My municipality
Every municipality has a municipal body made up of the burgomaster, aldermen and councillors.
The Municipal Council
Election to the Council
The elections for the members of the Municipal Council are held every 6 years, on the second Sunday in October. The municipal councillors are directly elected by the assembly of the voters in the municipality.
The Municipal Council is made up of 29 members
The councillors begin their term of office on 1 January of the year following their election. In the course of the inaugural session of the Council, the councillors take the constitutional oath: ‘I pledge fidelity to the King, obedience to the Constitution and the laws of the Belgian people’ and elect from among their members the aldermen, 6 in the case of Waterloo.
The operation of the Council
The Municipal Council meets whenever required by the affairs entrusted to it, and at least 10 times a year. The Council is convened by the College of Aldermen.
The public is notified by means of notices displayed at the Maison communale as to the location, date, time and agenda of the sessions of the Municipal Council. The sessions are public. Nevertheless, when personal issues are discussed, the sessions are held in camera.
The Council is chaired by the burgomaster. The decisions are taken by an absolute majority of votes.
The affairs entrusted to the Council
The Municipal Council governs everything of interest to the municipality. It is the deliberative assembly of the municipality. It takes all the important decisions, namely:
- the appointment of the aldermen;
- the voting of the budget;
- the approval of the accounts;
- the management of the heritage and infrastructures of the municipality;
- the establishment of the municipal taxes;
- the nomination of the municipal staff;
- the control of the subordinate administrations.
The College of Aldermen
The election of the College
When the Council is inaugurated, it elects the new aldermen from among its members. The number of aldermen depends on the number of inhabitants in the municipality. Waterloo has 6 aldermen.
The College is made up of the burgomaster and the aldermen. The aldermen take a public oath before the new burgomaster.
The affairs entrusted to the College
The College of Aldermen is the executive body of the municipality. It handles the day-to-day management of the municipality and ensures the proper implementation of the decisions taken by the Council.
The affairs entrusted to the College include two types of tasks: on the one hand, those of general interest (implementation of the laws, issuing planning permits, holding the population register and the register of births, marriages and deaths, etc) and on the other, those grouping together the tasks of municipal interest (administration of municipal revenue, property and establishments, managing work on the municipal highways, etc).
Although each alderman in general has his or her own particular portfolio, all the aldermen have the same powers and it is the aldermen as a whole who are responsible for the decisions taken by the College.
Operation of the College
The College meets as often as the expeditious handling of everyday business requires. The sessions of the College of Aldermen are not public. The presence of the majority of the members is required, and decisions are taken by a majority of votes. In Waterloo, the College generally meets every Friday.
The burgomaster
The election of the burgomaster
The burgomaster is the head of the municipality. He or she is appointed by the King from among the elected representatives on the Municipal Council.
The affairs entrusted to the burgomaster
The burgomaster chairs the sessions of the Municipal Council and the College of Aldermen.
The burgomaster is also the chief of the local police as part of his or her administrative police role.
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