The mayor is the chair of the city council and head of the administration. According to Section 29 (2) of the Municipal Code, the city council in municipalities with more than 150,000 inhabitants has 60 council members.

Since January 20, 2026, the city council has been composed as follows:

The members of the city council have formed the following political groups: Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN, CDU, SPD, DIE LINKE., AfD, FDP, Volt, ÖDP, Die FRAKTION. The order of the political groups is determined by their strength. According to § 30a (1) GemO, a political group must consist of at least two members of the council.

Decisions on all self-government matters, unless delegated to a committee. Decisions on statutes, budgets, changes to the city limits, elections for honorary citizens, etc. cannot be delegated to a committee (Section 32 (2) GemO).

The various committees are formed by the city council in accordance with Section 44 of the Municipal Code (GemO) for specific areas of responsibility (e.g., finance, construction, social affairs, etc.). The committees are composed either solely of council members or of council members and other eligible persons. The size of the committees is determined by the city council.

Preparation of city council resolutions, unless the city council is authorized to make final decisions in individual cases. Committee meetings are generally open to the public. At the beginning of each committee meeting, the chairperson's proposal to divide the agenda into a public and a non-public section is decided upon.

Composition:
Members of the Council of Elders are the mayor and the chairpersons or spokespersons of the city council factions or their representatives. The mayor chairs the council.

Main task of the Council of Elders:
To bring about agreement on important and difficult tasks of the city council and on the handling of special issues.