Oregon’s form of government up for vote on Nov. 8 ballot

OREGON — The titles “city manager” and “city administrator” might not seem very different, but the former allows its holder to be responsible for all of a city’s day-to-day administrative functions.

On the Nov. 8 ballot, Oregon residents will be asked to vote on a proposition that would change the city’s form of government to include a city manager. The proposition is phrased on the ballot as: “Shall the City of Oregon adopt the managerial form of municipal government?”

The new form of government would go into effect following the April 4, 2023, election and after the first meeting of the incoming Oregon City Council, Mayor Ken Williams said. Citizens will continue to elect a mayor and four at-large council members who will direct budgets, strategic goals and the city’s vision, make zoning decisions and manage ordinances if the proposition is approved, he said.

“The city is growing up,” Williams said. “There’s a lot more activity going on than there used to be in the past, and it’s getting more complex. The city needs to be run by a professional, not just well-meaning volunteers.”

On Feb. 23, City Council members voted unanimously to follow an ad hoc committee’s recommendation that the city pursue the council-city manager form of government. Ad hoc committee members are Roger Cain, John Dickson, Rick Bunton, City Commissioner Melanie Cozzi, Chris Martin and Otto Dick.

“Some cities go directly to having a city manager,” Williams said. “We were allowed, as a council, to appoint a city administrator. That gave us a chance to see that everything was working smoothly. After 2.5 years, we find it’s really popular and people really like it. So now we are ready to take the next step.”

City Administrator Darin DeHaan could fill the city manager position, but it will be up to the incoming council members to officially hire him. If hired, DeHaan’s title would change, and his job description adjusted to allow him to manage the final 15% of Oregon’s day-to-day administrative operations; he already oversees about 85%.

DeHaan was hired as city administrator on March 31, 2020, after city council members voted to create the position. Prior to that, he served as Oregon police chief for 15 years. The move was a lateral transfer and did not create any additional staff positions or associated costs.

Because Oregon took that first step with a city administrator, it means citizens won’t see anything different if the proposition is approved, Williams and Cain said. All the changes would be behind-the-scenes.

“So instead of me having to sign requests for grants and general paperwork — you sign so much paperwork all the time as mayor — he will be authorized to sign it,” Williams said.

The city manager also will be in charge of the various departments, Williams said. Under the current form of government, each department’s employees report to the city commissioner elected to run that department, but also to the city administrator.

It means that, right now, city employees essentially have two bosses — a city commissioner and the city administrator, he said. If the proposition passes, department heads and employees will report only to the city manager, who in turns reports to the City Council, which is elected by Oregon citizens.

“When you change the form of government, not only does this allow the council members to focus on policy and forward-thinking, it also prevents one-sided decisions on how to administer all these things,” Cain said. “All the responsibility for the day-to-day moving of the chess pieces would be with an employee of the city that the City Council hired.”

That could attract more people to run for City Council, he said. There are many citizens who are “idea people,” but might not feel comfortable stepping in to run a city department, Cain noted.

“They won’t have to worry they’re stepping into a job that’s not a full-time job where they have to make decisions they’re not ready to make,” he said.

Additionally, a city manager would provide for more efficient transitioning between incoming and outgoing City Council members because it insures someone who has been involved in ongoing matters will be there to bring new people up to speed, Cain said.

He pointed to the addition of 100 new parking places on 1st Street, a riverfront improvement study that led to two “strong new businesses down there” and the creation of a tax increment financing district which has benefited multiple downtown businesses as examples of recent city growth.

“All these things have had to come from people who have other jobs, and it’s been them and the mayor to make those decisions,” Cain said. “There’s not a professional in between. There’s not someone full-time to spend on these things that are so important.”

A city manager would be that full-time person, he said.