The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors.
Jyoti Gondek
Prabjhote Kaur "Jyoti" Gondek (born 1969) is a Canadian politician serving as the 37th and current mayor of Calgary since October 25, 2021.
Early life and education
Born in London, England, Gondek is the daughter of Indian Punjabi Sikh pare ...
was elected
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
in October 2021 as the city's 37th. Each of the 14
councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s represent one of the city's 14
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
s.
Elections
The mayor of Calgary is elected through a citywide vote by all eligible voters. The mayor represents the interests of the city as a whole. The councillors are elected by the constituents of each ward. The councillors represent the interests of their respective wards. The mayor and councillors hold the office for 4-year terms. The last
municipal election
In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...
was held on
October 18, 2021.
Governing system
The Calgary city government is the council-manager form of government. The mayor and councillors oversee the City Manager and the administration of the city.
Calgary's City Council is a council-policy committee system. The Council establishes its policies for governing the city based on information provided by four standing policy committees:
* Planning and Urban Development
* Transportation and Transit
* Utilities and Corporate Services
* Community and Protective Services
These committees meet once every month at City Hall and are composed of councillors and are responsible for approving and recommending policies to City Council. The general public is invited to the committee meeting to make presentations. Any decisions that come out of these meetings need final approval from the Council as a whole.
There are also a number of civic committees, boards, and authorities that help to create policies in specialized areas, such as parking, the preservation of heritage sites and buildings, and planning and development matters. These civic committees, board and authorities consist of citizens and one or more councillor.
City Council meets three Mondays every month in the Council Chambers at the Calgary Municipal Building. Two meetings are regular Council meetings, where issues from the four policy committees are discussed. The third meeting is a public hearing, where planning matters are generally discussed. Citizens do not address Council during the two regular meetings, however the public hearings are designed for the citizens to speak directly with their elected councillor regarding specific issues.
Financing
The city had an
operating budget The operating budget contains the revenue and expenditure generated from the daily business functions of the company; see .
Edriaan Koening (N.D.What is Corporate Budgeting? chron.com
It concentrates on the operating expenditures, i.e.: cost of go ...
of $2.1 billion for 2007, supported 41% by
property tax
A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...
es. $757 million in property taxes are collected annually, with $386 million from residential and $371 million from non-residential properties. 54% of the budget is spent for wages of the 13,043 city employees and expenditures. The average Calgary household pays approximately $2,100 per year in city tax.
History
Mayor
From 1884 to 1923, mayoralty elections were held annually. A plebiscite held in 1923 increased the term in office for the mayor from one to two years. In 1968, the Municipal Act increased the term in office by one year, for a total of three years. In 2013, the term for mayor was amended in the Local Authorities Election Act to 4 years.
City Commissioners
Calgary had city commissioners from early 1900s into the 1950s. The city elected its city commissioners in the 1910s and 1920s. Otherwise they were appointed by the city council. The city of Calgary continues to have six commissioners that are appointed for life. Their names are listed in past City Handbooks but have since been removed from newer editions.
Councillors
From 1884 to 1886, four councillors were selected from the town. In 1894, Calgary was divided into three wards, increasing the number of councillors to six. Later, three aldermen represented each ward. In 1906, a fourth ward was created, bringing the total number of aldermen to 12. From 1914 to 1960, aldermen were elected from across the city for two-year terms, dismantling the ward system. Staggered elections made half the council up for election each year. Commissioners were also elected in the early years. From 1917 to 1971, councillors were elected using single transferable votes to achieve a degree of proportionality/ fairness. After a plebiscite in 1960 the ward system was re-established in the city. Six wards were established, each represented by two aldermen. In 1974, voters had up to two votes under the
block voting
Block voting or bloc voting refers to electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected at once and a group (voting bloc) of voters can force the system to elect only their preferred candidates. Block voting may be used at large (in a si ...
system to elect the two councillors in their ward. In 1976, the number of wards expanded to 14 (current number) with one alderman representing each ward for three years (and voters having only one vote). On December 14, 2010, council voted to change the title to ''councillor'', which took effect in the October 2013 election. In 2012 the Local Authorities Election Act was amended to increase the term length to 4 years.
Wards, communities and councillors
See also
*
List of mayors of Calgary
This is a list of mayors of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
List of Mayors of Calgary
See also
* List of Calgary municipal elections
*Calgary City Council
Notes
References
SourcesBiographies of Calgary's mayors from the City of Calgary web p ...
*
List of Calgary municipal elections
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of neighbourhoods in Calgary
This is a list of neighbourhoods in Calgary, Alberta.
As of 2016, Calgary has 197 neighbourhoods, which are referred to as "communities" by the municipal government, and 42 industrial areas. A further 15 communities were included in the Municip ...
References
External links
City of Calgary
{{Authority control
Municipal councils in Alberta
Politics of Calgary