Government

The City of Breckenridge is a Home Rule City with a
Council-Manager form of government.city front w new signage

The concept of home rule is the right of citizens at the grassroots level to manage their own affairs with minimum interference from the state. Home rule assumes that governmental problems should be solved at the lowest possible level, closest to the people. To that end, the City of Breckenridge has a City Charter that citizens had (and have for future changes) to weigh in on through a vote.

Home rule cities look to the state to tell them what they are prohibited from doing, rather than for specific grants of authority to undertake particular functions.

Under the city manager plan, the council serves as the legislative body. The council sets policy, it approves the budget and sets the tax rate, and it determines the size of the payroll and the extent and cost of municipal services. In short, the council is the final authority on all of the many policy decisions that determine the scope and functions of the city government.

The mayor and councilmember’s have no administrative duties under the city manager plan. They have vested the administration and day-to-day operations to 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 council. The typical city manager in Texas is appointed for an indefinite term and is subject to dismissal by the council at any time except as otherwise prohibited by law. He or she is designated as the chief executive and administrative officer of the city and is accountable to the council for the proper conduct of all municipal operations.
*Excerpt from TML Publication, Handbook for Mayors and Councilmembers (2022)

styling border