A local government’s Charter is an important legal document that specifies what officials must do or can’t do when operating government. Like the United States Constitution, a charter is the supreme law as to a local governments powers and responsibilities.
One of the first things a newly elected official should do is to review the Charter for the town, city, county that they are serving. The Charter provides great information as to how things are supposed to work. Below are three ways the City of Buffalo Charter is being violated.
Joint meetings of key officials for strategic planning purposes are not taking place
The Charter requires the executive director of strategic planning (appointed by the Mayor) to convene a quarterly joint meeting of the following officers to assist in the development and implementation of the city’s four year strategic plan: the mayor, city comptroller, the chairman of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, and the chief executive officers of the city’s local development corporations. The quarterly joint meeting shall also include, with the consent of their respective governing bodies, the president of the board of education, the superintendent of schools, the chair of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, and the chair of the Buffalo Sewer Authority.
Getting all of the above key officials in the same room quarterly is a great idea for strategic planning purposes but it has never happened. As far as I know, the mayor has never pushed to have such a strategic meeting take place once, let alone quarterly.
Annual management plan and report not being filed
The City Charter requires the mayor to submit to the Common Council with the annual budget message, not later than the first day of May each year, an annual management plan and report. The annual management plan and report shall address the objectives and accomplishments of each department of city government and shall consist of:
a) A statement of the department’s objectives for the last previous fiscal year, and an evaluation of each department’s achievement of those objectives.
b) A statement of strategic and administrative objectives for the department in the ensuing fiscal year with specific action steps to achieve the stated objectives.
c) A list of the names, title and qualifications of all persons appointed to exempt positions in the department during the previous and current fiscal years, with a summary of assignment of powers and duties among them.
d) A forecast of expenditures and revenues of the department for the next fiscal year and the succeeding three years. The forecast shall be updated to reflect changes made in the annual operating budget.
Requiring each city department/agency head to report their objectives and achievements on an annual basis is an important exercise for setting goals and holding city department heads accountable for their performance. An annual report as outlined above is not being filed with the Common Council.
Uniform performance reviews for all city employees are not occurring
According to the City Charter the commissioner of human resources is responsible for the formulation of a uniform performance review system and a merit based compensation system for all city employees, and shall work with the commissioners of each city department to assist in the implementation of such systems in their respective departments to the fullest extent possible under current law and existing collective bargaining agreements.
In my 17 years of government employment, I was evaluated twice for my performance. In successful organizations performance expectations are clearly communicated to employees and feedback is provided on a regular basis. As far as I know, city employees are not being evaluated annually under any type of performance review system and a merit-based compensation system has not been proposed in any way.
As the third poorest City in the nation, perhaps Buffalo’s lack of a strategy, accountability, and performance stems from the failure to follow key aspects of the city’s charter?
Is the Charter for your local government being followed?
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