Elected City Positions and Descriptions

 ​Mayor: 

• Chief administrative officer of the city by planning, administering and evaluating city programs.

• Presides over City Council meetings with knowledge of parliamentary procedure.

• Prepares an agenda for the order of business for all City Council meetings.

• Represents the city in ceremonial functions.

• Recommends appointments of executive officers to the City Council for approval.

• If the elected city officials or school board members volunteered to chair a city commission on Sunday, the Mayor should appoint a new chair from within the commission membership.

• Supervises the work of all officials and holds them accountable for performing their duties.

• Has the power to call the City Council's attention to city problems, and to recommend action thereon.

• Votes in the case of a tie. May veto any ordinance passed by the council if she does so within twenty-four hours from the time the ordinance was passed, otherwise it is valid without her signature. An ordinance may be passed over the Mayor's veto by a two-thirds majority of the City Council.

• May pardon anyone convicted of violating a city ordinance.

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City Clerk:   

• Attends all meetings of the City Council.

• Responsible for keeping a record of the proceedings of all City Council proceedings in a city journal. Organizes all documents relating to city affairs.

• Keeps records of ordinances introduced and adopted.

• Prepares and submits a City Report to the City Counselor containing the names of all officials of the city, all city ordinances, minutes of City Council meetings, city financial reports, and a city participation chart.

City Treasurer:

• Collects all taxes, fees, funds and payments due the city and issues receipts for all monies collected.

• Keeps accurate records of city’s financial transactions.

• Assists the mayor in developing city budget.

• Makes final report of city taxes collected for the scholarship fund.

• Signs and sends out all checks issued by the city for payments made to employees for their services and to those firms furnishing goods, materials or services to city departments.

City Attorney:

• Prepares all contracts and ordinances.

• Prosecutes violations of city ordinances.

• Gives legal advice to the Mayor and other city officials.

• Issues opinions as to the legality of proposed city actions. 

• Manages all litigation in which the city is a party including representing and defending the city and its officers in all legal matters and proceedings. 

Municipal Judge:

• Each elected municipal judge should present their city summary to the Attorney General at breakfast on Thursday morning.

• The majority of municipal court cases heard are cases involving city ordinance violations. Offenses brought before a municipal court are those that occur within the limits of the municipality (city). Examples of violations handled in municipal court are: traffic, disorderly conduct, vandalism, loitering, building code, and health code.

• Issues sentences to pay monetary forfeitures to the City Treasurer for the scholarship fund. In addition, a municipal judge may require a defendant's participation in one of several community service or educational programs. If a defendant does not pay the forfeiture, a judge may suspend the defendant's driving privileges or put him or her in jail.

• Provide citizens with municipal court records to be published in Badger Tales.

• All actions of the municipal court are appealable. Both the defendant and the City Attorney have the right to appeal the decision of the Municipal Judge. 

Aldermen (one per ward):

• Acts as the city's legislative body.

• Considers the Mayor’s recommendations regarding the budget, legislative measures, salaries, taxes, appointments, etc.

• Approves executive appointees before they may take office.

• Drafts and approves ordinances for the welfare of its citizens.

• Levies and approves taxes.

• Establishes a budget of revenues and expenditures for the city for approval; the budget should contain an estimate of revenues by source and expenditures required to pay for city projects, salaries and services.

• Approves all expenditures made from city monies.

• Grants public utility franchises, establishes public libraries, parks, etc., and makes regulations concerning traffic, zoning, street lighting, health, sanitation, and the control of certain types of business.

• Selects one of its members as president pro tem who shall serve as Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor and in case of vacancy in the office of Mayor, pending selection of a successor.

• Submits to the City Counselor a statement which shall contain recommendations for change or improvement concerning the American Legion Auxiliary Badger Girls State program.

  
5 members of the Board of Education (one per ward and one at large):

• For your school district, interview and hire a Superintendent, Curriculum Director, Special Needs Director, High School Principal, Middle School Principal, and Elementary Principal. They cannot be school board members. 

• Read the Wisconsin Association Of School Boards documents.

• Complete the “What Every New Board Member Needs To Know” document.

• Provide a report on how your school district performed on this past year’s standardized assessments.

• Prepare and present a budget for approval.

• Write a mission and vision statement for the district.

• Consider presenting some other educational issue such as a referendum, laying off teachers, cutting programs, teaching bilingual classes, a senior attendance policy, increasing credits for graduation, adding 4K, etc.

• All documents should be submitted in the State Fair entry for your city.