Council Administrator

The Council Administrator coordinates and manages the responsibilities of the entire Legislative Branch including the Clerk of the Council, the Zoning Hearing Examiner's Office, the Office of Audits and Investigations and the Board of Appeals.

The County Council Administrator is one of the few exempt positions under the Charter. The Administrator serves at the pleasure of the Council and is responsible for developing and supervising management techniques to assure that the Council is provided in a timely manner all of the technical, professional, and clerical support required for decision-making in a wide variety of subject areas. The Administrator develops, subject to Council approval, concepts, objectives and policy for Council decisions, and translates these decisions into guidance for the Council staff; establishes priorities to meet stated Council objectives; reviews the performance of staff for conformity to policies and objectives; and insures coordination between staff members, other County departments, and bi-county agencies. The Administrator is responsible for advising the Council on legally mandated deadlines for action and for assuring compliance with other legal mandates such as preparing an annual Affirmative Action Program. The Administrator is responsible for preparing the budget for the Legislative Branch, and following the adoption of the budget, for supervising expenditures to assure that they are in conformity with the approved budget. The Administrator is responsible for recruiting central staff, training, supervising and evaluating those employees, implementing the personnel laws relating to promotion, discipline or discharge of central staff employees, approving or denying reimbursement or expenses for travel, attendance at conferences, or other activities of those employees.

The Council Administrator is responsible for the preparation of agendas for Council meetings, dissemination of information to the public about the actions of the Council, codification of laws enacted by the Council, and the preparation of a daily log of mail received by the Chairman and preparation of responses to correspondence directed to the Council as a body.

The Council Administrator is responsible for the allocation of space for members of the staff, purchase of equipment, supplies and services for the staff, and assignment of all work programs of the staff.

The Council Administrator coordinates the use by staff of the Public Documents Reference Library, and the use of space by the Library. Although the Public Documents Reference Library is a branch of the Prince George's Memorial Library System, it is physically located within the County Council complex on the second floor of the County Administration Building, Upper Marlboro, and maintains all central staff files and many records of the Clerk's Office. The Documents Reference Library is open to the public during normal working hours.

The central staff provides technical and clerical assistance to the Council under the direction and supervision of the Council Administrator and its standing and special committees. The professional staff's functions include drafting and reviewing legislation; serving on task forces and committees as directed by the Council; serving as liaison to state, regional and county agencies; and reviewing and making recommendations on such instruments of policy as the following:

• Annual operating and capital budgets of the County Government, Board of Education, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and Washington Suburban Transit Commission, the Revenue Authority, the Redevelopment Authority and periodic amendments to theses budgets
• County General Plan, Area Master Plan and Special Treatment Area Plans
• Sectional Zoning Map Amendments
• Euclidean Zoning Map Amendments
• State, regional and local transportation plans and programs
• Ten-Year Water and Sewerage Plan
• Regional water quality plans
• Regional sewerage allocation and sludge management agreements
• Ten-Year Solid Waste Management Plan
• Annual Community Development Block Grant Program
• County Economic Development Program
• Proposed State legislation impacting upon the County
• Federal and State programs and regulations which affect the County's programs

The Prince George's County government interfaces in many ways with the Federal and State governments, the municipalities, and other counties. Some of this interaction is channeled through organizations such as the National Association of Counties, the Maryland Association of Counties, and the Council of Governments. On other matters of prime concern to the County, the interaction is more direct. For many years the has provided information to the members of the General Assembly concerning proposed State legislation that may be needed for Prince George's County, or that may be harmful to our County. At one time that communication was carried on mainly by the County Commissioners or their department heads. As issues became increasingly complex a more organized advocacy role was deemed appropriate, and since 1971 the County has maintained a legislative liaison staff. In 1976, the County opened a liaison office in Annapolis to provide a permanent "presence". When the County Council majority and the County Executive have been of different political parties, each branch of government has employed its own liaison. When they have been of the same party, there has been a unified liaison office.

The legislative liaison keeps the Council informed about pending State legislation, drafts legislation requested by the Council, advocates the Council's position on pending legislation, drafts amendments as needed, and does any research required to support these activities. In addition, the liaison often serves as the Council's representative on special committees and task forces to formulate new State solutions to problems facing the counties.

Public Information of Council activities is handled by one central staff professional with guidance from the Council Administrator. Other professional staff members are frequently designated to respond to press inquiries in their respective areas of expertise. The Council Information Specialist has been delegated responsibility for evaluating the newsworthiness of Council actions and proposals and determining the most appropriate vehicle for disseminating the information.

The primary vehicles for publicizing Council activities are: telephone and/or personal contacts with the Associated Press, United Press International, television, radio and daily and weekly newspapers; press releases; proclamations; the weekly news letter, cable television coverage of District and County Council meetings, and the weekly cable television interview show.

Council agendas are mailed in advance to news media (at present 67 on the mailing list). When a news event is considered of sufficient importance, special notice is given to the media. Following a news event or a regular Council session, information and direction is provided reporters seeking help and often such reporters are referred directly to individual Council Members for comment.

News releases are prepared by the Information Specialist with the approval of the Council Administrator and at the request of an individual Council Member. Individual Council Members write and distribute newsletters pertaining to their individual activities under their individual letterheads.

The Information Specialist also is responsible for writing speeches for the Chairman of the Council and individual Council Members on request. The Specialist also organizes and directs Council ceremonial activities and arranges proclamation ceremonies and provides persons for invocations at the start of Council sessions.

Cable television coverage of District and County Council meetings has become an integral part of public information program.

Staff from Prince George's Community College videotapes all District Council sessions and legislative and business sessions of the County Council. The County Council meets every Tuesday and the District Council meets the second and fourth Mondays.

Once the sessions have been taped in their entirety, they are broadcasted over the two cable systems serving the County on Channels 18 A and B, usually at 7:00 p.m. on the day the meeting is held.

Council is now presenting a weekly television interview show with the Council chairman serving as master of ceremonies and interviewing and discussing issues with guests.

One show is taped each month for showings at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesday, prior to showing of the weekly Council session. The show is also aired just before the showing of the District Council sessions at 6:30 p.m. second and fourth Mondays of the month.

The Information Specialist, with the Council Administrator's approval, arranges formal news conferences on issues affecting the full County Council. This information vehicle is used very sparingly and only for news information of major importance.

The annual operating budget for the Legislative Branch must be submitted to the County Executive by March l. By Charter, the County Executive is not permitted to amend the County Council's budget request.

On or about January 15, the Council Administrator requests the various divisions to prepare their respective budget proposals. The requests are formulated and are then reviewed by the Deputy Council Administrator. The Council Administrator then submits the budget to the Council by February 15 for review, amendment and approval. After review and approval by Council, the budget is transmitted to the County Executive. The Finance Department provides monthly reports through the financial accounting system. The entire legislative branch budget for FY 2002 is slightly less than $6.8 million and supports 86 full-time and 5 part-time positions, including Council Members, their exempt aides and appointed members of the Board of Appeals.

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