True or False:
In the council-manager form of government for South Carolina municipalities, councilmembers are permitted to assist their city managers directly with the managers’ day-to-day operations.
FALSE
South Carolina’s council-manager form of government is established in the SC Code of Law, Title 5, Chapter 13. In this form, the law prohibits the mayor and council members from interfering with the operation of the departments, offices and agencies under the direction of the manager.
The council may not
• have any involvement with the hiring or firing of employees under the manager, or
• deal directly with those employees, including by giving orders to them.
The council does, however, appoint city attorneys and city judges under the council-manager form.
Interference from a council in the council-manager form could look like contacting planning staff to tell them to deny a development permit, or contacting police or code enforcement to demand that a citation not be issued for an apparent violation. Training can help elected officials and staff understand their roles and use judgment to avoid interference, and cities wanting to prohibit interference formally should adopt an ordinance or policy for the purpose.
The Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government offers in-person and online courses. The next in-person courses, “Forms of Municipal Government” and “Municipal Economic Development,” will take place September 16 at the councils of governments locations in Florence, Georgetown, Greenville and North Charleston, as well as at the Municipal Association of SC in Columbia.