U.S. Municipal Government Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

The city manager is appointed by the elected body of the city and is not elected except in the most unusual of places.

Answer: Community

Parishes are used in Louisiana, boroughs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alaska, and New York, and townships all over the east and Midwest. Townships have varying levels of governmental responsibilities, depending on the state's law.

A community is a non-legal term meaning a social group sharing a common environment.

Answer: Dillon's Rule

Dillon's Rule is the guiding municipal government principle. Based on a court case from Iowa under the jurisdiction of John F. Dillon, in 1868, municipalities are creatures of the state and only have three types of powers:

1. those granted in express words,
2. those necessarily or fairly implied in or incident to the powers expressly granted, and
3. those essential to the declared objects and purposes of the corporation, not simply convenient, but indispensable

Answer: All of these

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the preeminent organization for larger cities and most large cities' mayors belong.

NLC stands for the National League of Cities and is the official spokesman for all cities.

ICMA stands for the International City/County Management Association and is the primary membership for professional city and county managers.

Answer: Stanton, Virginia

According to ICMA, the first general manager was employed in Stanton, VA in 1908. The first formally adopted plan was in Sumter, SC in 1912. By 1914, all of the mentioned cities had city managers and a conference was held in Springfield, OH for them to share the experiences with each other. ICMA has met in conference every year since.

Answer: False

While the standard degree for a professional city manager is a Master's degree in Public Administration or variation, the council-manager form of government preserves the elected official's right to hire whomever they chose without regard for technical qualifications.

Answer: Council-Manager

A recent survey by the National League of Cities found that the council-manager form of government was most popular with 58%
mayor-council form of government with 38%
other form of government with 4% (including the commission and town meeting).

Answer: budget preparation, appointing authority, policy formulation

In order to qualify as a council-manager plan, the city manager should have a major role in policy formulation, budget preparation for council approval, appointing authority of a majority of department heads and staff.

Legislative authority, including ordinances, zoning, and budgetary approvals are the exclusive prerogative of the elected officials.

Answer: True

Appointed administrators who do not have the authorities typically given to a city manager are also excellent ways of achieving a professional managed local government.

Answer: True

According to ICMA statistics, in 1971, for example, nearly 71 percent of professional city, town, and county managers were age 40 or younger. By 2006, that percentage had fallen to only 13 percent! There are increasing opportunities for women and minorities.

While sometimes stressful and politically charged, the rewards of being a city manager are many. Pay is reasonable, life is exciting, and the opportunity to make a difference is great. Remember -- All politics are local. Where you have the most impact on people is at their doorstep.