Managing a planning agency

Learning objectives

• Explain where a planning agency sits in council-manager and mayor-council governments.
• Compare functional, matrix, and team-based organizational structures, and address silos.
• Match the classic management ideas (scientific management, bureaucracy, POSDCORB, human relations, management by objectives, quality management) to their authors.
• Distinguish line-item, program, performance, zero-based, and incremental budgets, and explain how development fees recover costs.
• Classify performance measures as inputs, outputs, efficiency, or outcomes, and use them in results-oriented management.
• Apply sound hiring and supervision practices, and follow open-meetings and public-records requirements.
• Explain internal controls and audits that protect public funds.

Key concepts

Where planning sits in government

• In the council-manager form, an elected council sets policy and appoints a professional city (or county) manager who runs day-to-day operations. The planning director typically reports to the manager.
• In the mayor-council form, an elected mayor serves as chief executive. In a "strong mayor" system, the mayor appoints department heads, so the planning director reports to the mayor. In a "weak mayor" system, the council holds more administrative power.
• Two less common forms: the commission form, now rare, in which elected commissioners each run a department as well as legislate, and the town meeting of many small New England towns, where voters act as the legislature.
• Planning commissions are appointed citizen bodies that advise the governing body on plans and regulations and may make some decisions directly. Historically some commissions directed planning staff; today most planning staff sit in an executive department that also supports the commission.

Planning departments are often combined with building, code enforcement, economic development, or housing into a community development department.

10 more sections follow in the full lesson.