Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
February 8, 2018 10:00 a.m.
At the February 6, 2018 Regular Meeting of the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC), President Jim Hanson of the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) presented Fernandina Beach Mayor John Miller with a certificate in recognition of the city’s 95th anniversary under the council-manager form of government. The council-manager form of government was created over a hundred years ago to bring professional management to city government to assist elected officials in making the best policy decisions on behalf of their communities.
In delivering his remarks, Hanson said that Fernandina Beach is one of the few cities in Florida to have operated under this system of government for such a long period.
Hanson said, “The decisions made by city governments are not simple: there is no black and white.” Commissioners are called upon to balance many different needs within the framework of budgets and community desires. “In making these difficult decisions,” he continued, “commissioners must review options and recommendations from their professional staff. You [commissioners] also need to be reassured that the decisions you make will be carried out competently and professionally by city staff.”
Hanson summarized results of an IBM study conducted several years ago comparing the per capita cost of municipal government around the nation. Neither geographic location nor unionization of city workers seemed to impact the cost of government as much as the type of government did. “In the council-manager form of government, they found there was a 10 percent cost savings in municipal government,” he said. “Regardless of the size of your government, a 10 percent savings is significant.”