In accordance with the City Charter, Albany is divided into fifteen (15) legislative districts, or Wards. Each Ward is represented by a City resident who is elected by their constituency to serve a four-year term. Collectively the elected Ward representatives comprise the Common Council, which serves as the legislative branch of Albany’s government. Each Common Council Member functions to regulate
and protect the interests of residents within their Ward and is authorized to introduce, adopt, amend or repeal local laws, ordinances, resolutions, and regulations pertaining to property and government affairs within the City. Ward boundaries are established by the Common Council to best represent the demographics within the City and are delineated primarily on Census information.
