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Welcome to the Office of the City Manager
You’re probably wondering just what goes on in the
city manager’s office. Well, there are a lot of things,
but perhaps the function of this office can be summed up by
saying the city manager is the administrative head of city
government. It is the responsibility of the City Manager to
implement all City Council policy decisions and directions,
to provide leadership and direction to department heads and
other staff, and to work with both Council and staff to develop
action plans and programs for the operation of the City’s
functions.
To view a May, 2008 presentation to the City Council on some of the functions of the city manager's office, click here.
Aside from the City Clerk and City Attorney (who, like the City
Manager, are appointed by the City Council) the City Manager appoints
and manages the City’s department heads (Chief of Police,
Fire Chief, Public Works Services Director, Community Development
Services Director, Human Resources Director, Parks, Recreation and
Community Services Director, and Finance Director).
How does the City Manager's office interact with the City
Council and other City departments?
City Council
The City Council develops broad, two-year
policy priorities which are updated annually. Each priority
contains a range of specific programs, projects, policies, or processes
which the City Manager, Department Directors, and staff use in developing
the actual detailed work programs for the various City departments.
In short, the Council develops policy, and the City Manager and
staff implement those policies on a day-to-day basis.
In addition to the three or four public Council meetings every
month, the City Manager meets weekly with the Mayor and Vice Mayor,
and also has meetings with other members of the Council individually
or as part of ad hoc or standing committees, on an as-needed basis.
Through these meetings and other contact with Council members, the
City Manager is able to distill their policy direction into action
for the City.
Departments
The City Manager manages the department directors, who in turn supervise
the managers within that department. Redwood City enjoys a flexible
and de-centralized work environment which allows people to make
decisions at every level of the organization. This provides the
ability to react quickly to changing circumstances, to revise our
priorities as needed, and to best address our constituents’
needs.
The City Manager meets weekly with the entire group of department
directors, and individually on an as-needed basis. The purpose of
these meetings is to provide direction and guidance to the directors
in carrying out the policies of the Council.
Please visit the links on the left for a comprehensive overview
of the office of the City Manager.
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