Members of the city council are part-time elected officials who serve for four years and can run for re-election as often as they wish. As individuals, city council members do not have significant statutory powers. But, as a legislative body, the council exercises many of the powers given cities through the passage of ordinances and appropriation of money. The following is a list of what the council may do and requirements one must meet to be a city council person:

a). authority to fix the annual salaries of all elected officials

b). authority to fix annually the salaries of members of the police and fire departments.

c). authority to reduce, but not to increase, any other items in the city budget as submitted by the mayor for its approval.

d). if elected to a district he or she must have been a resident of that district for at least six months and a resident of the city for at least one year

e). if he or she moves from the district or from the city, the person forfeits the office

The council also has the power to form committees, either standing or special, to aid them in the completion of their work. Standing committees are permanent committees, set up at the beginning of
the term of office, and to which are referred all matters relating to specific subjects. Special committees are temporary and are set up to handle a special subject and are discharged when the issue is
settled.

A third type of committee employed by some cities, (not technically a part of the council) is that of a "citizens advisory committee". These committees are usually set up for a specific concern of the
city and is a method in which to get citizens involved. Appointments to these committees are usually made by the mayor and usually serve without salary.

The council is not allowed to hire any staff members except for a lawyer or law firm to handle legal matters that may arise.

This summary was adapted from the "Indiana Elected Municipal Officials' Handbook", a publication of the Indiana Association of Cities & Towns.