New York City Council
New York City Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Deputy Speaker | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Majority Whip | |
Minority Whip | |
City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council | Michael McSweeney since February 26, 2009 |
Deputy City Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the City Council (Primary) | Alisa Fuentes since June 2010 |
Deputy City Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the City Council (Secondary) | Damaris B. Acosta since September 2012 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 51 |
Political groups | Majority (46)
Democratic (46)
Minority (5) Republican (5) |
| Committees | See standing committees |
| Salary | $148,500 (2024) |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post (general elections) Ranked-choice voting (primary and special elections) | |
Last election | November 4, 2025 |
Next election | November 6, 2029 |
| Meeting place | |
| New York City Hall | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government model, oversees the performance of city agencies' land use decisions, and legislates on a variety of other issues. It also has sole responsibility for approving the city budget. Members elected are limited to two consecutive four-year terms in office but may run again after a four-year respite.
The head of the city council is called the speaker. The current speaker is Julie Menin, a Democrat from the 5th district and the first speaker of Jewish descent. The speaker sets the agenda and presides at city council meetings, and all proposed legislation is submitted through the Speaker's Office. Majority Leader Kamillah Hanks leads the chamber's Democratic majority. Minority Leader David Carr was elected to lead the five Republican council members on January 28, 2025, however the vote was disputed due to a quorum not being present.
As of 2025, the council has 35 standing committees and 4 subcommittees, with oversight of various functions of the city government. Each council member sits on at least three standing, select or subcommittees (listed below). The standing committees meet at least once per month. The speaker of the council, the majority leader, and the minority leader are all ex officio members of every committee.
Council members are elected every four years. The exception is two consecutive two-year terms every twenty years to allow for redistricting after each national census (starting in 2001 and 2003 for the 2000 census and again in 2021 and 2023 for the 2020 census).