The job of a city council member is a complicated one. They’re part policymakers and part service providers, expected to parse the budget, plow the snow and conduct legislative oversight. And that’s before they ever see a bill reach the mayor’s desk. This year, more than two-thirds of the council was new. Some, like Caban, entered the council without any previous government experience.

City councils set the city’s priorities and make decisions by consensus, and they also have the authority to create boards or commissions to solve complex problems. And they can pass laws regulating a wide range of activities, from what kind of buildings real estate developers can build where (can you turn that old factory into apartments?) to how many liquor stores can open in neighborhoods with schools nearby.

But the vast majority of a council’s work takes place in its committees, which are where deep dives into city agencies are performed. Council members are assigned — by a vote of all council members — to serve on several standing committees, which meet at least once every other month and hold public hearings throughout the year. When a committee makes a favorable recommendation, the entire council votes on it at a full meeting. If the paper passes, it goes to the mayor for signature and becomes law unless the mayor vetoes it, in which case it may be overridden with a two-thirds vote of the council.

The charter also sets out the rules and order of business for the council and requires a journal to be kept of its proceedings, which is to be public. It also specifies the events and conditions that create a vacancy in council and how that vacancy is filled.