True of False: In the three forms of municipal government in South Carolina, council retains sole authority for both legislative and administrative functions.
Answer: False.
Legislative authority is the power to make, alter and repeal local laws and establish policy for the municipality. Legislative power rests in the collective judgment and discretion of the full council in all forms of municipal government.
Administrative authority is the power to implement laws and policies. Council cannot delegate the power to decide legislative matters to an individual councilmember, a municipal officer or employee, a committee or a committee composed of council members.
Council's level of administrative authority varies based on the municipality's adopted form of government.
The mayor in the mayor-council (strong mayor) and the manager in the council-manager forms of government serve by state law as the chief administrative officer of the municipality and are responsible to the council for the administration of municipal affairs. Council, in the council form, is vested with administrative powers and may retain this authority or delegate all or some of it to an administrator.
The Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government offers in-person and online courses. Elected officials who complete all of the required coursework graduate from the institute. Register for the September 26 "Municipal Economic Development" and "Forms of Municipal Government" courses.