A town manager is an executive who is in charge of a municipality’s day-to-day operations. He or she will most likely collaborate closely with the mayor and town council. This is usually not an elected position; instead, a qualified person is hired to perform the job duties, and he or she will follow the mayor’s and town council’s laws and regulations. The town manager is usually in charge of budget and personnel matters, as he or she is in charge of preparing the town’s budget for approval the mayor or town council.
The town manager may also be in charge of hiring and firing in various departments of the town government. Although several other middle managers may be able to address such issues before they reach the town manager, most personnel decisions must be approved the highest manager before they become final. The town manager’s decisions are usually made with the mayor’s or town council’s interests or policies in mind; political concerns are not part of the town manager’s job, so decisions must be made impartially and without partisan concerns in mind.
The manager is in charge of drawing up the town’s budget, and once it has been approved, he or she is in charge of managing it. This entails ensuring that all funds are properly spent and that all government programs adhere to the stated budget. If a program or sector is running over budget, the manager must address the issue and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that money is not wasted.
While the town manager does not have the authority to make policies, he or she may have input on those that are being considered for implementation. The manager may make recommendations to the mayor or council to help them govern more effectively as the direct supervisor of staff who will be responsible for enforcing laws and policies. Regardless of the manager’s input into any policy-making decisions, the manager’s job will ultimately revolve around the decisions made the mayor or council.
The town manager’s primary responsibility also includes interactions with the general public. He or she is responsible for investigating citizen complaints, consulting with residents to determine what problems may exist in town and how to effectively address them, and serving as a liaison between the town’s government and its citizens. He or she may also be in charge of keeping the public informed about the government’s actions as they relate to the town’s day-to-day operations.