To learn who your representatives are, see the ward map and the list of current council members. City council adopts the city's annual budget and determines city laws and policies. Council members serve staggered two-year terms, so one seat in each ward is up for grabs in a partisan election every fall. But despite Ann Arborites' reputation for a high level of political involvement, council elections tend to generate little interest and low turnouts. Additional special or working sessions usually take place on the second and fourth Mondays of the month.
Citizens are welcome to attend meetings and working sessions.
Meetings are telecast live on the city's community access cable network and repeated twice each week. Caucus meetings are open to the public and provide a better forum than council meetings for citizens who want to talk directly with council members. The public is welcome to speak to council at the beginning of each council meeting, but only eight four-minute slots are available. You can sign up for one of these slots by going to the city clerk's office or calling 994-2725 at 8 a.m. the day of the meeting. Four people are allowed to sign up in person and four by phone.