Calgary City Council

The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Naheed Nenshi was elected mayor in October 2010 as the city's 36th. Each of the 14 councillors represent one of the city's 14 wards.

Calgary City Council
Type
Type
History
New session started
November 2017
Leadership
Mayor of Calgary
Naheed Nenshi
since October 25, 2010
Structure
Seats15
CommitteesBoards, Commissions and Committees
Elections
Last election
October 16, 2017
Next election
October 2021
Motto
Onward[1]
Meeting place
Calgary Municipal Building[2]
Website
www.calgary.ca

Elections

The mayor of Calgary is elected through a citywide vote by all eligible voters. The mayor represents the interests of the city as a whole. The councillors are elected by the constituents of each ward. The councillors represent the interests of their respective wards. The mayor and councillors hold the office for 4-year terms. The last municipal election was held on October 16, 2017.

Governing system

The Calgary city government is the council-manager form of government. The mayor and councillors oversee the City Manager and the administration of the city.[3]

Calgary's City Council is a council-policy committee system. The Council establishes its policies for governing the city based on information provided by four standing policy committees:

  • Planning and Urban Development
  • Transportation and Transit
  • Utilities and Corporate Services
  • Community and Protective Services

These committees meet once every month at City Hall and are composed of councillors and are responsible for approving and recommending policies to City Council. The general public is invited to the committee meeting to make presentations. Any decisions that come out of these meetings need final approval from the Council as a whole.

There are also a number of civic committees, boards, and authorities that help to create policies in specialized areas, such as parking, the preservation of heritage sites and buildings, and planning and development matters. These civic committees, board and authorities consist of citizens and one or more councillor.

City Council meets three Mondays every month in the Council Chambers at the Calgary Municipal Building. Two meetings are regular Council meetings, where issues from the four policy committees are discussed. The third meeting is a public hearing, where planning matters are generally discussed. Citizens do not address Council during the two regular meetings, however the public hearings are designed for the citizens to speak directly with their elected councillor regarding specific issues.

Financing

The city had an operating budget of $2.1 billion for 2007, supported 41% by property taxes. $757 million in property taxes are collected annually, with $386 million from residential and $371 million from non-residential properties.[4] 54% of the budget is spent for wages of the 13,043 city employees and expenditures. The average Calgary household pays approximately $2,100 per year in city tax.[5]

History

Mayor

From 1884 to 1923, mayoralty elections were held annually. A plebiscite held in 1923 increased the term in office for the mayor from one to two years. In 1968, the Municipal Act increased the term in office by one year, for a total of three years. In 2013, the term for mayor was amended in the Local Authorities Election Act to 4 years.[6][7]

City Commissioners

Calgary had city commissioners from early 1900s into the 1950s. The city elected its city commissioners in the 1910s and 1920s. Otherwise they were appointed by the city council.

Councillors

From 1884 to 1886, four councillors were selected from the town. In 1894, Calgary was divided into three wards, increasing the number of councillors to six. Later, three aldermen represented each ward. In 1906, a fourth ward was created, bringing the total number of aldermen to 12. From 1914 to 1960, aldermen were elected from across the city for two-year terms, dismantling the ward system. Staggered elections made half the council up for election each year. Commissioners were also elected in the early years. From 1917 to 1971, councillors were elected using single transferable votes to achieve a degree of proportionality/ fairness. After a plebiscite in 1960 the ward system was re-established in the city. Six wards were established, each represented by two aldermen. In 1974, voters had up to two votes under the block voting system to elect the two councillors in their ward. In 1976, the number of wards expanded to 14 (current number) with one alderman representing each ward for three years (and voters having only one vote). On December 14, 2010, council voted to change the title to councillor, which took effect in the October 2013 election.[8] In 2012 the Local Authorities Election Act was amended to increase the term length to 4 years.[9][10]

