City council (which might have other names, like town board or board of aldermen, depending on where you live) is the main law-making body for your city. City council members are responsible for listening to their constituents, deciding how city money is spent and overseeing how the mayor or city manager runs things. They can enact all kinds of ordinances and laws, from installing new stoplights to banning DIY guns.
All legislation must go through council committees made up of council members before it can be voted on by the full council. These committees often hold public hearings to gather feedback from residents and experts on particular topics before they make their recommendations to the whole council. Some committees also have task forces or ad hoc groups to investigate particular issues.
The council is supposed to be a co-equal branch of government with the mayor, but that hasn’t always been the case. Observers point to the council’s recent override of the mayor’s veto on a package of bills expanding eligibility for CityFHEPS housing rental vouchers as one example. Moreover, they say the council could do more to assert its oversight role, including by using its power to subpoena city officials or agencies who might be evading accountability.
As a political entity, the council is overwhelmingly Democratic, with a current total of 23 Democrats and three Republicans. With the exception of the mayor and several other members, all councilmembers represent their districts — usually single-district wards — though some have more than one district.