Executive
Councils consist of elected members known as councillors (or aldermen in the five city councils). The number of elected members varies between 7-12.
The community of a whole municipal area elects the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors by non-compulsory postal ballot.
The term of office of elected members is four years, with half the council being elected every two years. Elections for mayors and deputy mayors are also held every two years.
In order to provide such a diverse range of services, councils in Tasmania employ over 4,550 people with a variety of skills such as clerical staff, computer operators and accountants to help with administration. Some councils employ specialist staff such as traffic engineers, horticulturalists and builders to help with designing and managing public areas such as streets, gardens and public buildings. Other councils employ youth and social workers to provide services to meet specific social needs within the local community.
The income to provide these services is derived from taxes on property called rates, fees for services and grants or loans.
The implementation of council decisions and the day-to-day running of the council is the responsibility of the General Manager.
This page - http://www.iris.tas.gov.au/governance/local_governance/executive - was last published on
24th October 2008 by the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, State of Tasmania. Questions concerning this site or its content can be submitted via the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 936, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 7001 or by phoning +61 3 6233 5168.
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