Your city council decides what your new park will look like, where affordable housing gets built, and whether or not local gas stations can have gaming machines. They also make big policy decisions – for example, they can choose to fund a police department that prioritizes tackling systemic racism or they can decide how much property tax to charge. They can also choose to sell off a city-owned building or rethink the way garbage is collected.
Typically, a mayor or city manager will propose a budget that council members go through with a fine-tooth comb to make sure the money is being spent wisely and efficiently. But council members can also introduce their own bills or propose changes to existing laws. They can also form issue-specific committees to conduct deeper investigations of specific topics (we have seven — including human services, infrastructure, and government affairs). These committees often hold public hearings where city residents share their views and concerns.
A councilmember’s job description is dizzyingly broad. They’re expected to be part policymakers, part service providers, and part investigators. They must parse the budget, make sure the snow gets plowed and the trees get trimmed, provide constituent services, and conduct legislative oversight of city agencies. They’re required to attend their district’s community meetings, answer phone calls from people across the city, and respond annually to thousands of inquiries. They’re also expected to criticize the administration in public statements and, in certain cases, use their subpoena power to prevent city agencies from evading accountability.
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