Aztec and Farmington operate under two distinct forms of municipal government – commission-manager and mayor-council with city manager, respectively – each designed to balance elected leadership with professional administration.
While both models are widely used nationwide, the council-manager structure has recently surpassed the mayor-council in popularity, reflecting a broader shift toward efficiency, transparency and citizen engagement.
The council-manager characteristic city council oversees the general administration, makes policy, sets budget. Council appoints a professional city manager to carry out day-to-day administrative operations, it states at nlc.org. “Often the mayor is chosen from among the council on a rotating basis.”
The city of Farmington adopted the mayor-council form of government May 4, 1964. An elected body of four councilors. representing a district, are responsible for the city’s overall legislative and policymaking functions. The mayor is elected at-large and presides over City Council meetings. The mayor votes only in the event of a tie among the city councilors.
According to the New Mexico Municipal League, the mayor-council form of government is the most common.
Aztec Mayor Mike Padilla responded to questions in a phone call, while City Manager Jeff Blackburn responded by email. Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett and City Manager Rob Mayes responded as a team by email.
Question 1. ” Communication is key,” Blackburn said. “Government requires the elected officials to be willing to take the phone calls whether they’re good news or bad news.”
Question 2. “The commission-manager form of government promotes efficiency by combining elected policy leadership with professional administrative management,” said Blackburn.
Question 3. The balance is maintained through many forms of communication coming to the elected body and manager.
Question 4. “If a city can maintain consistent leadership, be organized by policy, and discipline then the strategic plan will be a living document that will transcend across multiple election cycles,” he said.
Question 5. “Communication must flow in many directions,” Blackburn said. “In a healthy community it works from the top down (citizens to the Commission or Manager and vice versa) ” … and from all tiers down.
“Well, we’re very transparent for one thing,” Padilla responded when asked about accountability. “And you know, all of us are in districts. We all have constituents, even though Aztec doesn’t have to run in those districts. They can run at large.”
Padilla represents District 3 and has two more years to serve.
“I think it’s a communication you know, we don’t in our form of government … the commission doesn’t do the hiring or firing of employees, he said is how they promote efficiency and responsiveness in delivering services.
He said their meetings and workshops are open to the public and announced at aztecnm.gov.
Padilla said by having people representing the whole city you get a whole range of ideas and thought processes, beyond just the district they represent.
Padilla said a couple of years ago they had a visit from representatives of the city of Moriarity officials to learn more about the commission-manager form after they had transitioned to the commission-manager form of government.
“You put a plan in place, you have input from for everybody that’s elected in the city to staff and between staff,” he said.
“The council-manager form of government is the most prevalent governmental structure in the United States. Over 120 million individuals reside in municipalities operating under this system, including 59% of large municipalities with populations exceeding 100,000. In this framework, citizens elect a mayor and city council to govern city affairs,” Duckett and Mayes wrote.
“The governing body establishes the vision, develops policy, and enacts legislation. The mayor appoints a city manager with the City Council’s advice and consent. The manager in turn is responsible for implementing the council’s vision, policy, and legislation, while overseeing employees, finances, and the daily operations of the city.”
Question 1. “This governmental structure spurred a reform movement in the early 20th century, aiming to eliminate corruption and unethical practices in local governance. It promotes nonpolitical management, emphasizing effectiveness, transparency, responsiveness, and accountability,” they stated.
“Potential issues arise when the city manager or mayor/city council violate these principles, blurring the lines between policy formulation and daily operations. Accountability to citizens is maintained through the democratic election of the mayor and council, while the city manager serves “at will” and can be removed any time by a majority vote of the city council,” they added.
Question 2. “This structure recognizes the need for highly-qualified individuals devoted exclusively to the delivery of services to residents. There is a clear distinction between the administrative role of the manager and the political and policy roles of the governing body,”
“The day-to-day operations of the local government organization reside with the appointed manager, allowing elected officials to devote their time and energy to policy development and the assessment of the effectiveness of those policies within the community by listening to the needs of their constituents.”
Question 3. “The citizens elect a governing body who adopt legislation and set policy. The governing body then hires a manager and delegates by ordinance executive authority to carry out those policies and oversee the local government’s day-to-day operations,” they said.
Additionally, “the manager, in turn, appoints expert department heads who specialize in the various professional disciplines required in municipal operations.”
Question 4. “The council-manager form is the system of local government most likely to succeed strategically because professional managers, department heads and staff can focus on service delivery, policy implementation, and performance management that align the local government’s services with the values, mission, and policy goals defined by the community through their elected officials.”
Question 5. “The city of Farmington actively engages and involves residents in community decision making. Residents can guide their community by serving on boards and commissions and participating in visioning and strategic planning sessions,” they said.
“Most importantly, they can vote responsibly in selecting their governing body, and stay engaged and informed on community happenings.”
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