City council plays a crucial co-equal role alongside the mayor and other city leaders. Council members make decisions that directly affect residents and their communities. In some cases, they are limited in their actions by state and federal laws, court decisions, administrative agencies, and the municipal charter itself. But, with a little effort, councils can help residents understand how the system works and play a role in improving it.
The Council consists of 15 Members, 12 elected from single-member districts and three elected at-large. They hold district and legislative offices in City Hall, meet at their respective districts for Stated Meetings twice each month, and hold committee meetings to discuss issues and vote on legislation. They also meet in caucuses, groups of Members with shared concerns.
Each member sits on at least three of the 35 standing or select committees, as well as four subcommittees. In addition, the speaker of council and the majority leader are ex officio members of all committees. It is through these committees that the Council performs oversight of city agencies and practices, which includes performing deep dives into a variety of topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, police reforms, and building safety inspections of rooftop activities.
If you want to get involved, first find out who your Council Member is and build a relationship with their staff. It’s important to reach out to the chief of staff, scheduler, and office manager, which you can do by calling their district or legislative office or finding this information on their website. Try to avoid public criticism of staff, and instead direct questions to the executive, mayor, city manager or department heads.