The city government of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, headquartered at Atlanta City Hall, is primarily vested in the Atlanta City Council and Mayor, a mayor-council system. In addition, there is the Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, the directly-elected Atlanta Board of Education (which administers Atlanta Public Schools), several city departments, and the Atlanta municipal courts.
The mayor is the Executive Officer for the city and serves a four-year term, limited to two consecutive terms. The mayor makes appointments of heads and staff of departments and commissions with the approval of the council, and is able to veto ordinances passed by the council, with the council able to override vetoes by a two-thirds vote. In addition, the mayor is able to issue executive orders, prepare the annual budget, execute contracts, and assume certain emergency powers during states of emergency.
The Atlanta City Council, a 15-member unicameral body, serves as the legislative branch of government, with an elected council representative from each of 12 single-member districts, 3 at-large post seats, and the at-large City Council President who chairs meetings of the council.
The entire slate is elected for four-year terms in odd-year elections (2001, 2005, 2009, etc.).
The mayor's office maintains several offices which provide executive oversight over aspects of city government:
The mayor appoints the heads of the following departments and offices, all of whom are listed as members of the mayor's cabinet:
Several boards and commissions are appointed by both the mayor and city council, operating independently of both branches:
The Atlanta Public Schools are administered by the Atlanta Board of Education, a nine-member body representing six districts and three at-large posts. It is a separate entity from both the Fulton County School System and DeKalb County School District.
The city government maintains three judicial agencies:
Atlanta operates under a city charter granted by the Georgia General Assembly; any amendment to the charter requires an act of the state legislature.
Atlanta's borders straddle parts of both Fulton County and DeKalb County. In addition, the mayor of Atlanta serves on the Atlanta Regional Commission, the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for Metro Atlanta.
Atlanta is represented in the United States House of Representatives primarily by Georgia's 5th congressional district, with a portion of the city also falling within Georgia's 6th congressional district.
In 1954, Atlanta's ward system was replaced by a unicameral Board of Aldermen in which all six members and the Vice-Mayor serving as president were elected citywide, eliminating district representation.[citation needed]
In 1973, a new charter was passed which shifted the city to a district system, taking effect at the start of 1974. A principal architect of that charter was Grace Towns Hamilton, with the purpose of more equitably representing the changing racial composition of the city; the charter's adoption coincided with Maynard Jackson taking office as the city's first Black mayor.
Under the 1974 charter, the Vice-Mayor and Board of Aldermen were replaced by a directly elected Council President and a City Council comprising 12 single-member districts and 6 at-large posts. In 1996, the charter was amended, effective January 1998, reducing the number of at-large posts from six to three, yielding the current structure of 12 district members and 3 at-large posts plus the council president.
