A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or parishes. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch.
Depending upon local laws and regulations, town councils usually self-organize and elect a leader to set the agenda of their governing body. This leader may be granted a title such as chairman, mayor, or president. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries.
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Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland form the second tier of local government under counties, and date from 2002, when the existing Urban District Councils and Town Commissioners were redesignated. The term Town Council was introduced into Local government in the Republic of Ireland by the Local Government Act 2001. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of Local government district that covered an Urbanised area There are currently 75 such councils.
United Kingdom
In England and Wales in the United Kingdom, town councils are civil parish or community councils, where the civil parish has declared itself to be a town. History The Roman occupation of Britain was the first period in which the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit (with the exception The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Community councils (CCs are the most local statutory representative bodies in Great Britain. Civil parishes are the most local level of elected governance, under the District, Unitary or County level. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London
Any parish or community can decide to describe itself as a town. The chairman of a town council is usually called a Town Mayor, the alternative (Chairman) is very rarely found. The term 'Town Mayor' is used as opposed to simply 'Mayor', which means the mayor of a borough or a city. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice This is a list of cities in the United Kingdom, as of 2008 Cities which have held such status since Time immemorial are indicated with TI in the column headed However, this is often abbreviated simply to Mayor, especially where the Town was historically a borough or city, such as Lewes or Ely. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Lewes (ˈluːɨs Lewis) is the County town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. In Scotland, the term 'Provost' is commonly used to designate the leader of the Town Council. A provost (introduced into Scots from French) is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities.
Historically the term 'Town Council' was used for the governing body of a municipal borough. Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to
The term 'Town Council' in England and Wales, is today used only for a parish council which has named itself as a town council. If another type of local authority such as a district authority covers a single town (such as Corby or Cheltenham) then the council would usually be called a 'Borough Council', although borough status is conferred at the discretion of the monarch. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Corby is an industrial town and a local government district located 13km north of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. Education
Canada
Manitoba
Manitoba town council members serve primarily as a policy and direction board for the community. Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116 sq mi of North America They consist of five to seven members with the head of council being the mayor. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government
United States town councils
Indiana
Indiana town council members serve as both the executive and legislative branches for small communities incorporated as towns within the state. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union 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 January 1 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 reelection to office.
The first meeting after an election, members of the town council hold an organizing meeting, where they elect a leader 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 elected town clerk, who manages the day-to-day business of the municipal government. A town clerk is a senior Employee of a City, Borough, or Town administration 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 authorize the hiring of other staff to run the operations of government, including law enforcement officers, utility workers, park and recreation employees and town managers. In Economics, utility is a measure of the relative satisfaction from or desirability of Consumption of various Goods and services. In the council-manager form of government an elected city council (typically between five and 11 people is responsible for making Policy, passing Ordinances voting Appropriations These employees serve at the pleasure of the council.
Massachusetts
Town councils in Massachusetts are essentially city councils in towns which have adopted a city form of government but prefer to retain the "town of" in their names. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. A city council is a form of Local government, usually covering a City or other Urban area, such as a Town. 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 a town meeting; the executive board is a board of selectmen. A town meeting is a meeting where the population of an entire geographic area is invited to participate in a gathering often for a political administrative or legislative purpose The Board of Selectmen is commonly the executive arm of Town Governments in the New England region of the United States. The advantage to styling a community's name as a city lies in its ability to enact ordinances. Towns may adopt by-laws, but they are subject to the approval of the Attorney General. City ordinances are presumed to be legal unless challenged and set aside in court. See Massachusetts Government. The form of Massachusetts government is provided by the Constitution of the Commonwealth.
New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, the Town Council is an elected body which serves as the legislative and executive body of the town. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The town is governed by a charter, which is allowed under the home rule provision of the New Hampshire Constitution (Pt I, Art. A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government The Constitution of the State of New Hampshire is the primary governing document of the State of New Hampshire. 39) and Title III of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. The charter for a Town Council must meet the following requirements of RSA 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 finalization 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 a 2/3 or 3/5 majority vote is required to approve bonds or notes, with the default being 2/3.
Singapore
In Singapore, town councils are the administrative branch of the government in a constituency, such as the Single member constituencies (SMCs), or a collective of constituency within an elective region, such as the Group representation constituencies (GRCs). Constituencies of Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies of Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. MPs are members of either a GRC, or an SMC.
See also
A city council is a form of Local government, usually covering a City or other Urban area, such as a Town.Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic