What Do I Really Need To Know as an Elected Official?
by Lynn Tipton
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Congratulations – and welcome to municipal governance in Florida! Your “to do” list was probably pretty long while you were running for office. Now that you’ve won, there’s little doubt that your list has not been shortened. Here are a few ideas to help your understanding of the municipal picture in Florida – a combination of facts, suggestions and resources that might help.
In many municipalities and counties, orientation workshops are provided to newly elected officials. The Florida League of Cities and the Florida Institute of Government also provide such sessions three times per year in locations around the state. This workshop is called the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO). No matter where you receive this training or whether it is provided in a formal or informal setting, there is specific information that should be made accessible to you as an elected official. The most helpful information answers questions that center around 1) getting the job done (as an elected official) and 2) what you need to know to be effective in office.
To begin, let’s discuss the major information and documents that you as an elected official will need to know or know how to access for answers. You may not refer to the office you now hold as a job, but I assure you it is a job. It is a job that requires a certain level of expertise, knowledge, resources and tact. Aren’t those the same SKAs (skills, knowledges and abilities) required of most jobs? Jobs take time to do effectively, but with the right tools and support, the time required can be minimized and constructive.
Contrary to what you may believe, elected officials are not expected to know it all or have all of the answers. They are, however, expected to know where to go to get the answers, and to come up with solutions that at least attempt to resolve problem situations. Elected officials come from all walks of life, and therefore bring to their councils/commissions an immeasurable wealth of knowledge and talent. Like any new job, however, there are some basic SKAs that an elected official must equip himself or herself with for success.
So what do you need to know? Information you need could be divided into two areas.
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The first area is information that comes directly from the municipal government and is developed by the municipality. Your local government should provide you with the following documents:
Code Book (of Ordinances), which contains the laws passed by the locally elected governing body;
City/County Charter, which contains laws governing your local government and can normally only be changed by referendum (a vote of the electors);
Land Development Code and access to the city comprehensive plan;
City Organizational Chart;
Annual Fiscal Year (Operational) Budget;
Five-Year Capital Program (Capital Budget); and
Fiscal Year Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
All of these documents provide information that is basic to the governing of the local government. Workshops should be provided to elected officials as well, to explain these items:
How to read and understand the city budget;
How the budget works (for example, can funds be moved between line items or budget categories?);
What happens to funds that result from under-expenditures;
How the city handles over-expenditures, etc.;
Whether there is a rainy-day (reserve) fund;
What debt service funds and enterprise funds are; and
What the immediate and long-term effects of grants, etc., are.
Also, you should talk with your finance officer about the forecast of your local government with regard to the county, state and federal governments. Another subject to discuss is the capacity of the city’s current tax structure for the city. Receipt of information that answers these questions should not be seen as an effort to micromanage one’s local government, but rather as a way to become better informed so as to better understand and appreciate actions recommended or taken by management.
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The second area of information important to elected officials is information that is directly related to local government. This is information that has a direct bearing on how the local government conducts its business. Documents and information that would fall under this area include the following:
The “Government-in-the-Sunshine” Manual, which provides a reference guide to the open meetings and public record laws, as well as exemptions to those laws approved by the state Legislature during the preceding legislative session. Newly updated manuals are available for purchase from the First Amendment Foundation at around February of each year. The Office of the Attorney General prepares the manual.
A parliamentary procedures manual. The newest version of Robert’s Rules of Order is the 10th edition.
The “Guide to the Sunshine Amendment and Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees,” from the Florida Ethics Commission. This pamphlet explains the various forms that must be completed when elected or appointed officers have voting, business or related conflicts.
The Florida Municipal Officials’ Manual, which was included in the welcome packet sent to you from the League. This manual gives a quick overview of cities, towns and villages in Florida (their structure and function), city services, revenue and tax structure, the Sunshine Law and other municipal requirements. It is a good book to read with a highlighter!
Elected officials also should be provided or have access to the following through their city attorney:
Attorney General opinions;
Florida Commission on Ethics opinions;
Division of Elections opinions, as well as the Election Code;
Access to the Florida Statutes and Laws of Florida; and
The Florida Constitution.
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Elected officials also should meet with their clerk or archives staff person to review the Department of State, Records Management basic policies on public records retention and destruction. You might wonder why access to this type of information is important, since you have legal staff and management staff to answer questions in such matters. That is true, but the citizens who will give you the worst heartburn are those who know the above-mentioned laws and opinions. A little knowledge on your part in this area can and will go a long way when working with these citizens.
Your Local and State Leagues
Two valuable resources for elected officials are local and regional leagues and the Florida League of Cities. You usually cannot violate the open meetings/open records laws of Florida by talking to the elected officials of a neighboring city or from another area of the state. What better place to meet these folks than the regular meeting of your local or regional league, or at a statewide conference of the Florida League. If you aren’t sure what local league serves your area, click here.
Lynn Tipton is director of membership development for the Florida League of Cities. She may be reached by e-mail or by telephone at (850) 222-9684.
Reprinted from Quality Cities March/April 2003
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