Understanding What Your City Councilmembers Do and How Residents Can Engage
Local government affects everyday life in ways that are often invisible until something goes wrong. Housing costs rise, streets need repair, a development project appears, or a community service is cut or expanded. Many residents are not given a clear explanation of what the City Council actually does, what falls outside its authority, and how to engage in ways that truly make an impact.
This City Council 101 guide explains the role of City Council plainly and practically.
What Is City Council?
City Council is the legislative and policy-setting body of the city. In Richmond, councilmembers are elected to represent geographic districts, but they make decisions that affect the entire city.
The City Council’s role is not to manage daily operations. Its focus is setting policy, approving budgets, providing oversight, and representing community priorities. The City Council decides what the city should do, not how staff do it on a day-to-day basis.
What City Councilmembers Actually Do
City Councilmembers set city policy by debating and voting on ordinances, resolutions, and policy frameworks. These decisions determine city rules on housing and land use, tenant protections, environmental standards, public safety priorities, and economic development. If a policy applies citywide, it has almost always gone through the City Council.
City Councilmembers decide how public money is spent. One of their most powerful responsibilities is approving the city budget. They review proposed budgets from city staff, ask questions, request changes, and approve or amend spending priorities. These decisions determine funding for parks, libraries, street repairs, public safety, youth programs, and community services.
City Councilmembers represent community voices. They are elected from districts to ensure different neighborhoods are represented. Their role is to listen to residents, bring district concerns into public discussions, and advocate for equitable allocation of resources. Representation means elevating community issues, not guaranteeing outcomes.
City Councilmembers provide oversight and accountability. While they do not run city departments, they hold them accountable by reviewing reports and data, asking public questions of department leadership, holding hearings, and appointing or confirming key positions depending on the city’s structure. Oversight ensures transparency and accountability.
City Councilmembers shape the city’s long-term direction. Some decisions guide the city for decades, including General Plans, housing and climate action plans, and infrastructure and development strategies. These long-range decisions influence future projects long after individual councilmembers leave office.
What City Councilmembers Do Not Do
Understanding limits is just as important as understanding authority. City Councilmembers generally do not fix individual service requests on demand, direct city employees’ daily work, override state or federal law, make unilateral decisions outside public meetings, or control how departments carry out approved policies. These responsibilities belong to city staff and the City Manager.
How Residents Can Engage Effectively
Residents can attend or watch City Council meetings, which are public and recorded. Doing so helps people understand what decisions are being considered, how discussions unfold, and where authority sits.
Public comment is most effective when it is focused on a specific agenda item, clear and concise, grounded in lived experience or facts, and directed at policy rather than personalities. Well-targeted comments can shape how councilmembers think about an issue over time.
Residents can also read supporting materials. Agendas often include staff reports and attachments that explain why a proposal is being brought forward, financial or legal considerations, and trade-offs under discussion. These documents provide important context beyond what is said during meetings.
Engagement should also happen beyond meeting nights. City governance is ongoing, and residents can contact council offices, serve on boards and commissions, attend workshops and hearings, and participate through neighborhood or community groups. Consistent engagement builds influence over time.
Why Understanding Scope Matters
Many frustrations with local government come from misunderstanding who has the authority to act. When residents understand what the City Council controls, where staff authority begins, and how policy decisions move through the system, they are better equipped to advocate effectively, hold the right people accountable, and participate with clarity.
Learn More
City Council is not about individual favors. It is about policy choices, priorities, and public accountability. Understanding how it works helps residents move from reacting to decisions to helping shape the future of their city.
An informed community is a stronger community. Learn more at https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/29/City-Council
Find your city council district here: https://ndcresearch.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=85edf4e13a3b4c4b9f75d7c9d5dde6c1