What is the Council / Manager Plan?
The council-manager plan is a form of government developed in the United States to help communities to overcome weaknesses in local government structure, and to cope with increasingly difficult and complicated urban problems, by providing for an executive appointed by and continuously responsible to a popularly elected council. In little more than half a century, it has become the most popular form of local government in the United States, and is regarded as the greatest American contribution to the improvement of government.

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1. What is the Council / Manager Plan?
2. Why is it called the “Council / Manager Plan” rather than the “Manager Plan”?
3. How does it differ from other forms of government?
4. In what ways is the City Council so “extremely strong”?
5. What are the City Manager’s powers?
6. How and to what extent does the City Manager participate in policy determination?