What You Do
Cities and towns have increasingly become the epicenter of decision making that impacts citizens, and councils play a critical role in that. Most American cities/towns are governed in one of four ways: with a mayor-council, commission, town meeting, or representative town meeting. Some cities and towns have added professional managers to guide and implement decisions made by city and town councils. City/town councils vary in size and structure based on the population of the district.
City councilors act as the legislative branch of the city government and its policymaking body. The council implements the city’s goals, major projects, and infrastructural improvements. This can range from community growth, land use, budgets, taxation, roads, zoning, waste, water treatment, parks and recreation, elections, animal control, schools (there is almost always a separate school board that is funded by the city council but operating as a separate entity focused only on schools) and anything else related to the welfare of the citizenry.
“It’s on us to take office and prepare our communities for future generations.”
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez
City Councilmember, San Antonio, TX
Responsibilities
Members of city/town councils serve as the legislative body for the district. Some of the most important duties include passing local laws and supervising the administration of the city or town; allocating the city’s budget and additional funding from the state; and deciding which projects the city will undertake.
As the federal government has abdicated more and more power to localities, cities and towns face increasing challenges and complicated issues including responding to natural disasters, malware and ransomware attacks, aging infrastructure, and issues affecting their community.
Helpful Skills
Roots in the community are essential for a winning campaign. A candidate does not need to have massive name recognition, but they do need to be an established person with a record of achievement in the community. City/town council members need patience and the ability to negotiate and compromise. Sound communication skills and the ability to speak in public will be helpful. While there is no legal mandate for financial experience, basic accounting skills can be useful. Previous attendance at a city/town council meeting will be helpful.
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Salary and HoursDepending on the jurisdiction city/town councils meet every other week, or one time per month. You can view a sample council meeting agenda here. Often, members will serve in sub committees in addition to the council at large. In many cities and towns council members are reimbursed for travel, or they receive a salary for their service. Salaries on the low end are approximately $10,000 and the high end at $320,000. Some jurisdictions offer benefits like health care insurance and pensions. The staff supporting city/ town councils usually includes an attorney and at least one clerk and secretary. The president of the city council in larger jurisdictions may have their own Chief of Staff. Like their legislative counterparts, city/town councilors work hard, often spending their time away from the council chamber in the community meeting with or serving constituents.
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Sample CampaignA campaign for city council in Nebraska will look vastly different than a campaign in New York. The cost of campaigns is directly proportional to the size of the voting population: more people equals more money, smaller population equals more canvassing and person to person communication. Targeted communication, an essential component of a winning campaign, requires money for postage and other forms of paid media. Candidates don’t need millions – increasingly cities and towns are building public funding mechanisms for local campaigns – but every candidate will need the resources to communicate with the voters that can get them elected. Starting as early as 18 months out from an election will be super helpful in affording the time a candidate needs to build a winning campaign structure. Most local races are run and won with part time campaigns, and volunteer staff.
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Requirements to RunTypical requirements include: Be 18 years of age at the start of the term. Be a resident of the district that the individual is running to represent. Be a US citizen. Be free of felony convictions. Mentally capable to serve (not to have been determined mentally incapacitated by a court of law). Legal requirements to seek and serve on a city/town council vary by jurisdiction. Most places require that the candidate live in the district they seek to serve, either before the election or shortly after. Candidates must almost universally be registered to vote in the district. There are no particular education requirements.