Duane Olson is the Mayor of the City of Oak Point.

Mr. Olson was recently sworn in to complete the term of the last mayor.

Mr. Olson's information will be updated soon.

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Council-Manager Form of Government
 

In May of 2001 and pursuant to Section 25.001, et seq. of the Texas Local Government Code, the citizens of the City of Oak Point elected to adopt the council-manager form of government for the city's operation. An ordinance establishing the council-manager form of government was also adopted. On May 19, 2003, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2003-18, reaffirming its commitment to the council-manager form of government.

The basic structure of the city manager plan is similar to that of a private corporation, in which the stockholders elect a board of directors which then hires a president to run the company. Under the city manager plan, the voters elect a city council that, in turn, hires a city manager to administer the City's day-to-day affairs. The mayor and council members have no administrative duties under the council-manager form of government. These are vested in the city manager, who is responsible for directing the workforce and programs of the City in accordance with ordinances, rules, and regulations adopted by the city council.

The council-manager form of government is used in many local governments, cities, and counties because it combines the strong political leadership of elected officials with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. The strength of this system lies in the maintenance of a representative system, with locally elected officials retaining the power to hire a professionally trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services.

The Council members in this form of government are the leaders and policy makers elected to represent the community and concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to citizens' needs and wishes. As a legislative body, the Council members are the community decision makers. They approve the budget, determine the tax rate, focus on the community goals, major projects and long term considerations such as community growth, land use development, capital improvement plans, capital financing and strategic planning. They are also responsible for the appointment of citizens to the various boards/commissions that will make recommendations for tools to implement these goals, plans, and projects.

The City Manager is appointed by the Council to carry out policy wishes and ensure that the entire community is being served. The manager is hired to serve the Council and the community, and to bring the local government the benefits of training and experience in administering local government projects and programs. The manager prepares the budget for Council's consideration, recruits, hires and supervises the local government staff, and serves as the Council's chief adviser bringing forth objective information, pros and cons of alternatives, and long term consequences. The manager makes policy recommendations to the Council, but the Council may or may not adopt them, and may modify the recommendations. The manager is bound by whatever action the Council takes.

The mayor in a council-manager form of government is the key political leader and policy developer. In the case of the Council, the mayor is responsible for soliciting citizen views in forming these policies and in interpreting them to the public. The mayor presides at meetings, votes only to break a tie vote, serves as a spokesperson to the community, facilitates communication and understanding between elected officials, advocates policy decisions, assists the Council in setting goals, and serves as a promoter and defender of the community. In addition, the mayor, council, and manager constitute a policy-development and management team.

Since its establishment in the early 1800's, the council-manager form of local government has become the most popular form of government in the U.S. for cities with populations of 5,000 or greater. It has become increasingly popular among cities with populations of less than 5,000, as persons with this specialized training are better able to guide council members as laws and regulations become more complex and demanding. Currently, 3,625 cities in the U.S. operate under the council-manager system of local government. Local governments have found overall that costs have actually been reduced with the competent management that comes from hiring a professional city manager.

General Law Cities

There are two categories of cities in Texas:

• Home Rule and
• General Law

• Type A
• Type B and
• Type C

General Law cities are smaller cities, most of which are less than 5,000 in population. All general law cities operate to specific state statutes prescribing their powers and duties. General law cities are limited to doing what the state authorizes or permits them to do. If state law does not grant general law cities the express or implied power to initiate a particular action, none may be taken. "General Law" is a term used to describe all of the state laws applicable to a particular class of things. A general law city, therefore, is one that is subject to all of the state laws applicable to such cities, most of which are found in the Texas Local Government Code.

Type A general law cities are the larger general law cities. Most were incorporated under Type B status and then switched to Type A status when their population increased to 600 or more, or when they had at least one manufacturing establishment. The City of Oak Point was originally a Type B general law city and switched to Type A status through an election on August 9, 1986, and such election was canvassed and approved on August 14, 1986. Ordinance No. 2003-04, duly passed and approved by the City Council on October 7, 2002, reaffirmed the reclassification to a Type A general law city.