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BY JOHN CHAPPELL

Robbins is looking at a change.

The Town Board will consider changing the charter to switch to a council-manager form of government. The board recently dismissed its longtime town administrator. Those duties are temporarily being handled by Town Clerk Debra Cockman and Police Chief Danny Brown.

Robbins, devastated by economic losses and burdened by debt, is redefining itself with help from the N.C. Rural Center. The town won a spot in a new program, N.C. STEP, that will open many opportunities for assistance and guidance as it works to grow out of its factory and mill town history.

Many people have been urging the town to get a manager who can work to promote Robbins.

At their request, Hartwell W. Wright, a consulting manager from the North Carolina League of Municipalities, came down from Raleigh to meet with town commissioners and answer questions about such a transition.

Towns all over the state that have, like Robbins, populations between 1,000 and 2,500 are considering, or have already made, the same move, he told them.

Fifty-six out of 118 towns in the same size range as Robbins already have managers. The rest are divided almost evenly between those with a mayor and council, and those with a mayor and council and administrator (as Robbins has).

Virtually all larger North Carolina towns have gone to a council manager form of government, according to 2003 data Wright supplied in a graph.

ìThe powers and duties of administrators are those granted by the council, but in the council-manager form, those duties are provided by general statutes,î he said in a discussion paper prepared for Robbins.

Under the present system, the council is both legislative and administrative in nature, he told them. It sets policy, makes final decisions on personnel matters, and conducts administrative affairs other than those granted to the administrator.

A council-manager form is based more on a separation of those functions, with the council being legislative and policy-oriented, and administration the managerís responsibility, Wright explained.

Under Robbinsí present charter, all town employees are employees of the board. Administrators handle tasks and execute policies set by commissioners, but commissioners themselves delegate supervision of areas such as sewer, water, zoning to committees or to individual commissioners.

The board runs Robbins, hiring and firing employees, delegating powers to an administrator or exercising them directly. As populations grow, complexity increases. The bigger the town, the more commissioners ó who usually have other jobs, businesses or professions ó have to juggle a myriad of duties.

ëPassionate About Carthageí

With a council-manager charter, the Carthage council decides policy and law, but Town Manager Carol Cleetwood handles administration.

Cleetwood runs Carthage. She was town clerk when the county seat changed its charter.

ìIn 1998, Carthage hired Bob Boyette as administrator,î she said. ìOne day, I was informed the UNC School of Government was going to come down and talk about Carthage changing to a council-manager.î

Cleetwood didnít like the idea at first.

ìPeople could come to me, or to any employee, about anything,î she said. ìCouncil members could talk to the water plant operator, or to anybody, about things that needed attention.î

Once Carthage changed to a council-manager system, they could only go to Boyette, who was hired as manager rather than administrator.

Managers have responsibility for all town operations. Water problems go to the manager, sewer problems, street problems, police problems ó all go to the manager.

Cleetwood stopped reporting to the council and started reporting to Boyette. He became her supervisor.

ìWhen this was proposed, I was against it,î she said. ìI was hired by the board, and I liked reporting to the board. Before the change, if citizens had a problem, they could call public works or call a commissioner. Suddenly everything goes through the manager. I didnít like it, because I was used to handling problems. Now citizens do not call a department head. They call the manager.î

It gives managers great power and responsibility.

ìItís good ó in a way ó because one person is held responsible for everything that happens,î she said. ìBut that means it is very important that (the manager) be somebody who is responsible.î

Now, as town manager, she supervises departments such as public works, fire and police, but department heads (police and fire chiefs, for example) supervise their departments, hiring and firing employees under them.

ìYou have to be passionate about your town,î Cleetwood said. ìYou have to be passionate about your job. I am passionate about Carthage.î

Set by State Law

The duties and powers of a town manager are not set by councils. They are already defined by statute.

The General Assembly gave town managers pretty much a free hand in day-to-day town operation. According to state law, a manager hires and fires all employees with one exception: the town attorney. By law, only the council can dismiss or employ a town attorney.

Some charters make exceptions setting aside certain employees as council rather than manager employees. Most do not. In almost all towns run under the council-manager system, the council itself hires and directly supervises only two town workers: the attorney and the manager.

If Robbins goes to this system and hires a town manager, that individual will have the authority to hire and fire department heads. That would no longer be up to the Town Board.

Robbinsí first task is formulating clear personnel policies, and then deciding whether or not to call a public hearing on the question of changing the charter. Public notice and a public hearing, on such a change is also required by law.

There are three ways to change town charters. A council could hold such a hearing, then resolve to change the charter. The council could call for a referendum on the question and put it to the voters to decide. Or, voters themselves could, through a petition process, call for a referendum.

Robbins town commissioners are considering making the change, but they are studying the matter and means carefully.

In almost all cases, towns have followed the first course. That is the path on which Robbins took its first steps in April. Commissioners are studying the differences and materials Wright worked up for Robbins. They will meet again in May to consider calling a public hearing.

John Chappell can be reached at 783-5841 or by e-mail at jchappell@thepilot.com.