Gabriel Perry/The Laconia Daily Sun
The city council is the principal legislative body of a municipality that has a city charter. It is charged with primary responsibility of all local legislation through the development and passage of ordinances through written resolution.
City councils are generally charged with regulating all matters of city governance and are usually composed of individuals who represent a ward or district within a municipality, although a specific number of councilors may be elected at-large. The size of city councils vary — Laconia, New Hampshire has six city councilors, one for each ward, while Franklin, New Hampshire has nine, for example.
Councils are usually led by the mayor, who is the chief executive of a city. The mayor and council usually direct the city manager, who is the chief administrative officer, to administer legislation and other municipal efforts or directives through command of the city’s departments, such as police, fire, public works and planning, among others. The city manager has the right to participate in discussion of all matters before the city council but does not have a vote. In many cases, the mayor does not vote on legislation unless there is a tie among city councilors.
A principal duty of a city council is to develop and pass a city budget each fiscal year, taking into account the community’s needs and its financial capabilities. Some communities have adopted tax caps, which restrict the amount of funds to be raised through property taxes, but not all cities have a tax cap.
The city council is generally responsible for developing and enacting city ordinances and approving the use and care of city property. Councilors’ term lengths may vary from city to city — in Laconia, New Hampshire, city councilors serve two-year terms and are elected by the constituents who live in each ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. All elected officials take office in the month of January following their election. Other communities may have terms of varying lengths, to ensure that the council will have some veteran hands who can explain prior decisions.
Beyond appropriating city funds and developing city ordinances, councilors are tasked with general oversight of city departments and their operations, appointing members of boards, commission and committees, and providing services to serve the public.
Town government selectboards are similar to city councils but differ in a few key ways. A selectboard is a traditional and common form of the executive branch of a municipal government and is common in smaller communities. Selectboards generally perform many of the same functions as city councils, with guidance from voters at an annual town meeting.
In New Hampshire, many municipalities call a “town meeting” each year where all registered voters consider proposals on the “town warrant” — the annual town government budget, election of town officers, and major projects and purchases. The meeting is usually exactly that, an occasion when voters gather in one place to make decisions. However, residents of some communities have decided to move town meeting proposals to a written ballot, where they are decided in an election. The selectboard is generally responsible for calling the annual town meeting and preparing items for the town warrant, although townspeople and organizations can request that items be added to the warrant for voter consideration..
The Know Your Vote, youth voter guide project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock,The Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, Keene State College, The Laconia Daily Sun, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Nashua Ink Link and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. See the full guide at www.collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote.