Calgary City Council

The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The Council consists of two offices; Office of the Mayor and Office of the Alderman. Naheed Nenshi was elected to the Office of the Mayor in October 2010 as the city's 36th chief executive. The Office of the Alderman consists of 14 aldermen, each of whom represent the 14 wards of Calgary.

Contents 1 Elections 2 Governing system 2.1 Financing 3 History 3.1 Mayor 3.2 Aldermen 4 Wards, communities and aldermen 5 See also 6 References

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 aldermen are elected by the constituents of each ward. The aldermen represent the interests of their respective wards. The mayor and aldermen hold the office for 3 year terms. The last election was in October 2010.

Governing system

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, and
4. Community services.

These committees meet once every month the at City Hall and are composed of aldermen 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 has 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.

Aldermen

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. The term of office for mayor and alderman is three years. Calgary is one of only seven cities in Alberta to still use the title of alderman for its council members. On December 14, 2010, council voted to change the title to councillor, which will take effect next election, October 2013.^[3]

Wards, communities and aldermen

Ward	Alderman	Terms in Office	Communities
Ward 1	Dale Hodges	1983-2001 2001-2004 2004-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Bowness, Canada Olympic Park, Crestmont, Greenwood/Greenbriar, Montgomery, Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Tuscany, University of Calgary, University Heights, Valley Ridge, Varsity.[4]
Ward 2	Gord Lowe	2001-2004 2004-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Arbour Lake, Citadel, Edgemont, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Ranchlands, Symons Valley.[5]
Ward 3	Jim Stevenson	2007-2010 2010-2013	Belfast, Castleridge, Country Hills, Coventry Hills, Evanston, Falconridge, Harvest Hills, Martindale, Panorama Hills, Saddle Ridge, Symons Valley, Taradale.[6]
Ward 4	Gael Grace MacLeod	2010-2013	Beddington Heights, Cambrian Heights, Greenview, Hidden Valley, Highland Park, Highwood, Huntington Hills, MacEwan, North Haven, Nose Hill Park, Queen's Park Village, Rosemont, Sandstone Valley, Thorncliffe.[7]
Ward 5	Ray Jones	1993-2001 2001-2004 2004-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Coral Springs, Monterey Park, Pineridge, Rundle, Sunridge/Horizon Industrial Park, Temple, Whitehorn.[8]
Ward 6	Richard Pootmans	2010-2013	Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Coach Hill, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Glamorgan, Glenbrook, Glendale, Patterson, Rosscarrock, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill, Spruce Cliff, Strathcona Park, Westgate, West Springs, Wildwood.[9]
Ward 7	Druh Farrell	2001-2004 2004-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Banff Trail, Brentwood, Briar Hill, Capitol Hill, Charleswood, Chinatown, Collingwood, Crescent Heights,Dalhousie, Downtown Commercial Core, Downtown East Village, Eau Claire, Hillhurst, Hillhurst West, Hounsfield Heights, Kensington, Mount Pleasant, Parkdale, Point McKay, Rosedale, St. Andrews Heights, Sunnyside.[10]
Ward 8	John Mar	2007-2010 2010-2013	Bankview, Beltline (Communities of Connaught and Victoria Park), Cliff Bungalow, Downtown West End, Elbow Park, Killarney/Glengarry, Mission, Mount Royal, Richmond-Knob Hill, Rutland Park, Scarboro, Shaganappi, South Calgary, Sunalta.[11]
Ward 9	Gian-Carlo Carra	2010-2013	Acadia, Alyth/Bonnybrook Industrial Park, Bridgeland, Burns Industrial Park, Dover, Dover Glen, Eastfield Industrial Park, Erlton, Fairview, Fairview Industrial Park, Foothills Industrial, Forest Lawn, Glendeer Business Park, Golden Triangle, Great Plains Industrial Park, Highfield Industrial Park, Inglewood, Lynnwood, Lynnwood Ridge, Manchester, Millican Mills Estates, Ogden, Ogden Shops, Parkhill/Stanley Park, Ramsay, Renfrew, Riverbend, Riverside, Roxboro, South Foothills, Shepard Industrial Park, Starfield Industrial Park, Tuxedo Park, Valleyfield Industrial Park, West Dover, Wigmore Industrial Park, Winston Heights/Mountview.[12]
Ward 10	Andre Chabot	2005-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Mayland Heights, Vista Heights, Abbeydale, Albert Park/Radisson Heights, Applewood, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Marlborough, Marlborough Park, Penbrooke Meadows, Southview, Red Carpet/Mountview.[13]
Ward 11	Brian Pincott	2007-2010 2010-2013	Altadore, Bayview, Bel-Aire, Braeside, Britannia, Cedarbrae, Chinook Park, Currie Barracks, Eagle Ridge, Elbow Park, Elboya, Garrison Woods, Haysboro, Kelvin Grove, Kingsland, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Mayfair, Meadowlark Park, North Glenmore Park, Oakridge, Palliser, Pump Hill, Rideau Park, Roxboro, Rutland Park, Southwood, Windsor Park.[14] Ward 11 also contains Mount Royal University and Heritage Park Historical Village.
Ward 12	Shane A. Keating	2010-2013	Auburn Bay, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale Estates, Douglas Glen, East Shepard Industrial, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, McKenzie Towne, Seton, Shepard Industrial.
Ward 13	Diane Colley-Urquhart	2000-2001 2001-2004 2004-2007 2007-2010 2010-2013	Bridlewood, Canyon Meadows, Evergreen, Millrise, Shawnee Slopes, Shawnessy, Somerset, Woodbine, Woodlands.[15]
Ward 14	Peter Demong	2010-2013	Bonavista Downs, Chaparral, Deer Ridge, Deer Run, Diamond Cove, Lake Bonavista, Maple Ridge, Midnapore, Parkland, Queensland, Silverado, Sundance, Walden, Willow Park.[16]

See also

• List of mayors of Calgary
• List of neighbourhoods in Calgary

References

Canadian Legislative Bodies Parliament of Canada Sovereign • Senate • House of Commons Legislative assemblies Alberta • British Columbia • Manitoba • New Brunswick • Newfoundland and Labrador • Northwest Territories • Nova Scotia • Nunavut • Ontario • Prince Edward Island • Quebec • Saskatchewan • Yukon City councils Abbotsford • Barrie • Brampton • Brantford • Burlington • Burnaby • Calgary • Cambridge • Cape Breton • Charlottetown • Chatham–Kent • Coquitlam • Edmonton • Fredericton • Gatineau • Greater Sudbury • Guelph • Halifax • Hamilton • Iqaluit • Kingston • Kitchener • Laval • Lévis • London • Longueuil • Markham • Mississauga • Moncton • Montreal • Niagara Falls • North Bay • Oakville • Oshawa • Ottawa • Quebec City • Regina • Richmond • Richmond Hill • St. Catharines • Saint John • St. John's • St. Thomas • Saanich • Saguenay • Saskatoon • Sault Ste. Marie • Sherbrooke • Surrey • Thunder Bay • Toronto • Trois-Rivières • Vancouver • Vaughan • Victoria • Whitby • Whitehorse • Windsor • Winnipeg • Yellowknife