True or False: The council form of government is often called “governance by committee” because of shared powers.
Answer: True
The “governance by committee” phrase reflects that, under this form, the mayor and the councilmembers equally share legislative and administrative authority. The mayor may exercise informal authority as a leader of council and as a spokesperson for the city. However, a mayor presiding at council meetings does so by tradition, not because of state law. To exercise administrative functions, the mayor or a member of council must receive authorization from council, and council may revoke the designated authority.
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