City Government Organizational Chart
Explore an editable city government organizational chart example, beginning with Mayor and City Council and its principal branches.
City Government Organizational Chart
Illustrative, editable whole-company structure. Adapt roles and relationships to your organization.
About this company template
City Government Organizational Chart is an illustrative, role-based template for an entire organization. It does not describe a named employer or require one fixed set of roles.
This example follows a council-manager model: the elected council appoints a professional manager who runs departments, plus a clerk and an attorney who answer to the council directly. A strong-mayor city instead has department heads reporting to an elected mayor.
Change the example to match your legal entities, operating model, decision rights and real reporting lines before sharing it.
How this city government organizational chart works
Mayor and City Council is the top node in this example. The first layer contains City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney.
This example follows a council-manager model: the elected council appoints a professional manager who runs departments, plus a clerk and an attorney who answer to the council directly. A strong-mayor city instead has department heads reporting to an elected mayor.
A solid connector in this editable org tree means an example reporting relationship. Ownership, advisory, service, project and partnership relationships may need a separate note or relationship type; do not treat them as another manager.
In a council-manager city the council sets policy and the manager runs the departments. The clerk and attorney report to the council so that records and legal advice stay independent of the administration. Grouping police and fire under public safety is one common choice; many cities keep department heads reporting directly to the manager.
Lead role
Mayor and City Council
Elected body that sets policy and appoints the manager. — Replace this label with the actual accountable role or governing body.
City Manager
Runs departments day to day.
City Clerk
Keeps records and runs elections support; answers to the council.
City Attorney
Legal adviser to the council.
How to adapt this structure
One professional manager gives departments a single point of coordination while elected officials keep control of policy.
Adapt the branches to your organization and remove any managerial layer that does not exist.
Design tradeoffs
- Departments report to a manager rather than to politics.
- A single-parent tree cannot fully express every cross-functional, ownership or contractual relationship.
- Clerk and attorney reporting to council protects independence.
- The manager must coordinate with offices not under their line.
What this chart shows
- Strong-mayor cities place departments directly under an elected mayor.
- Many cities contract some services such as water or waste.
- Counties and towns use similar patterns with different titles.
- Departments and names differ widely between cities.
Related company structures
Frequently asked questions
Is this a council-manager or strong-mayor city?
Council-manager. For a strong-mayor city, make the mayor the parent of department heads.
Where do elected officials fit?
At the top, as the governing body; change it to match your charter.
Does a connector always mean direct employment reporting?
No. Where a branch represents ownership, advice, service or partnership, add a clear relationship note rather than relying on the connector alone.
Can I add boards and commissions?
Yes. Add them as separate branches or dotted advisory roles.
Use this org chart template
Open and edit this city government organizational chart in QueryChart.