City Council

Meetings

• 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month (except holidays), beginning at 4:00 PM unless otherwise stated in public notice
• General order of meeting: 
  • 4:00 p.m. Reports on items not requiring vote
  • 5:30 p.m. reserved for closed meeting if needed
  • 6:30 p.m. Regular business meeting
• Council Chamber at City Hall (in tandem with electronic participation via Zoom)
• Council sets the annual meeting schedule at its first meeting of the calendar year.
• Visit our streaming pages for video of recent meetings. 
• Visit THIS LINK to register for Zoom virtual meetings.

Agendas

Council meeting agendas may be accessed from the City website and are available in the office of the Clerk of Council. Upon written or phone request, the Clerk of Council will answer questions regarding Council business.  To access agendas, packets, and minutes: www.charlottesville.gov/agenda

About the City Council

The City of Charlottesville operates under a Council-Manager form of government. Charlottesville voters elect five At-large members to serve as the City’s legislative and governing body, City Council. The members serve four-year terms, and they vote to select one Councilor to serve as Mayor and one as Vice Mayor for two years. Municipal elections are held in November in odd-numbered years. The terms of Council members are staggered so that three are elected in one year and two are elected two years later. If a vacancy occurs, Council elects a new member to serve out the unexpired term.

Mayor & Vice Mayor

The Mayor presides over meetings, may call special meetings, makes some appointments to advisory boards, serves as the ceremonial head of government, and authorizes proclamations. The Vice Mayor substitutes whenever the Mayor is not available.

Role

City Council appoints the City Manager, the Director of Finance, the City Assessor, the Clerk of the Council and members of major policy-making and advisory Boards and Commissions. The Clerk represents Council to the public during regular business hours, notifying citizens of Council meetings and maintaining public records of the meetings. Council makes policy in the areas of: City Planning and Finances, Human Development,  Public Safety and Justice,  Public Utilities, and Transportation.

Powers

City Council has specific powers to: