City Government

FY10-11 Budget is a .pdf file.   (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Download the free viewer here").

The City of Washington is a home rule municipality governed by an Aldermanic-City form of government. The legislative body (City Council), consists of two aldermen from each ward elected for a four-year term. Their terms are staggered so that half are elected every two years. The Mayor is elected at large to a four-year term, as are the City Clerk and City Treasurer. The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City and presides over meetings of the City Council. While not normally having a vote, the Mayor does have authority to veto certain actions of the City Council which may create any liability against the City, or which provide for the expenditure or appropriation of its money, or to sell City property. A mayoral veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the City Council. With the approval of the City Council, the Mayor appoints non-elected City officials. 

The eight aldermen of the City Council are elected to serve overlapping four year terms and may be elected for an indefinite number of terms. The City Council formulates policy and enacts local laws, usually in the form of resolutions and ordinances. The City Council is directly responsible to the citizens of Washington.

The City Clerk is the recording officer of the City, elected at large for a four year term. The clerk is responsible for attending all meetings of the City Council and keeping records of the proceedings.  All City Council Committees meet on the second Monday of each month.