The city council, in its various forms across the country, is the body charged with making policy and enacting ordinances. It also has the power to create permanent or ad hoc mechanisms that help in that work, such as planning and recreation boards. It can also establish agencies with quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial powers, such as a human rights commission or zoning appeals board. It is also the body that oversees city agencies and can conduct independent audits.
The council has many committees that perform deep dives into city practices and programs on a wide range of issues. It’s in those committees that council members pursue their longer-term goals, like legislating for a zero-emissions fleet or requiring residential curbside composting. At the same time, the council strives to tackle more immediate needs, like addressing COVID-19 relief and protesting police reforms.
One of the ways it carries out its role as a check on the administration is by holding oversight hearings. For instance, the council convened a Committee of the Whole in 2022 to take a sweeping look at the city’s response to the asylum-seeker crisis. It also issued subpoenas to compel the mayor’s administration to hand over information about remote school attendance and the cost of the NYPD’s four-legged surveillance robot.
The city council’s rules prohibit members from holding other elected office, such as a state legislator, while serving on the council or for one year after leaving the position, to avoid conflicts of interest. But the council can select current and former members to serve on governing boards of regional or intergovernmental agencies. In addition, the council operates in caucuses, which are groups of Members with similar concerns, to ensure that all parts of the city are represented.
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