Marseilles council debates transition to council-manager government

The Marseilles City Council discussed a possible change to the city government structure during Wednesday’s meeting after Streets Commissioner Mike Scheib called for a change from the current commission-style system.

Scheib proposed Marseilles makes a transition to a council-manager structure.

In this system, the city would hire a full-time manager responsible for overseeing multiple departments and advocating for the city, instead of having elected commissioners who manage departments.

According to a 2016 study by the National League of Cities, the commission-style government is the oldest form of local government in the U.S., and it existed in less than 1% of cities at that time.

In the Illinois Valley, Oglesby and Ottawa also use the commission form of government, but Oglesby residents will vote on a proposed change in the April election.

Scheib highlighted concerns about the current system, which he said results in commissioners taking on roles for which they may not have the necessary expertise to manage.

“No one runs for specific roles like commissioner of police or commissioner of streets,” he said during the meeting. “This leaves elected officials overseeing areas of the city government with which they may be unfamiliar.”

Scheib acknowledged his own limitations in his role as streets commissioner, admitting that his lack of expertise in certain areas of city governance makes it difficult to make well-informed decisions at times.

Scheib suggested that a council-manager form of government could bring in more specialized oversight and lead to better management of city projects.

City Engineer Mike Etscheid responded to Scheib’s criticism, defending the city’s system and approach on infrastructure projects.

Etscheid clarified that several of the city’s projects, including sidewalk and intersection improvements, were partially funded through state grants rather than relying solely on local revenue.

Etscheid emphasized that some of these projects were significant investments for the city, adding that the street program for this year has a budget of $570,000.