Wards, communities and councillors
Ward Councillor Terms in office Communities
Ward 1 Ward Sutherland 2013–present
(2 terms)		 Bowness, Crestmont, Greenwood/Greenbriar, Montgomery, Rocky Ridge, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Tuscany, University Heights, University of Calgary, Valley Ridge, Varsity, Royal Oak
Ward 2 Joe Magliocca 2013–present
(2 terms)		 Arbour Lake, Citadel, Evanston, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Sage Hill, Sherwood
Ward 3 Jyoti Gondek 2017–present
(1 term)		 Country Hills Village, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, Panorama Hills, Hidden Valley, Country Hills
Ward 4 Sean Chu 2013–present
(2 terms)		 Beddington Heights, Edgemont, Greenview, Highland Park, Huntington Hills, MacEwan Glen, North Haven, North Haven Upper, Sandstone Valley, Thorncliffe
Ward 5 George Chahal 2017–present
(1 term)		 Castleridge, Cornerstone, Falconridge, Martindale, Saddle Ridge, Taradale, Redstone, Skyview Ranch, Cityscape
Ward 6 Jeff Davison 2017–present
(1 term)		 Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Coach Hill, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Glamorgan, Glenbrook, Glendale, Patterson, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill, Strathcona Park, West Springs, Westgate
Ward 7 Druh Farrell 2001–present
(6 terms)		 Banff Trail, Brentwood, Bridgeland/Riverside (part), Cambrian Heights, Capitol Hill, Charleswood, Chinatown, Collingwood, Crescent Heights, Dalhousie, Downtown Commercial Core (part), Downtown East Village, Eau Claire, Highwood, Hillhurst, Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill, Mount Pleasant, Parkdale, Point Mckay, Queens Park Village, Rosedale, Rosemont, St. Andrews Heights, Sunnyside, West Hillhurst
Ward 8 Evan Woolley 2013–present
(2 terms)		 Bankview, Beltline, Cliff Bungalow, Downtown Commercial Core (part), Downtown West End, Elbow Park (part), Killarney/Glengarry, Lower Mount Royal, Mission, Richmond, Rosscarrock, Scarboro, Scarboro/Sunalta West, Shaganappi, South Calgary, Spruce Cliff, Sunalta, Upper Mount Royal, Wildwood
Ward 9 Gian-Carlo Carra 2010–present
(3 terms)		 Acadia, Applewood Park, Bridgeland/Riverside (part), Dover, Erlton, Fairview, Inglewood, Manchester, Ogden, Parkhill, Ramsay, Renfrew, Rideau Park, Riverbend, Roxboro, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights/MountviewAlbert Park/Radisson Heights, Penbrooke Meadows, Forest Heights, Red Carpet, Southview
Ward 10 Vacant Abbeydale, Coral Springs, Erin Woods, Forest Lawn, Marlborough, Marlborough Park, Mayland Heights, Monterey Park, Pineridge, Rundle, Temple, Vista Heights, Whitehorn
Ward 11 Jeromy Farkas 2017–present
(1 term)		 Altadore, Bayview, Bel-Aire, Braeside, Britannia, Cedarbrae, CFB Currie, CFB Lincoln Park PMQ, Chinook Park, Eagle Ridge, Elbow Park (part), Elboya, Haysboro, Kelvin Grove, Kingsland, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Mayfair, Meadowlark Park, North Glenmore Park, Oakridge, Palliser, Pump Hill, Rutland Park, Southwood, Windsor Park
Ward 12 Shane Keating 2010–present
(3 terms)		 Auburn Bay, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale/Glen, Hotchkiss, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton, Quarry Park, Seton
Ward 13 Diane Colley-Urquhart 2000–present
(7 terms)		 Bridlewood, Canyon Meadows, Evergreen, Millrise, Shawnee Slopes, Shawnessy, Somerset, Woodbine, Woodlands
Ward 14 Peter Demong 2010–present
(3 terms)		 Bonavista Downs, Chaparral, Deer Ridge, Deer Run, Diamond Cove, Lake Bonavista, Legacy, Maple Ridge, Midnapore, Parkland, Queensland, Silverado, Sundance, Walden, Willow Park

See also

References
  1. "Onward". calgary.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  2. "Municipal Building". calgary.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  3. “Learn About the Council-Manager Form of Government,” The Balance Careers, accessed February 8, 2019, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/council-manager-form-of-government-1669446.; https://pub-calgary.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=90912
  4. City of Calgary (January 2007). "Financial Facts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  5. $386 million were collected from 332,955 occupied dwellings in 2006
  6. "Election Accountability Amendment Act, 2012 - Section 105" (PDF). 2012 Bill 7, First Session, 28th Legislature. Legislative Assembly of Alberta. December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  7. "Local Authorities Election Act, RSA 2000, c L-21". CanLII. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  8. Jason Markusoff (December 14, 2010). "Calgary rejects alderman label after 116 years". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  9. "Election Accountability Amendment Act, 2012 - Section 105" (PDF). 2012 Bill 7, First Session, 28th Legislature. Legislative Assembly of Alberta. December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  10. "Local Authorities Election Act, RSA 2000, c L-21". CanLII. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
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