City Commission government is a form of municipal government that was once common in the United States, but has fallen out of favor, most cities formerly governed by Commission having switched to the Council-Manager form. Some consider the City Commission as a predecessor of the Council-Manager form. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Local government of the United States. ... The council-manager government is one of two main variations of representative municipal government in the United States. ...

In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically from five to seven members, on a plurality-at-large basis. These commissioners constitute the legislative body of the city and as a group are responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other general functions. Individual commissioners are assigned responsibility for a specific aspect of municipal affairs, such as public works, finance, or public safety. One commissioner is designated to function as chairman or mayor, but this was largely a procedural or ceremonial designation and typically did not involve significant additional powers beyond that exercised by the other commissioners. As such, this form of government blends legislative and executive branch functions in the same body. Bloc voting (or block voting) (also called Plurality-at-large) refers to a class of voting systems which can be used to elect several representatives from a single constituency. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The notion of internal improvements or public works is a concept in economics and politics. ... Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... A mayor (from the Latin maīor, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ...

It is in many ways similar to the "weak mayor" form of Mayor-council government. Mayor-Council government is one of two variations of government most commonly used in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. ...

History

This form of government originated in Galveston, Texas as a response to the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. After the constitutionality was tested and confirmed, this form of government quickly became popular across the state of Texas and spread to other parts of the United States. The City Commission form is sometimes known as the Galveston Plan or the Texas Idea. Des Moines, Iowa became the first city outside Texas to adopt this form, and along with other reforms, its variation become known as the Des Moines Plan. The Strand The City of Galveston is the county seat of Galveston County located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Greater Houston area. ... ... Official language(s) None. ... Des Moines skyline, as seen from the Iowa State Capitol. ...

The city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa also used the commission form of government from 1908 until the end of 2005. The city had a five member full time council - a mayor, a streets commissioner, a finance commissioner, a safety commissioner, and a parks commissioner. In 2005 a movement emerged in Cedar Rapids to change the form of government. A committee has recommended changing to either the strong mayor or council-manager form of government, or staying with the current system. On June 14, 2005 voters decided to change to the council-manager form of government. As a result, the city ceased using the commission form. [1] Cedar Rapids now uses the council-manager form of government. City Hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Downtown Cedar Rapids, including Mays Island Cedar Rapids is a city located in Linn County, Iowa. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Portland, Oregon remains the only large city in the United States that still has a City Commission form of government. Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown Motto: Official website: http://www. ...

The council-manager form of government developed at least in part as a response to some perceived limitations of the commission form. The council-manager form became the preferred alternative for progressive reform, and after World War I, very few cities adopted the commission form and many cities using the commission plan switched to the council-manager form. The council-manager government is one of two main variations of representative municipal government in the United States. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, was a world...

Sources

• Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "COMMISSION FORM OF CITY GOVERNMENT," (accessed January 13, 2005).

• KWWL:New Government in Cedar Rapids (accessed June 14, 2005).