Richmond Hill Town Council is the governing body for the Town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Council serves a four-year term, after which a new council is elected by qualified electors in Richmond Hill. Richmond Hill Town council consists of a Mayor, six Ward Councillors and two Regional and Local Councillors. The Mayor and the Regional and Local Councillors additionally serve on the York Regional Council representing the interests of the residents of Richmond Hill.
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The Mayor serves as the leader of council. They preside over meetings to maintain order, and call special meetings when needed. The Mayor and Councillors both propose, oversee the administration and finances of Richmond Hill and direction the operations of the Town's departments, as well as meeting with residents and government agencies to discuss issues relevant to Richmond Hill and its residents.
Municipal departments
Town Council oversees the municipal departments, which deliver a variety of services to the residents of Richmond Hill. The town has a Community Services Department, Corporate & Financial Services Department, Environment & Infrastructure Services Department, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and Planning & Regulatory Services Department.
The Town’s Corporate & Financial Services Department is responsible for providing direction, policy advice and leadership to and through the Financial Services, Information Technology and Town Clerk’s Divisions. It provides expert financial, administrative and technical services to ensure supports are in place for internal and external clients and partners.
The Environment & Infrastructure Services Department oversees the design, construction and overall management of the Town’s municipal infrastructure and environmental programs. The Department has a strategic focus on the direction and management of environmental services and initiatives that support future needs and interests of the community. The integration of all design and construction projects for facilities, parks, roads, water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure resides in this Department.
The Chief Administrative Office provides Corporate leadership in the overall management of the Town's five departments. In this role, the Chief Administrative Officer reviews and approves all recommendations made to Council and Committees of Council, and manages corporate strategic planning. The Chief Administrative Officer acts as department head to the Legal Division, Human Resources and the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
The Community Services Department delivers the integrated front line services required to provide for an active, attractive, safe and connected community. The Department includes Fire & Emergency Services, Parks Operations, Public Works Operations and Recreation & Culture. The Community Services Department is responsible for delivering Fire & Emergency Services programs, maintaining parks, road repair and replacement, garbage & recycling programs, operation of the Town's water & wastewater infrastructure, delivery of recreational & cultural programs and managing the Town's recreational facilities. The Department also runs special events, such as Concerts in the Park and The Reel Thing, a local film festival.
The Community Services Department also runs the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.
The Planning & Regulatory Services Department provides Planning and Building related services to Council, other departments and the general public. Each division within the department has responsibility for various stages and aspects of land development and construction of buildings, as well as the administration of various Town by-laws. It responds to the specific needs of Council, the public and the development industry.
History
Richmond Hill was incorporated as a village in 1873, and the village council consisted of a reeve and four village councillors. The councillors were the top four vote-getters of all persons running for the job. The reeve and councillors served one-year terms. Richmond Hill was incorporated as a town in 1957, and the town council was expanded to include a mayor, a reeve, a deputy reeve and four town councillors. In 1966, the council began to serve two-year terms, rather than the previous one-year terms. The council was reorganised in 1971 after the incorporation of York Region to have a mayor, two regional councillors shared with York Region Council, and six town councillors. 1970 had also seen Richmond Hill expand from 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) to 27,000 acres (110 km2) and from 19000 residents to 34000 residents with the annexation of land from Whitchurch Township, Markham Township, Vaughan Township and King Township. In 1982, the terms of councillors were extended to three years, and in 2006 the terms were extended to four years.