Your city council acts as the main law-making body for your local government, deciding laws and ordinances. They can enact anything from installing new stoplights to banning DIY guns. They also pass a budget that the mayor needs to sign into law, and they can override the mayor’s veto. Your city council is made up of the members who represent you in district elections, plus the mayor and the speaker. They can set tax levies, establish sewer and water rates, and advise the Mayor on appointments to city boards, commissions and departments.
They hold public meetings and hearings to assess your city’s priorities and monetary needs. Every proposed bill must first go through a committee – composed of other Council members — where it’s considered, debated and reported out, before it goes to the full Council. All of these committees, along with the full Council meetings (during the first and third weeks of each month) are open to the public.
Most of the work done by your city council happens in committees that are focused on topics such as human services, infrastructure and government affairs. Each Council member is assigned — by a vote of the Council — to serve on one or more of these committees and subcommittees.
The size of a city council varies widely across the country, from five to 51 members. Generally, the number of members is proportional to the population. Council members also have the option to belong to caucuses, groups of colleagues who share a common political focus.
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