Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Government & Politics state and local government state and local government The City of Melbourne which has a population of about 71,382 is operated under the Council-Manager form of government also known as the City-Manager plan (City of Melbourne, “About Melbourne”). The Council-Manager form of government was developed in 1908, and today is the most prominent form of local government in the United States. Over 3,000 governments operate under the Council-Manager form of government. The Council-Manager form of government is especially popular in California, where about 98% or the cities use it (Burns, 190). The Melbourne City Council performs the legislative functions of the city: establishing laws and policies. It is comprised of six council members elected on an at-large basis to serve four year terms. Each council member is elected by his or her district in a city-wide non-partisan vote. The City Council appoints a City Manager to serve as the City’s chief administrative officer. The City Manager is responsible for implementing the policies of the Council, directing business and administrative procedures and appointing departmental officials and certain City Employees. The Manager also prepares a budget to be looked over by the council. Council members and citizens sometimes count on the manager to provide complete information, pros and cons, and consequences of policies and plans. The City Council members have the authority to terminate the manager if he or she is not responsive to the council’s wishes. The Melbourne City Council has many functions. The City Council are the communities decision makers. The City Council establishes City government policy, passes resolutions and ordinances, approves the budget, sets tax rates and makes appointments to various non-elected boards and authorities. These actions are taken during formal meetings which are open to the public. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. Most of the power of the City Council is localized in the elected council as a whole, which they then hire a professionally trained manager to oversee and ensure the delivery of public services. The City Council members try to concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to those throughout the community. The City Council also focuses on the communities goals, projects throughout the city, and some long term factors such as community growth, land development and many other factors that could be affected by past policies or ordinances. The City Council members affect policy in the city by helping to make decisions on what would be good for the city as a whole, and trying to protect everyone’s rights and wishes at the same time. The Mayor in Council-Manager communities plays a key role . The mayor is responsible for sharing views of the city’s citizens, forming policies and interpreting them to the public, he or she is also a ceremonial leader. The mayor shows up at council meetings to assist the council in setting goals, advocating policy decisions, and to better serve his or her community. The typical mayor is a college graduate, 40 to 50 years old, has political experience, and is usually a business or legal professional. Most mayors are male but more recently in larger cities there have been female mayors, and the number of My name is Mary Peterson and I’m a City Council Member for District 4. I have lived in Brevard County for 35 years and I’m 70 years old, while living in Brevard County I have only moved twice, I now live in a large retirement community within in the city. I used to be a former accountant for Harris, but I’m sure you would presume that at the age of 70 that I’am now retired. At the age of 21 I had my first child of three, now all my children have kids who are being raised in this same area. After retiring at the age of 65 I decided to become active in my community so I started going to city council meetings, and eventually after a few years passed I got so involved that I decided to run for the city council. As you probably already now I’m now a city council member for district 4, I really enjoy my job and would recommend everyone try this if they are willing to help improve their community and stick up for what they want and believe. Tonight I’m going to represent my district at 7:30 p.m. we are meeting about the proposed “Noise Pollution Reduction Act.” As a member of the city council I think the “Noise Pollution Reduction Act” would greatly improve my district, but I also feel that there should be a few changes made to the act as it is stated right now. I have lived in my district for over 35 years and I have watched it grow from a quite, peaceful, and relaxing place, to a loud, tiring and rude city in which people don’t seem to care about each other or have respect for the elderly. I would love to see my district return to the peaceful city that it once was. I’m sick and tired of waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of loud thumping music, teenagers screaming, tires squealing, and the sound of glass being broken on the streets in front of my house. Or on the nights that I can’t seem to sleep at all when the restaurant on the river has concerts that seem to go on all night. I have seen this city in peaceful times and I know that it can take place again. It doesn’t bother me so much in the day time but at night when I’m trying to get my beauty sleep, or when my daughter calls me up and tells me how the kids can’t even fall asleep because of the noise coming for the noisy teenagers that live next-door, that is when it bothers me most. My husband used to sit out of the front porch in the spring and listen to the birds chirp and the squirrels scatter across the grass, now you would be lucky to hear the sound of one chirp in the spring. Tonight when this vote takes place I’am hoping for a resolution to all this unnecessary noise. If my vote fails, in the future I will make my opinion more known, or maybe agree to the polices I don’t care for, with the changing of a few things on the vote. Bibliography: I'm a 20 year old college student ! Word Count: 1078
Copyright © 1998-2008 College Term Papers, INC All Rights Reserved. DMCA Notifications and Requests