FAQ - Freeport Asks Questions about a City Manager

How much will it cost?

Here are three answers.

1. 1.2% of the total $8.8 million budget for Freeport’s combined salaries and wages.
2. About ¼ of the combined salaries in the offices of the mayor, finance, and legal departments.
3. Approximately 59% of the combined salaries of the mayor and finance director.

Our question is this: Can we spend $100,000 to hire a professional to help Freeport compete with other cities who already have professional manager?

Who is really in charge—our mayor and council or the city manager?

The city manager reports to our elected mayor and council. The power to hire and fire the city manager rests with our city council.

All department chiefs and city administration staff report to the city manager.

What is the mayor’s role in this?

The mayor is the “first among equals.” This means that the mayor presides over the council meetings. But in a larger sense, the mayor is the leader and “chief spokesperson” for our entire community.

The mayor looks to the council for drawing the plans for the future of Freeport and authoring sound legislation. The mayor and council together look to the city manager for improvements in financial and service performance.

How long will it take for a city manager to save tax dollars?

Within the first two years on the job, with the support of our mayor and council, a professional city manager should be able to save taxpayer dollars in these key areas:

1. Outside consulting fees.
2. Legal fees associated with collective bargaining.
3. Service delivery efficiencies.
4. Administrative staff efficiencies.

What can city manager do to help Freeport grow and prosper?

1. Assist the mayor and council in long-range planning to improve service facilities and our city’s infrastructure.
2. Work with department chiefs and administration staff to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services to our citizens.
3. Back the mayor and economic development professionals to help retain and attract employers.

If voters vote yes on November 4th, does this mean they think the current mayor is not doing a good job.

Truly, only the voters know what they think. We only hope that they would give their permission that present and future mayors and councilpersons receive the benefits of professional assistance from an educated experienced city manager.

If school districts throughout the United States can benefit from the professional assistance of an educated experienced Superintendent, so can our city governments.

In fact, 83% of the highest performing municipalities have the assistance of a qualified city manager.

Our hope is that Freeport may look beyond today and beyond itself to prepare for future challenges.