Halifax Regional Council () is the governing body of Halifax, known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Halifax is governed by a mayor-council system, where councillors are elected from sixteen geographic districts though a first-past-the-post system and the mayor is elected via a municipality-wide first-past-the-post vote. Halifax Regional Council was formed in 1996 and consisted of twenty-three councillors and one mayor. It was reduced in size to sixteen councillors and the mayor in 2012. The council meets at Halifax City Hall.
Structure
The powers and authority of Halifax are laid out in the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter (2008). Halifax Regional Council has established standing committees, community councils and advisory committees to aid in policy development and decision making.
Standing committees are composed of councillors, and have responsibility over key functional areas of the municipality, such as transportation or the environment, and can propose, review, debate prior to forwarding reports to council with recommendations.
Generally each councillor sits on two standing committees, one or more external boards, and one or more advisory committees. The mayor is a member of all committees and is entitled to one vote. Residents can only make presentations to committees and community councils, not regional council, either through formal presentations prior to or public participation at the end of each meeting.
Standing Committees
There are six standing committees of Regional Council. Each committee has six members. The executive committee is composed of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and chair or designated representative appointed by each of the other five standing committees. The remaining five standing committees are appointed through a process that sees each community council appoint a representative to ensure geographic balance, and the remaining three members appointed by Council based on expressions of interest. Staffing roles and hiring are directed by the Mayor with the support of the CAO. The current staff of the office consists of a Chief of Staff and several other support staff.
Councillors
The Council Support Office is located on the fourth floor of Halifax City Hall, with one remote office in Musquodoboit Harbour that is staffed part time, and other unstaffed offices in municipal buildings in some districts. Staffing roles and hiring are the responsibility of the Manager Council Support under the office of the CAO. The current staff of the office consists of nine full time and two part-time staff, including the manager.
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