Transition Plan Taking Shape As City Preps For Strong Mayor, Attorneys And Planners At Issue

As a plan for reorganizing city government takes shape, sticking points are starting to emerge.

The City Council transition team met Tuesday to discuss the plan as refined by City Manager Hank Miggins and a group of city managers and to identify areas of concern.

Those include:

Whether the city attorney’s office reports to both the mayor and the council, or if the council should have its own attorney.

Whether the Community Assembly, made up of representatives of Neighborhood Councils, should report to the mayor or the council.

Whether the planning department belongs under public works, where it is currently, or under a new division of community services.

The push toward reorganization is a result of last year’s ballot initiative, which will do away with the councilcity manager form of government and usher in a strong mayor to be elected in November. While some reorganization is needed for the new form of government, the City Council has seized upon the opportunity to clean up what some members regarded as a cluttered structure.

Under the current system, there are more than 30 departments, many with only two or three employees. The council originally recommended a plan that consolidated the myriad departments into five basic divisions. Miggins and his group expanded them slightly, with a large operations division split into public works, planning and community services and cultural and recreation services.

Moving planning out of its traditional home in public works might be the most radical idea in the plan.

Deputy City Manager Dorothy Webster, who filled in for Miggins Tuesday, said it was an effort to expand the role of planning.

“In many communities, planning is more than land use and zoning issues,” Webster said. “It takes on long-term strategic planning.”

Councilman Steve Eugster objected to planning and historic preservation falling into the same division as community services, which he said he envisioned as an economic development tool.

Eugster said he feared his ideal of a lean agency would be bogged down.

“I want something really aggressive and forward-thinking,” Eugster said. “What I’m worried about is some wishy, squishy, top-down structure.”

Eugster also argued that the Community Assembly should report to the council, not the mayor.

With a direct line to the neighborhoods, the council would be able to get input on legislation ideas that would affect them.

“The neighborhoods are going to the source of a good deal of vetting of legislation,” he said. “I don’t want the Community Assembly being a political arm of the executive.”

The mayor’s control of the city attorney also was discussed by the transition team.

“The reality is that the city attorney, unless it is an independent elected official, ends up being associated with the mayor,” City Attorney Jim Sloane said.

Eugster said the city attorney’s office should assign a lawyer to report to the council and then create a wall of separation.

“I want the person to be looking to advise the council rather than playing games with the council through the executive,” he said.

“All you’re doing is creating conflict,” Councilman Rob Higgins said.

“Conflict is good,” Eugster said. “Things move along a little better with conflict.”