Volunteer City Councillor: What Do I Actually Do?

Since the 2026 local elections I am a volunteer city councillor (Stadtrat) in Rodgau, for Volt. People often ask me: What do you actually do? Do you sit in the city parliament now? The short answer: no. The long answer is here.

Two bodies, not one

Every town in Hesse has two bodies:

  • The city council assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung). You elect it every five years. It is the highest body of the town, makes the important decisions and supervises the administration. Its meetings are public.
  • The executive board (Magistrat). It runs the day-to-day administration, prepares decisions and puts them into effect.

I sit on the Magistrat. In Rodgau it consists of the mayor, the full-time First City Councillor and 6 volunteer city councillors. This is what the main statute of the town says (§ 3).

How do you become a city councillor?

Not directly through the citizens. The city council assembly elects the city councillors. The seats on the Magistrat follow the strength of the parliamentary groups. The city council assembly elected me in its first meeting after the local elections on 15 March 2026.

What does the work look like?

The Magistrat meets about every two weeks, more often if necessary. Before each meeting I read the documents. How much time that takes depends on the topic: a document about a property deal is faster to read than a draft budget. Sometimes there are also appointments on behalf of the town, for example award ceremonies or anniversaries.

Besides this I have a normal job. I studied computer science and work in the financial sector. I do this office after work.

We decide together

The Magistrat is a collegial body. It decides by majority, not through individual persons. What is decided, all members represent in public, also those who voted differently. This is sometimes unusual, but it makes the administration able to act.

What I am not allowed to tell

The meetings of the Magistrat are not public. All members have a duty of confidentiality (§ 24 Hessian Municipal Code). For this reason you will not read internal matters here or on Instagram. I explain procedures, terms and public decisions.

Why I do this

I live in Rodgau. I want to help here.

Your question

What did you always want to know about your town? Write me a comment under the Instagram post. The best question will get its own post.

Sources