City Government 101: What does the city council actually do?

(Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series on the function of city government.)

How much do you depend on your city council?

Do you live in a home that has water and electricity? Do you drive on roads? Do you take your kids to the park? Do you rely on qualified professionals being nearby in an emergency situation?

Your city council has oversight over all these things.

Your city council is not composed of full-time, career politicians. It’s made up of volunteers from your community—business owners and local leaders who, in theory, are committed to service. They set the rules that city staff enforce, and determine how your tax dollars are spent.

The fact of the matter is that the city is one of the most accessible and yet least accessed units of government. No, they’re not dealing with the hot-button macropolitical issues that make for good TV. What they are doing is handling the constant, day-to-day problems of making a society run smoothly.

Oklahoma’s state statutes carefully define the authorities granted to incorporated cities (see Title 11), though how many a city chooses to exercise may vary. Typically, your city takes responsibility for the following:

n Fire, police, and emergency medical services;

n Utilities (water, sewer, and electric) and trash collection;

n Public infrastructure (roads, bridges, sidewalks, storm drains, and so on);

n Public facilities (parks, community centers, or recreational spaces);

n Building & business permits;

n Addressing dilapidated property.

If a city is unable or unwilling to provide certain of these services, they will enter into a contract with private companies to fulfill them. For example, Comanche pays Waste Connections to do solid waste pickup so that the city does not have to purchase, maintain, and staff their own trash trucks.

When your city provides utilities, it will usually do so through a public trust or “Municipal Authority”. The council members also serve as trustees of this authority and conduct its business alongside council business.

A city is organized by a charter and governed by a code of ordinances. Think of the charter as the “constitution” of the city. It defines the structure of its government, the powers reserved by it, and the geographic boundaries served by it. The code of ordinances is the body of law that the government enforces: taxation, regulations, standards, and so forth. For Comanche, the charter is contained within the code of ordinances, which is hosted on their website.

Comanche is divided into four wards, geographic areas of roughly equal population. One resident from each ward is elected to represent that area in the city council. A fifth, at-large council member is chosen by all voters from any ward. Each member is elected for a four-year term, and elections are staggered (two or three in one year, and then the rest two years later). Municipal elections are non-partisan—candidates are required to run independently of party affiliation. Every odd-numbered year, the city council then selects from amongst themselves a mayor and vice-mayor to preside over their meetings. (In other cities, the mayor may be elected separately by popular vote.) The mayor is considered to be the head of government for ceremonial intents and purposes, but exercises few other unique powers.

The city council may amend or pass new ordinances at any time. The other form of legislation they may engage in is resolutions, which have a short-term, generally nominal effect, such as designating a given day as “Ham Sandwich Day” or expressing support for some effort on behalf of a local organization. However, the vast majority of council actions are more administrative than legislative — authorizing equipment purchases, considering easements and land use requests, or approving contracts for goods and services. 

The city council does not do its work alone. It hires a number of staff to actually perform the functions of government. These, by law or convention, include a city clerk, city treasurer, police chief, fire chief, and other department heads. And in most cities in Oklahoma, the municipal staff includes a city manager, or city administrator. The city manager is the chief executive officer of the city. Because this role is so important, it will be expounded upon in the next article.

Hiring staff, buying equipment, and maintaining infrastructure all costs money. Cities do not receive any funding from the state or federal government for day-to-day operations and must raise their own funds by levying taxes. Oklahoma is “special”, however, in that municipalities are highly dependent on sales tax specifically. In most states, cities have access to some combination of sales and property taxes, but property taxes in Oklahoma are reserved for county and school district use. About 45 percent of Comanche’s budget comes from sales and use tax. (In larger cities, it may be as much as 65 percent.) Another 40 percent is allocated from utility payments. And the vast majority of the money collected goes right back into building utilities, fixing roads, and funding police & fire.

Living in a small town does not mean your local government is inconsequential. On the contrary, with fewer private forces and resources in the mix, the public sector often has to take on a more active role in providing for its citizens. To put it another way, the government is more involved in the well-being of individuals. Fortunately, at the same time, individuals have the best opportunity to become more involved in the well-being of their local government.

Matt Brooks has a B.A. degree in public policy from USAO and is a research analyst and a website designer.