Town council

Atown council,city councilormunicipal councilis a form of local government for smallmunicipalities.

Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.

Republic of Ireland

Main article:Town council (Ireland)

In 2002, 49urban district councilsand 26town commissionerswere redesignated as 75 town councils as a tier of local government below the county council. Five additional local authorities retained the higher status as borough councils. All 80 second-tier municipal authorities were abolished under theLocal Government Reform Act 2014,with effect at the2014 Irish local elections.

Belize

Main article:Local government in Belize

There are currently seventown councils in Belize.Each town council consists of a mayor and a number of councillors, who are directly elected in municipal elections every three years. Town councils in Belize are responsible for a range of functions, including street maintenance and lighting, drainage, refuse collection, public cemeteries, infrastructure, parks and playgrounds.

England and Wales

See also:Parish council (England)

InEngland,since theLocal Government Act 1972,"town council" is the specific name for acivil parishcouncil which has declared itself by resolution to be a town council. If another type of local council, such as adistrictauthority, covers a single town (such asLutonorStevenage) then the council is often a 'borough council': borough status is however conferred at the discretion ofthe Crown.

Civil parishes are the most local level in the local government system. The higher levels aredistrict,unitaryandcounty.However town councils are not subordinate in democratic accountability to those higher levels, but to the electorate of their civil parish area.

The chair of a town council is entitled to be styled as "town mayor". This term contrasts with simply "mayor", which means the mayor of aboroughor acity.However, this is often abbreviated simply to mayor, especially where the town was historically a borough or city, such asLewesorEly.InScotland,the term 'provost' is commonly used to designate the leader of the town council.

Historically the term 'town council' was used for the governing body of amunicipal boroughuntil the1972 Act.

InWales,where the lowest tier of local government is known as acommunity,the Community Council may unilaterally declare itself to be a Town Council, but this has the same status as a Community Council.

Canada

Ontario

Township councils in Ontario play a similar role ascity councilsin cities for smaller or low tier municipalities.Directly elected every four years, the number of councillors vary depending on the size of their municipalities. The councillors powers and responsibilities are governed by theMunicipal Act.

Manitoba

Manitobatown council members serve primarily as a policy and direction board for the community. They consist of five to seven members with the head of council being the mayor orreeve.

United States

Indiana

Indianatown council members serve as both the executive and legislative branches for small communities incorporated as towns within the state. They consist of three or five members, depending upon the town's population.

Unlike some states, Indiana councilmembers must declare a political party affiliation, if any, when they file to run for office. Upon election in November, they are sworn in before 1 January of the following year, where they serve a four-year term. There are no state term limits affecting how many times a candidate may run for re-election to office.

The first meeting after an election, members of the town council hold an organising meeting, where they elect a president to set future agendas and act as an official spokesman for the town or as liaison between the town and state and county government.

Indiana town councils work in conjunction with an electedtown clerk,who manages the day-to-day business of the municipal government. As an elected official, the town clerk is solely executive in function and operates independently of the town council. But the council has final say on budgets which clerks depend upon to operate.

In addition to a clerk, the council can authorise the hiring of other staff to run the operations of government, including law enforcement officers,utilityworkers, park and recreation employees andtown managers.These employees serve at the pleasure of the council.

Massachusetts

Town councils inMassachusettsare essentiallycity councilsin towns which have adopted a city form of government but prefer to retain the "town of" in their names. In several communities which have adopted such a government, the official name of the community is "The City known as the Town of..." The legislative body of a legal town in Massachusetts is atown meeting;the executive board is aboard of selectmen.In addition to having the structure of a city with a mayor and council, cities in Massachusetts can enact ordinances, while towns may adopt by-laws, which are subject to the approval of theAttorney General.City ordinances are presumed to be legal unless challenged and set aside in court.SeeMassachusetts Government.

Michigan

InMichigan,there are257 incorporated villagesthat are governed by village councils, which is a form ofweak–mayoradministration. Michigan does not use "town" as a defined municipality, and villages are the lowest-level form of incorporated municipality. Villages are distinct from cities in that they share certain duties with their surrounding township and are not completely autonomous. Guidelines for village governments are defined in the General Law Village Act (Act 3) of 1895. Village councils consist of elected officials, including a village president, trustees, clerk, and treasurer.

New Hampshire

InNew Hampshire,theTown Councilis an elected body which serves as thelegislativeand executive body of the town. The town is governed by acharter,which is allowed under thehome ruleprovision of theNew Hampshire Constitution(Pt I, Art. 39) and Title III of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. The charter for a Town Council must meet the following requirements ofRSA 49-D:3 I. (a) – (e)and all other applicable laws. The basic notion of home rule in New Hampshire is that local communities are not allowed to supersede the authority specifically granted to them by the state.

Official Ballot Town Council

The Official Ballot Town Council is a variant form of the Town Council. In the Official Ballot form of government, the town council is vested with the limited authority to vote on all matters not voted on by official ballot. The authority and restrictions on the Official Ballot town council is the same as the Town Council, except with respect to those matters specified to be voted on by official ballot. Also, the council decides what is placed on the ballot, not the registered voters.

The charter of the Official Ballot Town Council is required by law to specify specifically:

• Which budgetary items to be included on the official ballot; and
• A finalisation process for the annual budget; and
• Process for public hearings, debate, discussion and amendment of questions to be placed on the official ballot; and
• Procedures for the transfer of funds among various departments, funds, accounts and agencies as may be necessary during the year; and
• Applicability of the official ballot procedure to special elections

The charter also must specify whether a2⁄3or3⁄5majority vote is required to approve bonds or notes, with the default being2⁄3.

Palestinian Authority

Main article:Village council (State of Palestine)

ThePalestinian National Authorityestablishedvillage councilsto serve as local administrations and service providers for Palestinian villages and small towns. Village councils are also referred to as D-level municipalities.

Singapore

Main article:Town Council (Singapore)

In Singapore, town councils are in charge of maintaining the common areas ofHousing and Development Board(HDB) flats and estates, such as the common corridors,void decks,lifts, water tanks, external lighting and the open spaces surrounding the estates. They are regulated under the Town Councils Act (Cap. 329A, 2000 Rev. Ed.).

The rationale was to delegate the duties of estate management to themembers of parliamentin addition to their existing responsibilities. They would also gain management experience and be accountable to their district's resident voters.

Town councils boundaries are drawn based onelectoral districtsboundaries. A town council area can consist of aGroup Representation Constituency(GRC), a Single Member Constituency (SMC), or a collection of neighbouring GRCs and SMCs controlled by the same political party. The Members ofParliamenthead the town councils of their constituencies. Town councils boundaries do not correspond tonew townboundaries; different parts of the same HDB town may be managed by different town councils.

Others

• Community council,the lowest tier of local government in England, Scotland and Wales
• Rural Council, a former name forSangguniang Barangay,Philippines
• Rural community council,Great Britain
• Selsoviet,lowest level of administrative division in rural areas in the Soviet Union, preserved as a third tier of administrative-territorial division throughout Ukraine, Belarus and some parts of Russia
• Rural Council (Ukraine)
• Rural municipality (Nepal)(Gaunpalika)

See also

• Municipal council
• Local election