Some groups serve as specialized subcommittees to the broader policy groups, or as advisors to specialized units or programs, such as the Pedestrian-Bicycle Committee and the Day Care Advisory Board. Some groups serve a third major function, to hear individual cases or appeals and render decisions on those individual cases. Such groups usually follow a more structured procedure and include the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Ethics Board. A fourth function is served by those groups which are temporarily formed with a limited life-span in order to study and recommend City action in regard to a particular issue. Such ad hoc or study groups have included the Ad Hoc Odana Road Committee, the Ad Hoc Railroad Study Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on Vandalism.
Some groups incorporate a fifth type of function into their mission - that of civic promotion.
These groups focus on projects which highlight particular segments of City life and generally develop extensive ties with community groups and the media, such as the Madison CitiARTS Commission, the Citizen's Advisory Commission on People with Disabilities and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Committee. How committees can have influence. All of these groups work in the charged and challenging atmosphere of City Hall, with varying degrees of political and Council involvement. Most of the work of a committee is channeled through its staff person or chairperson, who often play key roles in terms of committee activity and liaison with resources. Committee member knowledge of the Council and of its flow of business is generally considered to be a key to the effectiveness of a committee.