City Council on 2/24

I attended the City Council meeting on February 24 conducted by Mark Mallory. This was exciting for me because I had never even seen what the mayor looked like before! This meeting was mostly about "emergency ordinances". One ordinance dealt with authorizing the city manager to submit to the department of housing and urban development a large amendment for the City of Cincinnati 2010 consolidated plan . A second ordinance dealt with the customization of the appropriation of $1 million to provide for 2011 expenses. The third emergence ordinance concerned authorizing the city manager to accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The final emergency ordinance authorizes the city manager to create terms and conditions for Taste of Cincinnati. There was one last ordinance (apparently not an emergency) to authorize the city manager to create terms and conditions for Oktoberfest. All of these ordinances were voted on and ultimately approved.

All in all, this meeting was not very eventful. I was expecting more deliberation and more drama. All this talk about the city manager got me wondering what a city manager was and what one did. Below is the answer.

The Cincinnati city manager is this man:

His name is Milton Dohoney, Jr., and he was appointed to the position in 2006. Below is a list of his duties, as stated on the City of Cincinnati webiste.

The City Manager is responsible for providing and maintaining the essential City services through the efficient and effective management and operation of the City. The City provides many basic services to the citizens of Cincinnati, including fire and police protection, solid waste management, recreational activities, greenspace management, community and economic development, water and sewer management, and maintenance of the public infrastructure.

The City Manager delegates responsibility and coordinates the many tasks performed daily by City employees. The Mayor and City Council determine policies and set direction for the City through legislative measures, but the execution of policy is the paramount responsibility of the City Manager.

The City Manager executes the policy direction set by the Mayor and City Council through the management of 17 City departments and approximately 5,300 employees.