Town of Newton: Town Manager


Friday, July 04, 2008	Official Web Site for the Town of Newton, Sussex County NJ	Morris Lake, Town Reservoir

Town Manager

Eileen Kithcart
Town Manager

Under the Council-Manager form of government chosen by the electorate in 1956, the Town of Newton is governed by a five-member elected council of citizens. The town council, commonly elected at large on a non-partisan basis to four-year terms, conducts an annual reorganization meeting on July 1st of each year. At that meeting, the members of the town council choose one of their own members to serve for one year as mayor, and a second member to serve as deputy mayor. The mayor plays a leadership role in the community and may take part in evaluating public sentiment and generating public support for policies and programs. The mayor also performs the usual ceremonial duties, attending ribbon cutting events and performing marriages.

The council is responsible for policy-making and professional administration. As an elected representative, a council member must be a leader who is well informed about the issues before the governing body. The town council appoints all members of the municipal Boards and Commissions and in Newton, that includes the Parking Authority, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Economic Development Advisory Commission, the Utility Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of Health, the Advisory Recreation Commission, the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, and the Shade Tree Commission. The members of all Boards and Commissions serve as volunteers for the benefit of the overall community.

The most important responsibility of council members is to assure effective, responsive administration of the town which is carried out by a town manager who is hired by the town council. The town manager is responsible to that elected body and serves at the pleasure of the council.

The town manager appointed by the town council is directly in charge of all departments of the local government, as well as all personnel, and oversees the day to day operation of the town government. Although he or she is responsible to the council, the proposals and recommendations submitted to the governing body for consideration must reflect the needs of the community and be in the best interests of the municipality. As one big city manager once wrote, job assurance for a manager rests "upon a high standard of personal ethics, a keen sense of public morality, and the integrity of an incorruptible workman - which are all, of course, inseparable from his administrative skills."

The town manager and the council work as a team to enhance the council's legislative role with the manager's experience. In determining policies, the council members are faced with a variety of ordinances and resolutions pertaining to all types of matters related to the local government, including zoning, utility rates, building codes, job classifications for employees, and various designations of professionals such as the town attorney, the town engineer, and a registered municipal accountant.

The job of town manager is complex, since that individual must be a policy advisor, planner, and a dollar stretcher. The manager addresses complaints and is directly involved in preparation of the municipal budget. Some of the general duties of the town manager are to:

Assure that laws and ordinances are enforced

Appoint and remove department heads and employees on the basis of merit and to exercise control and supervision over all departments

Make recommendations to the council concerning the affairs of the town including plans for short- and long-range improvement projects

Keep the council advised about financial conditions and future needs

Prepare and submit the annual budget

Prepare and submit reports as may be required by the council

Keep the public informed, through reports to the governing body, of the operations of the town government.

The above list does not fully describe the manager's complex role, however it helps to illustrate the framework of the position. The town manager must be able to recruit competent people for appointment as department heads to help implement the policy decisions made by the council. The manager and department heads form a unified team that carries out municipal programs and services for the taxpayers and residents of the community.

A manager should be motivated by the following objectives:

To strive to inform the public so it understands community issues
To find solutions to local problems with the help of county, state and federal officials
To utilize community resources to address community needs and desires
To use technology and professional knowledge to provide the community with essential programs and services
To enhance and encourage the community to realize its full potential.

It is difficult to separate the role of the town manager from the role of the council, since the two should work together, so their functions blend into a common goal to solve problems for the community. The council generally leaves administrative matters to the town manager and in turn, the manager advises the governing body on policy formation. The manager and the council often work cooperatively with other levels of government, as well as with private groups and organizations, to address the needs of the municipality in ways that are deemed to be the most effective and economical. The Town of Newton manager maintains an "open door" policy and makes himself available to the members of the town council, the department heads and employees, and the members of the general public who wish to speak with him about any issue of concern.

* The above information was compiled using a booklet entitled "Council-Manager Plan - a Unified Response to Urbanism" as a reference. The booklet was produced by The International City Managers' Association, Chicago, Illinois in October, 1966.

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Town of Newton
39 Trinity Street
Newton, NJ 07860 Tel: 973-383-3521
Fax: 973-383-8961
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