City councils are local legislatures that pass laws and ordinances, overseeing the work of the mayor and city staff. They set policies for their communities, enact budgets, regulate land use, and more. They also act as a check on the mayor in a city with a mayor-council government model, and can veto things that the mayor or other city staff have proposed. They can also appoint a city manager to manage the day-to-day operation of city agencies.
One of the most important tasks is setting the city’s budget. A mayor will propose a budget and council members will go over it with a fine-tooth comb to see whether it will address the city’s priorities and monetary needs. They’ll also ask for feedback from residents and stakeholders at public hearings to gain insights that can influence the final budget.
Council members can also take up legislation they themselves have proposed. They may have ideas for a new program that they think would help a particular community or address a specific issue that affects the entire city. Council members also respond to thousands of constituent requests each year, filling a critical oversight role in the delivery of basic city services to citizens.
Many people don’t realize that their city council is their legislature, and that they have a lot of power to make changes. A big part of their job is to provide oversight of city agencies, and they do this through their many committees – I can’t emphasize how many they have. These committees do deep dives on issues ranging from the city workforce shortage to police practices, and they hold the mayor and other city officials accountable by calling them to testify at hearings and requiring them to produce documents in the course of an investigation.