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EXECUTIVE POWERS, DUTIES AND COMMITTEES There are two issues that apply to both the collective executive system and mayoral executive system of municipal government:
These issues are discussed below. POWERS AND DUTIES The collective executive and mayoral executive systems, described above, both allow for the establishment of an executive structure through which the municipal council may exercise its executive powers and duties:
The Municipal Structures Act defines the minimum powers and duties which must be performed by either the executive committee or executive mayor. IDENTIFYING NEEDS The executive is responsible for ensuring that the resources at the disposal of the municipality are used in a way that best meets the variety of needs of local citizens. The Executive Mayor or Executive Committee must:
MONITORING The executive must also monitor whether those strategies are working successfully, and if resources are being used efficiently. The executive mayor or executive committee must:
REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY It is important that the executive remains accountable to the municipal council, and that all local citizens and community groups are able to participate in the development and monitoring of municipal programmes. The executive mayor or executive committee must therefore also:
The municipal council may also delegate ceremonial functions to the executive mayor in a mayoral executive system, or to the mayor in a collective executive system. COMMITTEES TO ASSIST THE EXECUTIVE The committee system It is common practice for municipal councils to establish committees to deal with specific clusters of powers and functions. For example, planning and urbanisation, or engineering services. The establishment of committees allows councillors to dedicate time to in-depth debates on specific issues. In the absence of committees, all matters would have to be debated in full council meetings. Time constraints would make it difficult to address properly the full range of issues for which the council is responsible. The establishment of committees also allows councillors to develop an expertise in one or more aspects of local government. Councillors are not elected because they are specialists in planning, finance, economic development or human resources. They are elected because they represent part of the local community, and are trusted by their constituency to lead in a way that meets the needs and aspirations of the community. It is impossible for any person to develop a detailed knowledge of all the different functions for which local government is responsible within a short space of time. However, to take wise decisions councillors need a high-level understanding of the issues at hand and an in-depth understanding of the diverse needs and interests in the community. The committee system allows councillors to develop their expertise in a few aspects of local government, and also ensures that all aspects of the council's business are thoroughly debated by a committee dedicated to that issue. These "specialist" committees can vary in function, from being oversight bodies to exercising actual executive power. "Oversight" committees are similar to parliamentary committees, which check on the way different ministers perform their duties but don't actually perform any executive functions. But committees can also be given specific executive functions. In these cases they are referred to as committees to assist the executive and their powers are delegated by the executive committee or executive mayor. Committees to assist the executive Municipal councils may appoint committees to assist the executive mayor or executive committee. In this way councillors can be involved in the functioning of the executive. A municipal council may not establish more committees than there are members of the executive committee or mayoral committee. The executive committee or executive mayor may appoint a councillor to chair each committee. It is important that the chairperson is a member of the executive committee or the mayoral committee so that committee proceedings are integrated into the overall work of the executive. The executive committee or executive mayor may delegate any powers and duties of the executive committee or executive mayor to such a committee. However, the executive committee or executive mayor remains responsible for the exercise of all powers and duties delegated to it by the municipal council. Committees must report to the executive committee or executive mayor. Reports from all council committees (committees to assist the executive committee or executive mayor, and reports from other committees of council) must be submitted to the executive committee or executive mayor. The executive committee or executive mayor must consider the issues raised in these reports, and either:
This system allows for some councillors to dedicate time to issues within specific sectors, while still ensuring that issues are integrated across sectors. Municipalities deal with a wide range of issues, from the delivery of services through to planning and local economic development. It is important that the strategies and programmes developed for different sectors are integrated into a coherent plan for the development of all aspects of the municipal area. Each committee focuses on its specific area. The executive committee or executive mayor should ensure that integration takes place. Introduction | Responsibilities of municipal councils | Delegation of powers and duties | Community participation and accountability | Municipal types | Systems of municipal government | Plenary executive system | Collective executive system | Mayoral executive system | Executive powers, duties and committees | The ward participatory system | The subcouncil participatory system | Combining the systems of government to form municipal types | Applying types to individual municipalities | Conclusion | Annexure A | Annexure B Back to Types Of Municipalities Table of Contents | Back to booklets
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