Mayor and Council
City Council members are elected individually from the City's nine wards. Each of the nine City Council members serves a two-year term.
COUNCILOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The City Council is the City’s official policy and decision-making body. Councilors meet twice per month, are members of the Budget Commission, and serve as liaisons to various advisory boards and commissions. Councilors spend an average of 10 to 15 hours per week on City business and are eligible to receive reimbursement for expenses incurred while performing official duties.
To run, candidates must be registered voters who have lived in Corvallis for at least one year. Candidates must reside within the ward they are seeking to represent at the time the nomination petition is filed and must gather 20 signatures from registered voters from within their ward.
Council Code of Conduct
MAYOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Corvallis City Charter says, "every fourth year .., a Mayor shall be elected." The Charter also specifies that the Mayor shall:
- chair the City Council
- approve records of Council proceedings
- approve ordinances (or not)
- appoint committees, and
- endorse all bonds of officers of the City.
There are expectations beyond those in the Charter, however. The Mayor of Corvallis is expected to represent the community’s values at gatherings large and small, within and beyond the city, and whenever a citizen feels it is time to call the mayor.
Chairing the City Council includes presiding over its deliberations, with the authority to determine the order of business, preserve order, enforce the rules of the Council, and call special meetings if necessary. The Mayor does not vote except in the case of a tie. All approved records of the proceedings of the Council (such as minutes or resolutions) must be signed by the Mayor. Ordinances (codes/laws) can be vetoed, although two-thirds of the Council can overturn a veto.
The City Charter also says, "The Mayor shall appoint the committees provided under the rules of the Council." This is a big job. The City has a network of advisory groups that advise the Council. One Councilor is assigned to serve on each of these groups. The Mayor is always on the lookout for motivated and engaged community members in Corvallis who are interested in serving on these advisory groups.
Guiding Principles for Public Engagement
The City Council operates under the following principles:
- Collaborative Decision Making - Enhance and support community-driven democracy in city government. Ensure that all participants listen and attempt to understand different viewpoints.
- Diversity – Seek input from all viewpoints, backgrounds, and philosophies. Treat each person with dignity, fairness, and respect.
- Openness and Respect - Promote fair, open and respectful processes that allow all who are interested or affected to have an equal opportunity to participate.
- Inclusiveness - Create a variety of ways for community members to participate and influence decisions.
- Accountability - Use decision-making processes that are transparent and that create decisions that can be tracked with clearly defined responsibilities.
