Calgary City Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
New session started | October 2021 |
Leadership | |
Jyoti Gondek since October 25, 2021 | |
Structure | |
Seats | 15 (14 Councillors+Mayor) |
Committees | Boards, Commissions and Committees |
Elections | |
FPTP | |
Last election | October 18, 2021 |
Next election | October 2025 |
Motto | |
Onward [1] | |
Meeting place | |
Calgary Municipal Building [2] | |
Website | |
www |
The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 2021 as the city's 37th. Each of the 14 councillors represent one of the city's 14 wards.
The mayor of Calgary is elected through a citywide vote by all eligible voters. The mayor represents the interests of the city as a whole. The councillors are elected by the constituents of each ward. The councillors represent the interests of their respective wards. The mayor and councillors hold the office for 4-year terms. The last municipal election was held on October 18, 2021.
The Calgary city government is the council-manager form of government. The mayor and councillors oversee the City Manager and the administration of the city. [3]
Calgary's City Council is a council-policy committee system. The Council establishes its policies for governing the city based on information provided by four standing policy committees:
These committees meet once every month at City Hall and are composed of councillors and are responsible for approving and recommending policies to City Council. The general public is invited to the committee meeting to make presentations. Any decisions that come out of these meetings need final approval from the Council as a whole.
There are also a number of civic committees, boards, and authorities that help to create policies in specialized areas, such as parking, the preservation of heritage sites and buildings, and planning and development matters. These civic committees, board and authorities consist of citizens and one or more councillor.
City Council meets three Mondays every month in the Council Chambers at the Calgary Municipal Building. Two meetings are regular Council meetings, where issues from the four policy committees are discussed. The third meeting is a public hearing, where planning matters are generally discussed. Citizens do not address Council during the two regular meetings, however the public hearings are designed for the citizens to speak directly with their elected councillor regarding specific issues.
The city had an operating budget of $2.1 billion for 2007, supported 41% by property taxes. $757 million in property taxes are collected annually, with $386 million from residential and $371 million from non-residential properties. [4] 54% of the budget is spent for wages of the 13,043 city employees and expenditures. The average Calgary household pays approximately $2,100 per year in city tax. [5]
From 1884 to 1923, mayoralty elections were held annually. A plebiscite held in 1923 increased the term in office for the mayor from one to two years. In 1968, the Municipal Act increased the term in office by one year, for a total of three years. In 2013, the term for mayor was amended in the Local Authorities Election Act to 4 years. [6] [7]
Calgary had city commissioners from early 1900s into the 1950s. The city elected its city commissioners in the 1910s and 1920s. Otherwise they were appointed by the city council. The city of Calgary continues to have six commissioners that are appointed for life. Their names are listed in past City Handbooks but have since been removed from newer editions.
From 1884 to 1886, four councillors were selected from the town. In 1894, Calgary was divided into three wards, increasing the number of councillors to six. Later, three aldermen represented each ward. In 1906, a fourth ward was created, bringing the total number of aldermen to 12. From 1914 to 1960, aldermen were elected from across the city for two-year terms, dismantling the ward system. Staggered elections made half the council up for election each year. Commissioners were also elected in the early years. From 1917 to 1971, councillors were elected using single transferable votes to achieve a degree of proportionality/ fairness. After a plebiscite in 1960 the ward system was re-established in the city. Six wards were established, each represented by two aldermen. In 1974, voters had up to two votes under the block voting system to elect the two councillors in their ward. In 1976, the number of wards expanded to 14 (current number) with one alderman representing each ward for three years (and voters having only one vote). On December 14, 2010, council voted to change the title to councillor, which took effect in the October 2013 election. [8] In 2012 the Local Authorities Election Act was amended to increase the term length to 4 years. [9] [10]
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council member elected by voters.
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's financial sector.
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in Scotland from 1833 to 1975 with the reform of royal burghs and creation of police burghs.
Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022.
The Winnipeg City Council is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Winnipeg City Hall.
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby since his election on 6 May 2011. The main council building is City Hall on Charles Street, but council meetings are held in the 19th-century Town Hall.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council,town council, town board, community council, rural council,village council, or board of aldermen.
The Lethbridge City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Lethbridge, Alberta. Eight councillors and the mayor comprise the council. The mayor is the city's chief elected official and the city manager is its chief administrative officer. For the 2017–2021 term, the mayor is Chris Spearman and the councillors are Mark Campbell, Jeff Carlson, Jeffrey Coffman, Belinda Crowson, Blaine Hyggen, Joseph Mauro, Rob Miyashiro, and Ryan Parker.
Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1874; from 1888, it fell within the jurisdiction of the Soke of Peterborough county council and from 1965, Huntingdon and Peterborough county council. In 1974, it was replaced by a wholly new non-metropolitan district, broadly corresponding to the Soke, in the new enlarged Cambridgeshire. In 1998, Peterborough became independent of Cambridgeshire as a unitary authority, but the city continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes as defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997.
Municipal elections were held in Alberta, Canada on Monday, October 15, 2007. Since 1968, provincial legislation has required every municipality to hold triennial elections. Mayors (reeves), councillors (aldermen), and trustees were elected to office in 15 of the 16 cities, all 111 towns, all 99 villages, all 4 specialized municipalities, all 64 municipal districts, 3 of the 7 improvement districts, and the advisory councils of the 3 special areas. The City of Lloydminster is on the Saskatchewan schedule, and held elections on October 25, 2006 and October 28, 2009, while 4 improvement districts have no councils and are led solely by the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Since the 2004 municipal elections, the Town of Lac La Biche and Lakeland County amalgamated to form Lac La Biche County, the villages of Irricana and Onoway became towns, the Town of Brooks became a city, and the Village of Sangudo was dissolved.
The Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London was a royal commission which considered the means for amalgamating the ancient City of London with the County of London, which had been created in 1889. The commission reported in 1894. The government headed by Lord Rosebery accepted the recommendations of the commission, but when a Conservative government under Lord Salisbury came to power in 1895 the reforms were almost entirely abandoned.
Municipal politics in the Netherlands is an important aspect of the politics of the Netherlands. The municipality is the lowest level of government, but this does not reflect the importance that the Amsterdam and Rotterdam governments play in Dutch political life. There are a total of 342 municipalities in the Netherlands.
Municipal elections were held in Alberta, Canada on Monday, October 18, 2010. Since 1968, provincial legislation has required every municipality to hold triennial elections. Mayors (reeves), councillors (aldermen), and trustees were elected to office in 16 of the 17 cities, all 108 towns, all 95 villages, all 5 specialized municipalities, all 64 municipal districts, 3 of the 7 improvement districts, and the advisory councils of the 3 special areas. The City of Lloydminster is on the Saskatchewan schedule, and held elections on October 28, 2009 and October 24, 2012, while 4 improvement districts have no councils and are led solely by the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Since the 2007 municipal elections, the villages of Derwent, Kinuso, New Sarepta, and Thorhild were dissolved, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass changed from town to specialized municipality status, and the Town of Lacombe became a city.
Municipal elections were held in Alberta, Canada on Monday, October 21, 2013. Mayors (reeves), councillors (aldermen), and trustees were elected to office in 16 of the 17 cities, all 108 towns, all 93 villages, all 5 specialized municipalities, all 64 municipal districts, 3 of the 8 improvement districts, and the advisory councils of the 3 special areas. The City of Lloydminster is on the Saskatchewan schedule (quadrennial), and held elections on October 24, 2012, while 5 improvement districts have no councils and are led solely by the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Since the 2010 municipal elections, portions of Lac La Biche County and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo formed Improvement District No. 349, and the villages of New Norway and Tilley were dissolved. From 1968 to 2013, provincial legislation has required every municipality to hold elections every three years. The Alberta Legislative Assembly passed a bill on December 5, 2012, amending the Local Authorities Election Act. Starting with the 2013 elections, officials are elected for a four-year term, and municipal elections are moved to a four-year cycle.
Liverpool Town Council existed from 1835 to 1880.
The Douglas Borough Council is the local elected authority for the capital of the Isle of Man, the town of Douglas, and one of the 17 parishes that run local services on the Isle. It is the largest local authority, with 12 elected councillors representing the borough.
The 1903 Calgary municipal election took place on December 14, 1903 to elect a Mayor and nine Aldermen to sit on the twentieth Calgary City Council from January 5, 1904 to January 2, 1905.
The 1906 Calgary municipal election was held on December 10, 1906 to elect a Mayor and twelve Aldermen to sit on the twenty-third Calgary City Council from January 14, 1907 to January 2, 1908.
The 1917 Calgary municipal election took place on December 10, 1917 to elect a mayor to a one year term, and a commissioner and six aldermen to two year terms, and three aldermen for a one year term. These officials sat on the thirty-fourth Calgary City Council. In addition, four members for the Public School Board, three members for the Separate School Board were elected. Also, voters voted on three plebiscites on early closing and half holiday for businesses, payment for aldermen, and election of commissioners for two years.