Butler City Council learned earlier this week about the role a city manager would play in the operations of the city.

Michael Foreman, a local government policy specialist for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, explained the city manager’s position at Tuesday’s forum meeting.

Mayor Ben Smith said the city doesn’t have immediate plans to hire a manager, but he invited Foreman to discuss the position to follow through on the support he expressed for a city manager during his election campaign.

Pennsylvania has more than 50 third-class cities and most have managers or city clerks with more administrative authority than city clerks typically have, Foreman said.

“Most cities have managers,” he said.

Foreman said the Third Class City Code explains the position, which can be called city manager or city administrator.

The code requires council to adopt an ordinance to establish the position and he gave council a sample ordinance.

All council members must be present when the ordinance comes up for a vote and all members must vote on the ordinance, Foreman said.

Employment contracts with managers can have a term of no longer than two years, he said, and managers are at-will employees that answer to council. It is up to council to decide if the manager has to live in the city after being hired, Foreman said.

He said managers should have experience working with all aspects of city government.

A manager supervises administrative employees, but council can decide if he or she will oversee employee department heads or continue to have council members oversee departments, Foreman said.

Managers make recommendations to council for hiring or appointing department heads and can appoint a deputy manager.

Employee investigations also fall under a manager’s purview, he said.

Negotiating contracts and making sure contract terms are followed are among a manager’s duties, Foreman said.

Other duties include preparing and submitting budgets to council and monitoring expenditures and revenues.

A 2015 amendment to the law allows managers to serve as city clerks, he said.

The median annual salary of chief administrative officers in cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 was $132,100 in 2016, based on a salary survey report, according to the International City/County Management Association, which represents 11,000 municipal administrators, assistant administrators and department heads.

From Pennsylvania, 16 administrators in cities with the same population range responded to the survey. According to the report, the mean salary was $122,789 and median salary was $115,714. The minimum salary reported was $92,500 and the maximum was $169,750.

Ben Smith said he supports hiring a manager, but hiring one is not imminent and a couple of issues would have to be addressed before any action would be considered.

Council would have to find the money to pay a manager and a job description would have to be prepared, he said.

A city manager and the city clerk have similar roles, and City Clerk Mindy Gall does a great job, he said.

Councilman Jeff Smith said he is in favor of hiring a manager.

“I think the city manager is the way of the future for the city of Butler,” he said.

Councilman Kenny Bonus said he would support hiring a manager, but council needs time to find the money for a manager’s salary.

“I would support hiring a manager. It’s not something we would jump into feet first,” Bonus said.

Councilman Michael Walter said he doesn’t support hiring a manager now, but he possibly would in the future.

Referring to Foreman’s presentation, Walter said the city clerk and city manager serve similar roles.

“They’re synonymous. It would be a duplicate,” Walter said.

He also commended Gall saying she serves a major role in city operations.

“Our city clerk is very knowledgeable,” he said.

He said finding the money to pay a manager is an issue, but he wouldn’t rule out considering a manager in the future.

Councilman Corey Roche said he supports exploring the possibility of hiring a manager to determine how a manager might benefit the city, but doesn’t support hiring one immediately.