As part our our week-long series Weak or Strong?, we’re unveiling the yet-to-be-released 2005 Commission on Columbia City Government Reform and Restructuring report. This $40,000 study, paid for with City of Columbia tax-payer dollars, has yet to see the light of day… until now.

We here at The Pulse believe it’s time that the City address some of the issues that have plagued Columbia’s ability to move forward. The Commission’s report, which hasn’t been edited since November 2005 (which is a whole other story), lists four findings. Here’s the first…

Finding I: The City of Columbia is not currently functioning under the Council-Manager form of government as outlined by state statue.

Take a look at the day-to-day functions at City Hall, and that becomes rather evident.

For a little backgrounder here… state law allows for three forms of municipal government:

• Mayor-Council form (a.k.a. “Strong Mayor”)
• Council form (a.k.a. “Rule by Committee”)
• Council-Manager form (a.k.a. “Board of Directors & a CEO”)

The Commission report states that, under state law, the Council-Manager form of government protects “the authority of the professionally trained manager to act as the chief administrator of the council policies and, to the extent possible, to separate the policy-making function from the administrative function.”

That makes some sense, but… the report then goes on to say, “The elected council for the City of Columbia frequently ignores this law which is an essential tenet of the council-manager form of government.”

A prime example is City Council’s micromanaging practices. In fact, in 2001, the City conducted yet another tax-payer funded study that resulted in The Evaluation of Employee Policies and Employee Morale. One quote from that study says a lot…

“Many managers see micromanaging as a problem for the council, too. They report that council call the City Manager frequently – so much so, in fact, that some believe the City Manager has time for little other than daily dealing with council. There are some other similar issues as well: the council intervenes in hiring decision; they ask for favors for constituents, such as moving one project ahead of others; they interfere with the ability of the city manager to make personnel decisions; sometimes they go outside the bid process.”

Intervening in hiring decisions?

Asking for favors for constituents?

Interfering with personnel decisions?

Going outside the bid process?

In case City Council has just failed to read it, the SC Code of Laws regarding the Council-Manager form of government prohibits a Council member from doing any of these.

We need accountability at City Hall… and we need it now.

Read the first finding for yourself… and let us know what you think!