The Municipal Council
The Municipal Council is the main city authority and represents the citizens of Esslingen. The Mayor is both the Chairman of the Municipal Council and a voting member.
The Municipal Council lays out the general principles that guide the work of the city’s Administration and makes decisions that encompass all aspects of life in Esslingen. Therefore, the demands placed on the voluntary city administrators and council members are correspondingly high. Their work begins long before the council meeting. Members prepare themselves for their council tasks by personally speaking with citizens, attending caucuses, making on-site visits, and working through administrative templates.
Current composition
A total of 40 council members were elected for a term of five years in the municipal elections that took place on May 25, 2014.
Committees
In order to meet the diverse challenges and tasks ahead, the Municipal Council has formed a number of committees:
- Decision-Making Committees
These committees prepare the decisions of the Municipal Council and make decisions themselves as far as is allowed by the main statutes. In addition to qualified members of the Municipal Council, committee members also include well informed citizens of the community. - Other Committees
These include the Expert Committee for Migration and Integration, the Audit Commission, and others. They make recommendations to the Municipal Council to be considered during the decision-making process. As with the decision-making committees, these committees also count well-informed citizens to its member numbers, in addition to qualified members of the Municipal Council.