This guide is part of a series for Torontonians to gain civic literacy skills before the upcoming 2026 municipal election. Stay tuned to see all 12 parts.
So you know all about the mayor and city councillors, but who actually works behind the scenes at City Hall?
What’s the difference between councillors and staff — and what do staff do?
The short version is that City Council makes the final decisions, but staff provide advice and also implement the choices made by the elected officials.
Let’s break down the gears underneath the elected officials you see on your phone screens.
What does Toronto City Council even do?
Toronto City Council is made up of elected officials who make decisions for Torontonians. Council’s roles include:
- Making and changing City policies
- Passing bylaws
- Approving the City’s budget
- Voting on motions and recommendations
- Asking staff to do more research into a given topic to make more informed decisions
Curious to know the exact roles of city councillors? Check out what a Toronto City Councillor even does. And while you’re there, also learn about what the mayor of Toronto can and can’t do.
Who are City staff and what’s their role?
City staff are the people who work for the City, but aren’t elected officials. You don’t know their names like you would some of the councillors and they don’t have to campaign in order to get into City Hall. They apply to the job and are selected based on their skillset and experience by the department manager.
They work across different City departments and services while bringing technical and professional expertise to City Hall.
City staff typically:
- Research items
- Explore different options and solutions
- Prepare reports for Council and committees
- Provide financial information and plausibility reports
- Make recommendations
- Run City programs
- Put approved motions into action
- They run community consultations and surveys, sometimes with third-party organizations.
City staff are the backbone of City Council, because they’re doing a lot of the groundwork for the policies that come into effect.
So, here’s a recap of who does what:
- City Council is elected, while City staff are hired.
- City Council makes decisions, while City staff provide advice and direction.
- City Council votes on policies, while City staff research and analyze issues.
- City Council approves the budget, while City Staff give recommendations on finances.
- City Council sets priorities, while City staff run programs.
What’s a staff report?
You’ve definitely seen the term “staff report” while following a City Council meeting.
A staff report is prepared by City staff to give Council or a committee information about an issue. It’s an official document that’s prepared by City of Toronto public servants to provide clear research, analysis and recommendations.
It can include:
- Research
- Financial information
- Background information
- Different options
- Recommendations
- Residents concerns and feedback
Looking to understand some of the jargon in City documents or how to navigate the City website? You can check out our explainer for that, too.
Keep in mind that a staff recommendation isn’t the same thing as a Council decision. Staff can recommend that the City take a certain approach, but Council can vote to implement it or reject it.
Why does the difference matter?
Knowing the difference can help you understand who to contact and where to pay attention. If there’s an issue with a City service, you may need to contact the relevant City department. If you want your elected representative to advocate for an issue or policy change, your councillor may be the person to contact.
Think of it like this: City staff says “here’s the problem, the research about it and what we recommend.”
Then, City Council will consider the information and what to do about it.
City staff will then implement it based on the recommendations.
Got some other complicated processes you need broken down? Let me know at aia@thegreenline.to and we can help you out.
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