Your city council is the main law-making body in your municipality. It can enact all kinds of ordinances and laws, whether that’s installing a new stoplight or requiring a certain number of parking spaces in a development. It also regulates how land is used — whether it’s zoning for new apartments, landmarks or sidewalk cafes. In fact, many municipalities have dedicated committees and even administrators focused on land use.
The council is also responsible for setting a budget, which it often goes through with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that the mayor’s priorities are aligned with council members’ own. It also passes ceremonial resolutions – nonbinding statements that support, recognize or show appreciation for people and places in the city.
Each councilmember is assigned to various committees through a vote by all the council members. These committees are where most of the legislative work occurs, where council members discuss proposed laws and hear from residents and other government officials about the needs and concerns of their neighborhoods.
In previous two-year sessions — which are shorter than the four-year ones — former Speakers Corey Johnson and Melissa Mark-Viverito oversaw the enactment of nearly 700 bills. This session, the council has already passed 231 bills. In the process, it has tackled both longer-term goals — such as legislation requiring all fleet vehicles to be zero-emissions and permanent residential curbside composting in all parts of the city — as well as quality-of-life issues like banning DIY guns and reducing traffic congestion.