So you got elected... ...soNOWwhat? March 2004 SO YOU GOT ELECTED . SO NOW WHAT? Prepared by LEAGUE OF ARIZONA CITIES AND TOWNS 1820 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: (602) 258-5786 Fax: (602) 253-3874 Website: www.azleague.org March 2004 PRICE $20.00 FOREWORD Congratulations on your election to office! Your decision to serve your community as a mayor or councilmember gives you a crucial role in determining the present and future course of your community. Your election also designates you as a public officer with legal restraints as well as powers and responsibilities. This handbook has been prepared to provide an overview of the major functions of your job as a locally elected official. If you've just been elected, the information contained within these covers may serve as a crash course in what your office is and how local government works. This 2004 Edition is a revision of the seven previous editions of the handbook. The information in this edition reflects changes in state law since publication of the last edition. We hope this handbook will provide you with helpful information in performing your duties as a mayor or councilmember. Any comments, suggestions or criticisms of this publication will be greatly appreciated. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. SO YOU GOT ELECTED - SO NOW WHAT?............................................ 1 A Philosophy of Government................................................................... 1 Your City or Town Today...................................................................... 1 Policy vs. Administration...................................................................... 2 Forewarned is Forearmed ..................................................................... 2 Teamwork is Essential ........................................................................ 3 If You Don't Know, Don't...................................................................... 4 Your Words are News........................................................................ 5 Your Time is Your Stock in Trade................................................................ 6 Protect Your Backside........................................................................ 6 Conclusion ................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER II. YOU AS AN ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICER............................................... 7 Qualifications for Office ...................................................................... 7 Term of Office.............................................................................. 7 Oath of Office.............................................................................. 7 Official Bond............................................................................... 8 Conflict of Interest........................................................................... 8 Incompatibility of Offices ..................................................................... 8 Financial Disclosure.......................................................................... 9 Nepotism ................................................................................. 9 Municipal and Personal Liability ............................................................... 10 Duties of the Mayor......................................................................... 10 Compensation............................................................................. 11 Recall ................................................................................... 11 Vacancies in Office ......................................................................... 12 CHAPTER III. THE JOB OF THE COUNCIL ...................................................... 13 Council Meetings........................................................................... 13 Open Meeting Law......................................................................... 16 The Council's Law Making Powers.............................................................. 17 Powers of Appointment and Removal........................................................... 18 Election Powers and Duties................................................................... 18 Joint Exercise of Powers...................................................................... 19 Boards/Commissions and Committees........................................................... 19 Conclusion ............................................................................... 19 CHAPTER IV. WHAT IS A CITY OR TOWN? ..................................................... 20 Legal Standing of Municipal Governments........................................................ 20 City/Town Organization ..................................................................... 21 General Law vs. Charter Government ........................................................... 22 Charter Government........................................................................ 23 Local Options for General Law Cities and Towns................................................... 24 Courts................................................................................... 25 Municipal Annexation of Property .............................................................. 26 Financing Local Government.................................................................. 26 The Budget............................................................................... 28 Municipal Indebtedness ..................................................................... 29 Audits ................................................................................... 30 Public Employees .......................................................................... 30 Planning for the Future ...................................................................... 31 CHAPTER V. YOU AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD.................................................. 33 Introduction .............................................................................. 33 Regional Councils of Governments ............................................................. 33 What Does a COG Do?...................................................................... 34 County Government ........................................................................ 34 State Government.......................................................................... 35 Federal Government ........................................................................ 35 Conclusion ............................................................................... 36 Chapter I So You Got Elected - So Now What? established for yourself what government should The campaign is over and you emerge or should not be doing, you can begin to victorious. So now what are you going to determine what role your municipal government do? Now that you are elected how much should play within this broad context and what do you really know about running a city would best serve the public good. Many and of the position that you now hold? councilmembers feel that the time they invested Remember that changing from Joe or in sorting out a philosophy of government has Mary to The Honorable, Mayor or been recovered several times over by facilitating Councilmember is a political, not an the arduous job of making specific decisions that educational process. frame the policy of the community they serve. After looking around for a while, you The philosophy should not be etched in stone. probably have come to the conclusion After some time in office you may find it that becoming a good policy official is necessary to redefine your philosophy of largely dependent on surviving long government. enough to master the responsibilities and duties of your job. For the newly elected mayor or In summary, it should be emphasized that your councilmember, survival is indeed an issue. Therefore, philosophy of government should be specific enough for the purpose of this chapter is to discuss the basics of you to be committed while being general enough to political survival for a locally elected official and how you allow you the flexibility needed to consider all alternative may avoid some of the pitfalls of local office. courses of action. A Philosophy of Government Your City or Town Today At the outset of your term of It is essential to The next step is to take a good long look at your city office, you should define for develop your own or town. What kind of government do you have? What yourself the framework in which philosophy of services are you now providing to the citizens of your you are to operate. It is essential to government to community? A good starting point may be last year's develop your own philosophy of serve as a base for budget; it indicates in money terms the priorities of your government to serve as a base for determining your predecessors. determining your future course of future course of action. It is vital to have a basic action. Once you have a handle on the broad service areas of guide or set of principles of personal your city or town, you may find it useful to evaluate and and public beliefs about the nature examine those services. Should we provide these and function of government at all levels. Unless you take services and at what level? Avoid nitpicking current time to develop a framework of principles, you may find practices, instead you should look at services from a that your decisions on detailed proposals will be policy perspective. For example, if garbage pick-up is a haphazard.