City Manager

The Role of City Manager

The City of Janesville City Manager serves as chief executive officer, providing strategic leadership and oversight for day-to-day municipal operations, implementing the policies and direction established by the elected City Council, supervising department heads and staff, preparing budgets, and ensuring efficient delivery of municipal services.

This position reports directly to the City Council and leads a full-service organization with responsibility for budgeting and financial management, economic development, infrastructure and public services, intergovernmental relations, and workforce leadership, while fostering collaboration, transparency, innovation, and exceptional service delivery to the community.

The City Manager is not an elected official. It does not have voting power on the Council or governing body.

Public Engagement Opportunities

As the City prepares to recruit its next City Manager, input from residents and community stakeholders will play an important role in the process.

Below are several ways to engage and share your feedback:

Community Survey

The City encourages residents and community stakeholders to complete the community survey to help guide the City Manager recruitment process. The survey provides an opportunity to share perspectives on community priorities, leadership qualities, and the future direction of the City. The survey will remain open through Friday, May 29.

Take the Survey

Public Input Sessions

Thursday, May 28
City Hall, 18 N. Jackson Street

Businesses
11:30 AM–1:00 PM

Residents and Community
5:30–7:00 PM

The City invites residents, business owners, and community stakeholders to attend an upcoming public input session as part of the City Manager recruitment process. Community feedback will help identify the qualities and priorities most important for Janesville’s next City Manager.

Contact Us!

Residents and community stakeholders are encouraged to contact Innovative Public Advisors directly with feedback, questions, or input regarding the City Manager recruitment process. Community perspectives are valued and appreciated throughout the search process.

Jay Shambeau, IPA Partner, Interim City Manager
262-355-6102

Jess Wildes, IPA Partner
262-339-5658

Council-Manager Form of Government

Information from the International City/Council Management Association (ICMA)’s Council-Manager Form of Government brochure.

  • Typically, the mayor or board chairperson in a council-manager community is a voting member of the governing body who may be either directly elected, as in 69 percent of council-manager communities, or who is selected by and from among their colleagues on the governing body. The mayor or chairperson is the public face of the community who presides at meetings, assigns agenda items to committees, facilitates communication and understanding between elected and appointed officials, and assists the governing body in setting goals and advocating policy decisions. 

  • Under the council-manager form, the elected officials (e.g. the council or board) are the legislative body and the community’s policy makers. Power is centralized in this body, which approves the budget and adopts local laws and regulations, for example. The elected officials also focus on the community’s big-picture goals, such as community growth and sustainability. 

    The elected officials hire a professional city, town, or county manager based on that person’s education, experience, skills, and abilities and NOT on their political allegiances. The elected officials supervise the manager’s performance, and if that person is not responsive and effective in their role, the elected officials have the authority to remove her or him at any time. 

  • The manager is an at-will employee who can be fired by a majority of the elected officials, consistent with local laws or any employment agreements. This person 

    Prepares a budget for the governing body’s consideration. 

    Recruits, hires, supervises, and terminates government staff. 

    Serves as the governing body’s chief advisor by providing complete and objective information about local operations, discussing options, offering an assessment of the long-term consequences of decisions, and making policy recommendations. 

    Carries out the policies established by the governing body. 

  • Under council-manager government, local governments often actively engage and involve their residents in community decision making. Residents can guide their community by serving on boards and commissions, participating in visioning and strategic planning sessions, and designing community-oriented local government services. 

  • The council-manager form is the most popular structure of government in the United States among municipalities with populations of 2,500 or more. It is one of several ways in which U.S. municipalities and counties can organize. 

    Under this form, residents elect a governing body—including a chief elected official, such as a mayor or board chairperson—to adopt legislation and set policy. The governing body then hires a manager or administrator with broad executive authority to carry out those policies and oversee the local government’s day-to-day operations. Item description

Take the Community Survey

Learn More

Innovative Public Advisors (IPA) is conducting the executive recruitment process for this position.

Please direct questions by submitting the form or call Jay Shambeau at 262-355-6102.

Thank you for your interest!