County Manager MA Law
From MGL Chapter 34A, Section 18. B. (iv) The executive power of county shall be exercised by the county manager.
The county manager shall:
- Report annually to the commissioners, the advisory board on county expenditures and to the people, on the state of the county, the work of the previous year, and he shall also recommend to the board whatever action or programs he deems necessary for the improvement of the county and the welfare of its residents. He may from time to time at his discretion recommend any course of action or programs he deems necessary or desirable for the county to undertake;
- Prepare and submit to the board for its consideration and adoption an annual operating budget, and a capital budget, establish the schedules and procedures to be followed by all county departments, offices and agencies in connection therewith, and supervise and administer all phases of the budgetary process.
- Enforce the county charter, the county’s laws and all general laws applicable thereto;
- Supervise the care and custody of all county property, institutions and agencies;
- Through the county treasurer, have oversight on the collection of revenues, audit and control all disbursements and expenditures and shall prepare a complete account of all expenditures;
- Sign all contracts, bonds or other instruments requiring the consent of the county;
- Organize the work of county departments subject to the administrative code adopted by the board. He shall further review their administration and operation and make recommendations pertaining thereto to the board;
- Review, analyze and forecast trends of county services and finances and programs of all boards, commissions, agencies and other county bodies, and report and recommend thereon to the board;
- Develop, install and maintain centralized budgeting, personnel and purchasing procedures as may be authorized.
- Negotiate contracts for the county subject to board and where appropriate, advisory board approval and make recommendations concerning the nature and location of county improvements and execute improvements determined by the board;
- Assure that all terms and conditions imposed in favor of the county or its inhabitants in any statute, franchise or other contract, are faithfully kept and performed;
- Serve, as ex-officio, nonvoting member of all appointive bodies in county government.
(v) The county manager:
- Shall supervise, direct and control all county administrative departments;
- Shall appoint the deputy manager, if that position is created by the board, the heads of all county departments and divisions created within such departments, and all other administrative officers and county personnel the manner of whose appointment is not prescribed elsewhere in this section;
- May, at his discretion, remove or suspend any official in the unclassified service of the county over whose office the county manager has power of appointment;
- May at his discretion, but subject to any pertinent provisions of the general laws and civil service regulations delegate any department head powers of appointment and removal of their departmental employees. If the county manager does not so delegate his power he may appoint and remove, subject to civil service regulations, all employees whose positions have been created.
- May require and examine the accounts, records and operations of any agency of county government; and
- May, at his discretion, order any agency under his jurisdiction to undertake any task for any other agency on a temporary basis if he deems it necessary for the proper and efficient administration to do so.