Calgary City Council

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Calgary City Council
COA of Calgary.svg
Coat of Arms of Calgary
Type
Type
History
New session started
 November 2013
Leadership
Naheed Nenshi
Since October 25, 2010
Structure
Seats 15
Committees Boards, Commissions and Committees
Elections
Last election
 October 21, 2013
Next election
 October 16, 2017
Motto
Onward[1]
Meeting place
Calgary Municipal Building[2]
Website
www.calgary.ca

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 to the Office of the Mayor in October 2010 as the city's 36th. Each of the 14 councillors, represent one of the city's 14 wards.

Elections

The mayor of Calgary is elected through a city-wide 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 21, 2013.

Governing system

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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:

  1. Operations and Environment
  2. Finance
  3. Transportation
  4. Community 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 alderman.

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 aldermen 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.[3] 54% of the budget is spent for wages of the 13,043 city employees and expeditures. The average Calgary household pays approximately $2,100 per year in city tax.[4]

History

Mayor

From 1823 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.[5][6]

Councillors

From 1884 to 1886, four councillors were selected from the town. In 1894, Calgary was divided into three wards, increasing the number of councilors to six. 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. A plebiscite in 1960 re-established the ward system in the city. Six wards were established, each represented by two aldermen. In 1976, the number of wards expanded to 14 (current number) with one alderman representing each ward for three years. On December 14, 2010, council voted to change the title to councillor, which took effect in the October 2013 election.[7] In 2012 the Local Authorities Election Act was amended to increase the term length to 4 years.[8][9]

Wards, communities and councillors

Ward Councillor Terms in office Communities
Ward 1 Ward Sutherland 2013–present
(1 term)		 Bowness, Crestmont, Greenwood/Greenbriar, Montgomery, Rocky Ridge, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Tuscany, University Heights, University of Calgary, Valley Ridge, Varsity
Ward 2 Joe Magliocca 2013–present
(1 term)		 Arbour Lake, Citadel, Evanston, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Royal Oak, Sage Hill, Sherwood
Ward 3 Jim Stevenson 2007–present
(3 terms)		 Cityscape, Country Hills Village, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, Panorama Hills, Redstone, Saddle Ridge, Skyview Ranch, Taradale
Ward 4 Sean Chu 2013–present
(1 term)		 Beddington Heights, Country Hills, Edgemont, Greenview, Hidden Valley, Highland Park, Huntington Hills, MacEwan Glen, North Haven, North Haven Upper, Sandstone Valley, Thorncliffe
Ward 5 Ray Jones 1993–present
(8 terms)		 Castleridge, Coral Springs, Falconridge, Martindale, Monterey Park, Pineridge, Rundle, Temple, Vista Heights, Whitehorn
Ward 6 Richard Pootmans 2010–present
(2 terms)		 Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Coach Hill, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Glamorgan, Glenbrook, Glendale, Patterson, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill, Strathcona Park, West Springs
Ward 7 Druh Farrell 2001–present
(5 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
(1 term)		 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, Westgate, Wildwood
Ward 9 Gian-Carlo Carra 2010–present
(2 terms)		 Acadia, Bridgeland/Riverside (part), Dover, Erlton, Fairview, Inglewood, Manchester, Ogden, Parkhill, Ramsay, Renfrew, Rideau Park, Riverbend, Roxboro, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights/Mountview
Ward 10 Andre Chabot 2005–present
(4 terms)		 Abbeydale, Albert Park/Radisson Heights, Applewood Park, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Marlborough, Marlborough Park, Mayland Heights, Penbrooke Meadows, Red Carpet, Southview
Ward 11 Brian Pincott 2007–present
(3 terms)		 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
(2 terms)		 Auburn Bay, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale/Glen, Hotchkiss, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton, Seton
Ward 13 Diane Colley-Urquhart 2000–present
(6 terms)		 Bridlewood, Canyon Meadows, Evergreen, Millrise, Shawnee Slopes, Shawnessy, Somerset, Woodbine, Woodlands
Ward 14 Peter Demong 2010–present
(2 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

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  4. ↑ $386 million were collected from 332,955 occupied dwellings in 2006
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External links

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