Municipal Election 101 – Roles and Responsibilities of an Elected Official

Knowing the job you’re applying for is a message that holds true for the private sector – and most certainly for those seeking a public office role through the 2025 Municipal Election, set for October in Lethbridge.

Once elected, there will be a quick learning period. This installment of our Municipal Election 101 provides resources to help you understand and learn the roles and responsibilities of an elected official. 

The first key pieces to know include: 

• That the Municipality and Council are subject to legislated rules
• That City Council manages policy and strategy, not the operations of the City
• That the various orders of Government between Municipal, Provincial and Federal have a variety of jurisdictions
• What Every Councillor Needs to Know – a Council member’s handbook 

Bonnie Hilford, City Clerk and Returning Officer, has a submission at the Governance Standing Policy Committee meeting on June 26 which will cover the proposed 2025 Council Orientation 90-day plan. It features a wide range of additional informative documents and video links. 

The Orientation will provide Council with timely and relevant information and tools they require to understand municipal government, the organization and their role responsibilities, and duties as elected officials to assist with making informed decisions and engage with and represent their constituents. The Orientation Plan reflects engagement of past observations and learnings which has helped to balance the “amount and pace” of information provided with “capacity and need.”  

The City’s election website, lethbridge.ca/election, also has further local and provincial legislative information and background, including: 

• City Council Remuneration and Benefits – which outlines the compensation, benefits and time commitments 
• Pecuniary Interest for Municipal Councillors – the Municipal Government Act (MGA) describes pecuniary interest as rules designed to protect the public interest while ensuring that your ability to work is not adversely affected by your election to Council 

The City’s website will be updated regularly as the Nomination Period progresses. More general information on City Council, meeting agendas, Boards, Commissions and Committees, budget and finances, Bylaws, Council Advocacy and Council Policies is available here. 

Our City Clerks team is working with the Communications and Engagement team to plan a series of informative articles in the lead-up to October to help prepare our residents/voters. We are also striving to provide important and relevant information for prospective candidates, so they are fully aware of what the roles involve.  

For further information, follow our Municipal Election 101 story series and subscribe to our email news notifications. School Election resources will come in a future installment.