City Council

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The Charlottesville City Council is a five-member elected body that serves as City's legislative and governing body. Each member is elected at-large, and serves a 4-year term.

Council chooses one of its own to serve as Mayor, and another to serve as Vice Mayor. Both are two-year terms.

If a vacancy opens up, Council elects a new member to serve out the remainder of the term.

Mayor

The Mayor presides over meetings, calls special meetings, makes some appointments to advisory boards and serves as the ceremonial head of government. The Vice Mayor substitutes whenever the Mayor is unavailable.

Duties

Council holds public meetings on the first and third Monday of each month. If one of those dates falls on a holiday, Council will meet on the Tuesday following the holiday. Meetings are held in City Council Chambers in City Hall and are televised on Cable Channel 10, as well as streamed online.

Council occasionally holds additional work sessions in the City Hall basement conference room.

Council guides policy decisions concerning city planning and finances, human development, public safety and justice, public utilities, and transportation.

Council has the power to pass ordinances, levy taxes, collect revenues, adopt a budget, make appropriations, issue bonds, borrow money, and provide for the payment of public debts.

City Council appoints four top City staff positions: City Manager, the Director of Finance, the City Assessor, and the Clerk of the Council.

"Agendas of regular council meetings are available in advance from the clerk and are published in the local daily newspaper. Time is open for speakers on subjects not listed on the agenda at the beginning and end of each regular meeting. Upon written or phone request, the Clerk of Council will answer questions about council business and add items to meeting agendas."


Current Membership

David Brown (2004 to present)

Dave Norris (2006 – present)

Julian Taliaferro (2006 – present)

Satyendra Huja (2008 – )

Holly Edwards (2008 -


Election calendar shift

Charlottesville switched from May to November City Council elections in 2007. Councilors elected in May 2004 have shortened terms that end December 2007 (instead of June 2008). Councilors elected in May 2006 have shortened terms that end in December 2009 (instead of June 2010).

The first two Councilors to be elected in November are Holly Edwards and Satyendra Huja.


Previous Members

David Toscano (1990 – 2002)

Ms. Daugherty Tom Vandever

Kay Slaughter (1990 – 1998)

Reverend Alvin Edwards

Kevin Lynch (2003

Kendra Hamilton (2003-2007)