seated and the new plan of government functional upon certification of the election by the county auditor.

STATEMENT FOR
On May 18 the Citizens of Carnation will have an opportunity to make a progressive change in our form of government. We are a community interested in preserving our rural character and seek leaders who will operate our city in a fiscally responsible manner with the best interests of our community. We thus believe that the future of our community is best served by a Council-Manager form of government.
This form of government provides a greater clarification of Legislative vs. Administrative roles. The City Council will prioritize the community's wishes but an elected Mayor can too easily be swayed by special interests. An experienced City Manager reporting to the City Council will provide better continuity, more experience, and improved knowledge in working with other county and state agencies.
Under this form of government the City Council will choose one of their members as Mayor. Part-time mayors are difficult to find for the time commitment necessary with the complexities of today's lifestyles. This form of government has been enacted by many in Washington state over the past few years. There is also no additional city expense. It is time we maintain a professional city government that works for all the people.

REBUTTAL OF STATEMENT AGAINST
Carnation citizens must realize the Mayor does not have absolute political power, only administrative duties. The Council is the legislative body that sets policy and directs the Mayor to administer that policy through his staff.
Conducting the City's daily affairs in a businesslike manner is essential to ensuring our local tax dollars are managed efficiently and effectively.
Carnation can keep its local flavor if the citizens will work directly with the Council to manage their city.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Daniel Acker, Patricia Funk, Joan Sharp

STATEMENT AGAINST

• Most Council - Manager cities fall within the 5,000 to 100,000 population ranges. Carnation is much lower than that at just over 1,700. The council-manager form gives too much power to one person - the city manager.
• A professional manager, often chosen from outside the city, does not know the community and is too far from the voters. There is no requirement to be a city resident.
• Councils may leave too much decision making to the manager, who is not directly accountable to the public.
• Without an elected chief executive, the community lacks political leadership.
• The council-manager form is too much like a business corporation, which is not suitable for managing community needs.
• Citizens may be confused about who is in charge. Most expect the mayor to respond to their problems. The mayor has no direct control over the delivery of services and can only change policy through the city council.
• City managers have a tendency to leave the city when offered higher salaries and greater responsibilities in other cities.