Iceland is divided into local municipalities that govern their own affairs and are responsible for them. Each municipality has firm perimeters that cannot be changed except through legislation. Each municipality has an elected council that governs the community and is responsible for the execution of legally determined projects. In Reykjavik it is the City Council, with some 15 members, that has this task.

The City Council elects boards and committees to formulate policies and for the supervision of specific functions. The City Council also elects the mayor for a full term. The Office of the City Council is responsible for providing general service for the councillors.

The City Council elects its executive committee for a term of one year. It has seven councillors and, alongside the mayor, supervises the management of the city and its finances and administration. The City Council elects seven standing committees, each for a term of four years. They are: the committee for sport and leisure, the committee for culture and tourism, the committee for education, the planning committee, the committee for the environment and the welfare committee, each with seven members. The City Council also elects representatives to the district committees and the various committees that operate in accordance with specific resolutions, such as the child welfare committee and the committee on equal rights, as well to the various boards in which the City of Reykjavik participates.

The mayor is the general manager of the City of Reykjavik and has the highest rank of public office. The mayor’s office provides general service for the mayor and other specific tasks. In other respects, the administration below the mayor is organised in accordance with the political system. The tasks of the Executive Committee, i.e. the administration and the financial management, include the Financial Division, the Administrative and the Personnel Division and the Service and Operations Division. Other divisions have names in accordance with the committees that they serve, i.e. Operations Division, Sport and Leisure Division etc. Heads of divisions manage the administration of at the behest of the mayor, but at the same time they prepare policy with the committees.

Internal Auditing reports both to the Executive Committee and to the Mayor. It ensures that the city’s finances are used in accordance with the City Authorities’ budget and that the operations of the City are in accordance with laws and regulations.