KU professor Hannes Zacharias outlines council‑manager roles, urges clearer public communication

Hannes Zacharias, professor of practice in the University of Kansas Master of Public Administration program and a former Johnson County manager, told the review committee that strengthening the relationship between the governing body and city administration is central to effective local government.

“I wanna start out by saying that I'm here to help, and to provide answer any questions you might have about city council or council‑mayor former governments, how the relationships work,” Zacharias said. He described the council‑manager model as a partnership in which elected members determine policy and the manager implements it: “Staff proposes, the governing body disposes. And whatever the governing body says goes, period.”

Zacharias emphasized a recurring dynamic: elected officials gain knowledge about community preferences through politics and narrative, while staff hold technical expertise. That gap requires translators — usually the city manager and senior staff — who can convert public demands into feasible administrative responses. He offered the common example of snow removal: elected officials and residents may demand immediate service, but staff must weigh frequency, policy and budget constraints.

On public trust and outreach, Zacharias recommended stronger, timelier communications, particularly via social media and a formal communications office. He said decline in local news sources increases the city’s responsibility to push clear, rapid updates. “If a city does not respond to a tweet or a Nextdoor post within a reasonable time frame, people assume what has been posted is accurate,” he said.

He also recommended regular citizen perception surveys to test whether concerns voiced at public hearings reflect broader sentiment. Zacharias said many jurisdictions now use annual surveys to track trends; larger jurisdictions may survey more frequently. He cautioned that surveying without acting on results breeds cynicism.

The professor discussed the ombudsman role. He said an ombudsman embedded under the city manager can be operationally effective, but placing the ombudsman directly under the governing body can create conflicting directions for staff and unclear authority.

Zacharias closed with procedural advice: define the problem(s) the committee intends to solve, distinguish structural issues from cultural or implementation problems, and use conferees to narrow the committee’s agenda. He offered to return as a resource to the committee.