[2] The Act provides many choices for communities with a preference for a strong executive and professional management of municipal affairs.
In all Faulkner Act municipalities, regardless of the particular form, citizens enjoy the right of initiative and referendum, meaning that proposed ordinances can be introduced directly by the people without action by the local governing body.
As originally enacted in 1950, the Faulkner Act provided for three forms of government: mayor–council, council–manager, and small municipality.
Within each form, letter codes designated predefined aspects of each form and its individual arrangement of options, such as partisan or nonpartisan elections, concurrent or staggered terms, all at large or a combination of ward and at large seats.
The letter codes were eliminated, and the number of varieties within each plan was greatly increased.
Municipalities under this plan establish three to ten executive departments, headed by a director appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council.
The council appoints a municipal manager who is the chief executive with broad authority.
[6] The council hires a manager, who serves as the chief executive and administrative official.
The manager prepares the budget, appoints and removes department heads, and attends council meetings, but does not have a vote.
An organization meeting for the governing body is held on January 1 for partisan municipalities; July 1 for non-partisan ones.
The Mayor exercises executive power of the municipality; however council may create an administrator by ordinance.
Unlike the three other Faulkner Act plans, the mayor–council–administrator offers no optional variations in structure.
While it may perform the same research functions as a commission, a committee cannot place its recommendations on the ballot, but must do so via the petition method.