A bill for an act concerning county and city administration, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Discharges of city or county managers/administrators must occur only by a formal majority-vote motion or resolution.

Referred to Local Government.

#citycouncils #citygovernment #citymanagers #contracts #countyboardsofsupervisors #countygovernment #laborandemployment

Overview

SF 497 is a local-government bill introduced on March 4, 2025, and referred to the Local Government committee. The bill would limit how city councils and boards of supervisors can discharge (fire) key city/county executives, such as city managers, city administrators, county managers, and county administrators. It emphasizes that such discharge actions must be taken by a majority vote through a formal motion or resolution.

Introduced: March 4, 2025

Status: Referred to Local Government

Recent action: Committee report approving the bill; referred to Local Government (2025-06-16)

Key Provisions

1) County Management Discharge (New subsection in Section 331.301)

A county board of supervisors may discharge the county manager, county administrator, or similar county executive only by:

Adoption of a motion or resolution,
On a majority vote of the board.

This applies even if the position is described with a different title.

2) City Management Discharge (New subsection in Section 364.2)

A city council may discharge the city manager, city administrator, or similar city executive only by:

Adoption of a motion or resolution,
On a majority vote of the council.

This applies even if the position is described with a different title.

3) Effective Date

The Act is deemed to take effect immediately upon enactment.

4) Applicability (Contract Effects)

Applies to:

New employment contracts, and
Renewals of existing employment contracts,

For city managers/administrators or similar city executives, and county managers/administrators or similar county executives,

If entered into on or after the Act’s effective date,

And applies regardless of any alternative nomenclature used to describe the position.

Who Is Affected

City and county governments:

City councils and boards of supervisors are the bodies that would discharge executives.

Executives covered:

City manager, city administrator, or similar city executive; county manager, county administrator, or similar county executive.

Contracts:

New contracts and renewals entered into after the effective date.

Implications and Impact

Procedural change: Discharges must occur through a formal majority vote via motion or resolution, rather than potentially through other means or unilateral action.

Protections for executives: Creates a higher threshold for removal, potentially increasing job security for the specified managers.

Budget and governance: May affect how governing bodies plan leadership changes, including interim arrangements during formal proceedings.

Retroactivity: Not retroactive; applies to contracts entered into after the effective date.

Additional Notes

The bill’s language explicitly states it applies “even if a different nomenclature” is used for the position, ensuring coverage despite title variations.

The bill is currently in the Local Government committee process and has a clear emphasis on formal, majority-vote actions to discharge senior municipal/county executives.

Bill