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Laws, money, and something new every day -- the realm of the city manager By
Heather Williams RICHMOND -- What do you get when you combine the responsibilities of crafting city ordinances, researching the Utah code, and answering questions about zoning ordinances, new construction, building permits, and remodeling projects? That's right, you get a city manager. Richmond City Manager Marlowe Adkins says the responsibilities of a city manager vary according to the city. City councils in small communities have the responsibility of hiring a city manager. A city manager "manages the day-to-day business because the council is volunteer," Adkins says. Depending on the city, the position of city manager can be a contracted position or a hired position, said Adkins. A contracted position would have a certain amount of years as the expected time that a person would be a city manager. The city manager in Richmond is a hired position. Adkins said the smaller the community is, the less demanding management is. He said some universities offer courses in city management. The programs involve finance, economics and grant proposals. Most people who are interested in city management would probably start in small communities as a stepping stone for larger communities, he said. "A lot of small communities don't have city managers," said Adkins. A number of the city managers from communities near Richmond meet informally to compare notes with one another once a month, Adkins said. The communities include Wellsville, Hyrum, Nibley, Providence, Smithfield, Hyde Park, North Logan and Richmond. Being a city manager, Adkins has seen a real stereotype broken. He said state officials have been "tremendously helpful." He said the secret is being honest with them. Adkins said 98 percent of the people he comes in contact with are the best people. He said the best part about being a city manager is the "interaction with the people, hands down." A city manager is a "dynamic position," Adkins said, and there is not a day that goes by that he doesn't learn something.
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