city council / councilor
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city council
The elected assembly of representatives responsible for political decisions and administration in a city; the municipal parliament.
Der Stadtrat hat den Bau des neuen Schwimmbads beschlossen.
The city council approved the construction of the new swimming pool.
city councilor
A member of the city council; a person who has been elected to the city council.
Als Stadtrat setzt er sich für mehr Grünflächen in der Innenstadt ein.
As a city councilor, he advocates for more green spaces in the city center.
The word is made up of 'Stadt' (city) and 'Rat' (council/advice). Here, 'Rat' does not only mean 'advice', but also 'assembly of advisors' or 'committee'. So the 'Stadtrat' is literally the advisory body of a city.
Der Stadtrat kommt einmal im Monat zusammen.
The city council meets once a month.
You can distinguish the meaning 'body/committee' (m01) from 'person' (m02) through context. The body is a unit and usually appears in the singular. When referring to people, the plural 'die Stadträte' (the city councilors) or a named person is often used.
Der Stadtrat hat den neuen Haushalt verabschiedet.
The city council passed the new budget.
When 'Stadtrat' refers to the governing body, it is often combined with verbs that describe a decision or a process. Typical examples are: 'der Stadtrat tagt' (the city council meets), 'beschließt' (passes/decides), 'lehnt ab' (rejects), or 'debattiert' (debates).
Der Stadtrat tagt heute im großen Sitzungssaal des Rathauses.
The city council is meeting today in the large meeting room of city hall.
municipal council / council member
Gemeinderat and Stadtrat both refer to an elected body responsible for local political decisions. Stadtrat explicitly refers to a city, while Gemeinderat is the corresponding term for a municipality and can regionally also apply to a city. The decisive factor is the official term used locally.
In der Nachbarstadt entscheidet der Stadtrat nächste Woche über den neuen Spielplatz.
In the neighboring city, the city council will decide on the new playground next week.
In dieser Stadt entscheidet der Gemeinderat nächste Woche über den neuen Spielplatz.
In this city, the municipal council will decide on the new playground next week.
