What City Councillors Are Able To Do

Council makes a lot of important decisions as a collective! Check out my blog how Council and Committees work for the various decisions and who makes them in my previous post. 

Let’s take a moment to chat about what individual Councillors are able to do. 

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) is provincial legislation that governs municipalities in Alberta. It focuses on three areas: Governance and Administration; Assessment and Taxation, and Planning and Development.

The MGA outlines what falls within the control of elected officials and Councils as a whole - Meaning there are limits to what individual City Councillors, and even Council as a whole, are able to do.

Generally speaking - City Councillors deal with governance decisions and the day-to-day operations are determined and managed by City Administration. 

Let’s start with what City Councillors can do! As a Councillor, I can - and do hold - City Administration accountable to the City policies and service standards, and I can bring forward the voices of constituents. Councillors are able to ask questions of City Administration in many forms and to put forward motions as part of City Council and Committee meeting proceedings. When Councillors put forward a motion, it goes to debate and ultimately a vote by all City Council members. The Councillor needs to get majority support for the motion to pass and give direction to City Administration. 

Edmonton’s City Council only has 2 direct employees - the City Manager and the City Auditor. Councillors are able to meet with these employees about specific issues of concern that can be addressed operationally or through an audit. This is usually the case when something is not going the way it should, as set out in policy or service standards. 

Now let’s flip to what City Councillors can’t do! Not all decisions come to the City Council for approval. Some are made directly by different areas within City Administration. The same also applies to other organizations such as the Edmonton Public Library, the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues and the Edmonton Police Commission who have their own boards and governance structures. 

For example, design decisions within a road rehabilitation project are decided by the project team and the City department that is responsible for the project. They don’t typically come to City Council as they are guided by strategic plans and policies that were approved by Council. 

Individually, a City Councillor is not able to direct a project team or department on what they need to do or stop doing. That being said, we can still hold projects accountable for alignment with policy and strategy. 

I’m here to serve the residents of Ward Anirniq and Edmonton as a whole. By sharing your feedback and concerns with me, this allows me to bring these forward to City Administration through the channels available to me. If you have questions about a particular project, program or service, contact my office and we’re happy to help!