Form of administration

North Carolina law permits cities, towns, and villages to use either of two forms of administration: mayor-council or council-manager. In the mayor-council form the governing board is not only responsible for policy making but also day-to-day administration of the town, including hiring and firing town employees. (In national terms, this is a “weak mayor,” system, in which the mayor presides at council meetings but has no executive power.) Under the council-manager form the governing board is responsible for policy-making while the manager is responsible for policy implementation and for managing the employees and operation of the town. Some mayor-council towns use a hybrid model in which the board hires a town administrator whose job is similar to a manager; however, the administrator’s authority is by delegation from the board rather than by statute.