The City of Bainbridge Island Governance Coordination Manual is a legislative document which serves as both a guide and directive for the conduct of legislative/executive operations on behalf of the Island's citizens. To understand this effort more completely:

In May 2009, the citizens of Bainbridge Island voted to change the City's governance structure from a Mayor-Council city, with a separately elected mayor, to a Council-Manager form of government, in which a professional City Manager reports to the 7-member elected Council. In this new form of government, the Council, in turn, selects one of its members to serve as Council chair and ceremonial mayor.

 

Following the 2009 vote to change the form of government, the Council appointed an ad hoc committee to start researching how other Council/Manager cities are governed and to develop guiding principles for a new Manual of City Governance Policies. Previously, the City's Mayor/Council form of government was guided by a Legislative Protocol Manual, a City Council/Executive Decision Making Handbook, and Council Meeting Ground Rules. The new Governance Manual replaces those prior three documents.

 

After Stan McNutt joined the City in November 2009 as Interim Deputy City Manager, he continued intensive work with the members of this ad hoc committee to develop a rough draft Manual. Beginning in January 2010, the full Council worked with Stan and Communications Coordinator Cathie Currie to refine this draft through a series of meetings. The result is a comprehensive Governance Coordination Manual of more than 40 pages which now serves as an updated guide for the Council, city management and the community. This Manual of City Governance Policies, Procedures and Guidelines was unanimously approved by the City Council on March 10, 2010. The document was adopted through a Resolution of the City Council, and carries the force of law in much of its content.

 

Among other things, the Manual provides significant and detailed guidelines that emphasize various ways in which citizens can become engaged in city government. The Governance Manual makes extensive use of internet links to provide access to related resource materials on the City's website and elsewhere on the internet. Included, by reference, are relevant provisions of applicable state and local law.

 

The Governance Manual is a living document, intended to provide a guidance framework but also subject to modification when the City Council and administration deem appropriate. To update the manual, the City Council periodically issues Supplemental Policies, established by motion, which are relevant to the conduct of city business and operations. Supplemental Policies may be posted on this web site for informational purposes.

 

This manual serves as a valuable resource for Bainbridge Island, the City's citizens, the City Council and City management as we continue to work together for effective and efficient local government.