mayorcouncil

Mayor-Council is a form of municipal government in which voters elect both a mayor and a city council. The mayor acts as the executive, responsible for enforcing laws, administering city departments, and often proposing a annual budget. The council serves as the legislative body, drafting and approving ordinances, adopting the budget, and providing policy oversight. The structure creates a formal separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches at the local level.

Variants exist, primarily in how power is distributed. In a strong-mayor system, the mayor has substantial executive authority, including budget control, appointment and removal of department heads, and a veto over council actions. The council can usually override a veto with a supermajority. In a weak-mayor system, the mayor’s executive powers are limited and the council or another figure, sometimes a separately appointed city manager, handles day-to-day administration and budgeting, with the mayor serving a more ceremonial or limited coordinating role.

The mayor-council form is distinct from the council-manager form, where the council hires a professional city manager to run the administration and the mayor’s role is largely representative. History shows the model becoming common in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as part of reforms to reduce corruption and improve efficiency. Today, many large cities operate under a strong-mayor variant, while smaller municipalities adopt weak-mayor or hybrid arrangements. Critics point to potential gridlock in weak systems and to concentration of power in strong systems. Notable examples include major American cities that employ strong-mayor structures.