City Government 101
Districts
The City of Norwalk currently has six taxing districts. The First, Second, Third and Sixth taxing districts are political entities with their respective voters electing officers, holding annual business meetings, approving budgets and to consider other matters, as specified in each of their charters. Election of Taxing District Commissioners and Treasurers by voters from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th districts take place in odd numbered years.
The Fourth and Fifth districts are not counted as separate governments as they constitute the city proper. Each taxing district has its own property tax rate reflecting the mix of services each receives from the city.
Secondly, municipal elections of Mayor, Common Council, Board of Education and other positions are also held in odd numbered years at thirteen polling places within five voting districts around the city. Voting districts are not the same for state and federal elections which are held on even numbered years at twelve polling locations.
Municipal
Norwalk’s municipal government is a mayor-council government with the mayor of Norwalk elected by its voters. The city’s charter gives certain administrative powers exclusively to the council and others jointly to the Council and Mayor.
The Common Council is the law-writing body of the City of Norwalk. Norwalk’s common council consists of fifteen council members, five elected at-large and ten elected by district, two from each district.
Representatives
Norwalk is represented in the Connecticut General Assembly by five House Representatives corresponding to five Connecticut legislative districts and one senator from one Connecticut Senate district.
Norwalk, which lies within Connecticut’s 4th congressional district, is represented in the United States Congress by one congressional representative (Democrat Jim Himes) in the United States House of Representatives and, along with the rest of Connecticut, by two U.S. Senators (Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy) in the United States Senate.