Examine individual changes

''''City commission government''' is a form of [[municipal government]] which once was common in the [[United States]], but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the [[Council-manager government|council-manager]] form of government. Proponents of the council-manager form typically consider the city commission form to be the predecessor of, not the alternative to, the council-manager form of government.<ref name="texashandbook">[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/moc1.html ''Handbook of Texas Online'', s.v. "COMMISSION FORM OF CITY GOVERNMENT,"] (accessed May 26, 2009).</ref> In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically, from five to seven members, on a [[Plurality-at-large voting|plurality-at-large]] basis. These commissioners constitute the [[legislative body]] of the city and, as a group, are responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other general functions. Individual commissioners are assigned responsibility for a specific aspect of municipal affairs, such as [[public works]], [[finance]], or [[public safety]]. One commissioner is designated to function as [[chairman]] or [[mayor]], but this largely is a procedural, honorific, or ceremonial designation and typically, does not involve additional powers beyond that exercised by the other commissioners. Chairing meetings is the principal role. Such a "mayor" is in many ways similar to the "weak mayor" form of [[mayor-council government]], but without any direct election by the voters, and this role as chair often is passed as a designation among the entire commission members annually, from one to another by nominations from the commission alone. As such, this form of government blends [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[executive branch]] functions in the same body. ==History== This form of government originated in [[Galveston, Texas]] as a response to the [[Galveston Hurricane of 1900]], mainly for the reason that extra support was needed in certain areas. After its constitutionality was tested and confirmed, this form of government quickly became popular across the state of [[Texas]] and spread to other parts of the [[United States]]. For this reason, the city commission form of municipal government is sometimes known as the '''Galveston Plan''' or the '''Texas Idea'''. [[Des Moines, Iowa]] became the first city outside Texas to adopt this form and along with other reforms, its variation become known as the '''Des Moines Plan'''.<ref name="texashandbook" /> [[Portland, Oregon]] remains the only large city in the United States that still has a city commission form of government.<ref name="portland">http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=25783</ref> A measure to change to the [[Council-Manager government|council-manager]] form of government was defeated 76%-24% on the May 2007 ballot.<ref name="portland2">http://www.clackamasreview.com/news/story.php?story_id=117916333035873300</ref> The [[Council-Manager government|council-manager]] form of government developed, at least in part, as a response to some perceived limitations of the commission form. In the council-manager form, the elected council exercises the legislative power of the city and appoints a manager, who possesses the executive power. Thus the executive powers, divided among the commissioners in a commission form, are instead concentrated in the manager, who then delegates responsibility to department heads and other staff members. The council-manager form became the preferred alternative for progressive reform, and after [[World War I]], very few cities adopted the commission form and many cities using the commission plan switched to the council-manager form. Galveston itself changed forms in 1960.<ref name="texashandbook" /> == See also == * [[Mayor-council government]] * [[Council-manager government]] == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Forms of government]] [[Category:Galveston Hurricane of 1900]] [[Category:Local government in the United States]]'