Common Council

Meetings

Regular Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.

Agendas & Minutes


Agendas are available on Friday afternoon prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

How to Participate in Public Comment Virtually


The City of Ithaca wants to hear from you! While we can’t offer in person comment or meetings at this time, we hope that the following options will provide you with more ways to stay engaged.

Email Common Council:


You may submit a comment for an upcoming Common Council meeting by completing this public comment form.
These comments are not read into the record, but will be included as an attachment to meeting minutes.  Comments that are received after the meeting starts, will be held until the next meeting.

Register to Speak at a Meeting Via Zoom


At 9:00 am on the day of a Council meeting, a live link will appear right here for you to register to speak at the beginning of the meeting via Zoom. The first hour of the meeting will be used for Public Comment. Up to 40 people can register to speak. Registration will close at 3:00 pm so that we can calculate how much time each person will be allotted. If you register, you will be emailed the Zoom link later that day. Use that link to sign in and enter the Zoom waiting room. You will be moved into the meeting for your allotted time in the order that you registered to speak. You must be present in the waiting room when your turn is called or you will forfeit your time. You can use video or telephone to participate.

Get Creative: Send us a Social Media Link


Send us a social media video with your thoughts and ideas. You can submit it by using the public comment form and the URL to your video will also be included in the public record.

Overview and Duties of Common Council:


The legislative power of the city is vested in the Common Council, and it has power to enact and enforce any ordinance or resolution not in conflict with the Constitution or laws of this state for any local purpose pertaining to the government of the city and the management of its business, the protection of the business and property interests of its citizens, the preservation of order, peace and health and the safety and welfare of the city and the inhabitants thereof.  It has the management and control of the finances and of all the property, real and personal, belonging to the city, except as otherwise provided by the City Charter or by any other provision of law.

Common Council consists of two elected representatives for each of the City’s five wards.  Common Council members (also known as "Alderpersons"), serve four year terms, and are paid $9,641 annually. You can find information about who your Common Council representatives are and where you vote by using our resident services tool.  A map of the City's election wards and districts can be found here.

The Mayor presides over Common Council meetings, but may only vote when Common Council is setting the annual property tax rate, or when a Common Council vote results in a tie.

More information on Common Council

Members