The form of government is up to the citizens, written into the charter, and based on community conversations. All 26 of the newest Florida municipalities have been of the Council-Manager form. Florida does have Council-Mayor municipalities, but none were incorporated recently. Efficiencies are afforded by the Council-Manager form, both operationally and effectively representing citizens, making this the case.
The charter committee and local citizens have been considering the strengths of a Council-Manager form of governance. The City of Titusville, Florida, has this to say about this structure:
The City of Titusville operates under the Council/Manager form of local government, which is one of four forms of city government in the United States. … The primary features of the Council/Manager form of government are:
- Reservation of legislative authority and responsibility in an elected Council
- Centralization of administrative responsibility in a City Manager appointed by the elected City Council. This provides a system, which combines democratic principles with efficiency of administration. The Council is the governing body of the City and the Manager is the Chief Executive Officer in carrying out the policies which Council defines.
Note that even the Council-Manager form has a mayor, but only as a ceremonial title. Within the Council-Manager form, the mayor presides as chairman of the city council for the purposes of council meetings and signing council resolutions.
More details specific to a Town of Perdido will be available as the draft charter is prepared for public comment.
