Duties of The City Council

The powers and duties of the Mayor and City Council are contained in state law and City ordinances, resolutions and regulations.  In carrying out their statutory duties, the City’s elected officials do the following:

• Adopt ordinances, resolutions, policies and regulations for the health, safety and welfare of the current and future inhabitants of the City of Livingston.

• Establish policies for the effective and efficient delivery of municipal services to the City.

• Establish goals, objectives and performance measures for the City Government and the City Manager.

• Add, delete, modify or reduce municipal services.

• Create departments, divisions, bureaus, offices and citizen advisory committees necessary for the efficient and effective operation of the City.

• Exercise legislative oversight over the City Manager, professional staff, consultants, citizen advisory committees and all other employees, volunteers and officers appointed or retained by the City.

• Work with citizen advisory committees established by the City Council to formulate recommendations to the City Council on policies, projects and spending allocations.  Every member of the governing body is expected to take committee assignments and attend all committee meetings.

• Participate in community strategic and long-range planning.

• Adopt a General Plan that contains a land-use element; circulation element; open space, conservation and Recreation element; urban boundary element, noise element, public services and facilities element, safety element, and housing element.  

• Adopt master plans for water, wastewater, storm drainage, parks, municipal facilities to guide the City’s future development of critical infrastructure.

• Approve the municipal boundaries, sphere of influence and all annexations of land into the City.

• Approve all zoning changes, subdivisions and commercial and industrial site plans.

• Approve all development agreements with residential, commercial and industrial developers.

• Adopt a Five-Year Capital Improvements Plan.

• Adopt the annual City budget.

• Approve expenditures of City funds.

• Promote good relations with federal, state, county, and other municipal government agencies.  The Mayor and City Council will take an active role in working with appropriate officials on Inter-jurisdictional issues and regional problems affecting the residents of Livingston.

• Serve on regional and state-wide boards, committees, commissions and task forces to advance and protect the interests of the residents of Livingston.

• Appoint and remove if necessary, by majority vote, the City Manager.

• Perform other duties established by ordinance, resolution, contract or regulation.