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Chief executive (Irish local government)

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This article is about county and city managers in the Republic of Ireland. For the municipal and county position in the United States, see city manager and county administrator, respectively.

In local government in the Republic of Ireland, the County or City Manager is the chief executive of the local authority of a county or city. Whereas the county council and city council are elected officials who formulate policy, the manager is an appointed official who manages the implementation of policy.[1][2] Their salaries range from 132,511 to 189,301 per annum.[3][4] The County and City Managers' Association is the professional association for County Managers[5] and it is affiliated to the International City/County Management Association(ICMA).[3]

History

The first local authority in the then Irish Free State to have a manager was Cork city, under the Cork City Management Act, 1929.[6] This was extended to all councils by the County Management Act, 1940.[7] Initially, some smaller counties shared a manager. On several occasions, the Minister for the Environment has suspended a fractious elected council, leaving the manager to run its affairs until the next local elections.[8]

Functions

The County or City Manager performs the executive functions of the County or City Council. He or she supervises, co-ordinates, manages and pays the employees and officers of the Council. He or she also makes contracts on behalf of the Council and affixes the official seal of the Council on documents. The current legislation governing County and City Managers is the Local Government Act 2001.[9] Section 144 of this act states that 'For every county and city there shall be a manager to be known as "the ....... County Manager" or "the ....... City Manager"'.[10] They are appointed by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and usually hold office until they die, resign, or are removed from office.[11] A report in 2010 commissioned by the Government suggested reducing the number of county managers from 34 to 24.[12][13]

Rules

County or City Managers in Ireland are recruited through a competitive recruitment process organised by the Public Appointments Service. Once appointed, the County or City Manager will remain in office for a term of 7 years (although this can also be extended by an additional three years). The retirement age for County or City Managers is 65.[14]

If a Council wishes to suspend or remove a County or City Manager, a resolution must be passed by the Council. At least two-thirds of the Councillors must vote for the resolution after 7 days notice. The Minister then sanctions the removal of the County or City Manager.

Deputy manager

As well as the County or City Manager, some counties and cities also have Assistant/Deputy County or City Managers. After consultation with the Cathaoirleach (or Mayor) of the local authority, the County or City Manager may appoint a Deputy Manager to act on their behalf while they are on leave or absent.[15] In situations where the post of Manager becomes vacant, Section 148 of the Local Government Act 2001 requires the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to appoint someone to the Manager's post temporarily.[16] [17] This temporary appointment will continue until a permanent appointment is made. It may however, be terminated at any time.

Delegation of manager's functions

It is normal practice in Ireland that the County or City Manager of a local authority will delegate some functions to other staff in the local authority. The elected county or city council must be notified of any delegated functions. However, the County or City Manager still remains responsible for the acts of the delegate and can take back (i.e., revoke) a responsibility that has been delegated. As the chief executive, the County or City Manager has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the local authority operates smoothly and for carrying into effect policy decisions of the elected council.

See also

References

  1. ^ "County/City Manager". citizensinformation.ie. 24 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926". Irish Statute Book. 28 July 1926. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Current local authority scales - Management grades". Retrieved 28-04-2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) Cite error: The named reference "icma" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Peter Hynes to be appointed new County Manager". The Mayo News. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  5. ^ "County & City Managers' Association". Retrieved 28-04-2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Cork City Management Act, 1929". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  7. ^ "County Management Act, 1940". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  8. ^ Collins, Neil (1987). Local government managers at work: the city and county manager system of local government in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration. ISBN 0-906980-60-7.
  9. ^ "Local Government Act, 2001". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Local Government Act, 2001: Position of Manager". Irish Statute Book. 21 July 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  11. ^ "County Management Act, 1940". Irish Statute Book.
  12. ^ "Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group" (PDF). RTÉ News. July 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group - Executive Summary" (PDF). RTÉ News. July 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  14. ^ "County/City Manager". citizensinformation.ie. 24 June 2010.
  15. ^ "County Management Act, 1940". Irish Statute Book.
  16. ^ "LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, 2001" (PDF). Houses of the Oireachtas. 21 July, 2001. Retrieved 28 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, 2001". Irish Statute Book.

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