A city council is the most common style of legislative government in a city or town.

City councils generally consist of several (usually somewhere between 5 and 50, depending on the city's size) elected aldermen or councillors. In some cities, the mayor is a voting member of the council; in others, the mayor is the city chief executive (or strong mayor ) with veto power over city council legislation. In larger cities the council may elect other executive positions as well, such as a council president and speaker.

The council generally functions as a parliamentary or congressional style legislative body, proposing bills, holding votes, and passing laws to help govern the city.

The role of the mayor in the council varies depending on whether or not the city uses council-manager government or mayor-council government, and by the nature of the statutory authority given to it by state law, city charter, or municipal ordinance.

In some cities a different name for the municipal legislature is used. In San Francisco, for example, it is known as the Board of Supervisors because San Francisco is a consolidated city-county and the California constitution requires each county to have a Board of Supervisors.