Are you new to the city hall beat?

Welcome to your new role as a city hall reporter. We get it — you need to prepare for your first city council meeting and learn quickly. These “city hall basics” will introduce to you the ins-and-outs of a city council meeting, city administrative roles, the basic legal structure of cities in Minnesota, and a general overview of city revenue sources.

Your next stop may be the For the Media hub page, where you’ll find information on more specific topics such as finance and zoning/land use.

Meetings

Learn about open and closed meetings; public hearings; agendas; parliamentary procedure; motions, resolutions, and ordinances; and more.
 Handbook for Minnesota Cities Ch. 7—Meetings, Motions, Resolutions, and Ordinances

Administration

One of the cities you cover has a city manager, and another has a city administrator, while the smaller city next door has a clerk who takes care of city administration. See how these roles are different.
Cheat sheet to city administrative roles (The City Spot blog)

City statutory authority

Does the city you cover have a charter, or is it statutory? Knowing the difference can help you cover your city’s operations accurately and ask the right questions.
City types: Statutory, Charter City, Home Rule Charter (The City Spot blog)

Revenue

It’s budget time and you are staring down some alphabet soup. Read this guide to city revenue sources before visiting the property tax and finance resources on the For the Media resource page.
 City revenue sources

Look up city contact information

Searchable City Directory

General information about the League

Return to the list of media resources by topic