The City of Harrisonburg operates under the "council/manager" form of government.

What is a council/manager form of government?

The council/manager system of local government combines elected officials in the form of a governing body with an appointed local government manager.  The council/manager form of government establishes a representative system where all power is concentrated in the elected council and where the council hires a professionally trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services. (Source: International City/County Management Association)

How does the council/manager form differ from a strong mayor form?

In a strong mayor system the elected mayor is the administrative head of government.  In a council/manager system the elected body appoints one council member to be mayor and hires a professional manager to attend to the day-to-day administrative needs of the city.  Over 89 million Americans live in communities that are governed by a council/manager system.

[26.5KB] Organizational chart [1]

• City Council information [2]
• City Manager information [3]
• City departments [4]
• Clerk of Circuit Court [5]  - serves both Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County