Strong Mayor-Council
 Elected mayor and city
council
 Mayor has executive
responsibilities overseeing operations of
city, appointing
department heads,
prepare the city budget
 Atlanta and Macon have
strong mayor-council
governments
Weak Mayor-Council
 Elected city council has
more power than mayor
 Council enacts
ordinances, carries out
laws through
committees, develops
city budget
 Mayor’s role is primarily
ceremonial
 Mayoral appointments
must be approved by
city council
Manager-Council
 City council is elected by
citizens
 A professional
administrator is hired to
manage city’s day-to-day
business
 The mayor may be
elected city-wide or
picked from the council
after an election
 Thomasville, Valdosta,
and Savannah have this
form of city government
 Thomasville’s mayor is
picked from the council
after elections.