The city needs a full-time mayor to correct the imbalance of power that currently exists in Orem, according to a Chamber of Commerce council.
Too much power rests with the city manager, who controls information associated with City Council decision-making but is not accountable to voters, according to the chamber's Government Review Council.The council drafted a letter this week to a blue-ribbon committee studying whether Orem needs a full-time mayor.
In that letter, the council calls for the committee to make the mayor's position full time.
"The needs of the city in terms of representation in government and industry circles is critical," the letter says. "Orem lacks a consistent presence on state and regional committees and councils. This absence prevents Orem from having a voice in issues that eventually have a great impact on the city and its people."
The council believes that policy decisions for the city should be made by officials elected by residents.
"At present, the decisionmaking power in Orem is not resting firmly with its elected officials where it should be," the letter states.
The Government Review Council also wants a formal, regular system for evaluating the city manager's performance.
The city manager is supposed to be evaluated annually, but City Manager Daryl Berlin has not been given a performance review in several years - largely because of turnover in the mayor's office.
Several City Council members are currently drafting evaluation criteria for judging Berlin's performance, and the council plans to conduct a formal review later this spring.