The Elgin City Council is the nine-member elected body that governs the City of Elgin, Illinois. It consists of a mayor and eight council members, all elected at-large to four-year terms in nonpartisan races, and it meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.1City of Elgin, Illinois. Calendar – Public Meetings The council sets policy, approves the annual budget, votes the property tax levy, and passes the ordinances that carry the force of local law.
Who Serves on the Council
Because every seat is at-large, every resident votes for every seat, and every elected official answers to the whole city rather than a ward.2City of Elgin, Illinois. Mayor and City Council Terms are staggered so that roughly half the seats come up every two years.
As of 2026, the council is:
- Mayor David J. Kaptain, term ending April 2027
- Diana Alfaro, term ending April 2029
- Corey D. Dixon, term ending April 2029
- Dustin R. Good, term ending April 2029
- Rosamaria Martinez, term ending April 2027
- Anthony Ortiz, term ending April 2027
- Tish S. Powell, term ending April 2027
- F. John Steffen, term ending April 2027
- Steven F. Thoren, term ending April 2029
The city asks that residents reach elected officials through the Mayor and City Council Contact Form on the city website rather than by direct email, which it says speeds processing.2City of Elgin, Illinois. Mayor and City Council
What the Council Decides
Illinois law gives municipal councils broad authority to adopt rules and set penalties within their granted powers.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 65 ILCS 5 – Division 2, Ordinances In Elgin, that authority covers:
- The annual budget and the property tax levy that funds it
- Zoning decisions, special use permits, annexation agreements, and development plans
- Funding and strategic direction for police and fire services
- Capital projects such as road work and water system upgrades
The council also appoints members to roughly a dozen advisory boards and commissions, including the Planning and Zoning Commission, Human Relations Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and Heritage Commission, which send recommendations back to the elected body.4City of Elgin. Boards and Commissions
Day-to-day operations are not run by the council. Elgin uses a council-manager form of government, meaning the council appoints a professional city manager (currently Richard G. Kozal, in the role since 2016) who runs departments and staff.5City of Elgin, Illinois. City Manager If your concern is a pothole or a utility bill, that is a staff matter; if it is a policy, a tax rate, or a zoning change, that is the council.
Meetings: When, Where, and How to Watch
Regular meetings are held the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. The Illinois Open Meetings Act requires the agenda to be posted at least 48 hours in advance, both at City Hall and at the meeting location.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 5 ILCS 120/2.02 – Public Notice Agendas and the full packets behind them, which include staff reports, financial documents, and proposed contracts, are posted on the city website and available through the City Clerk’s office.
If you cannot attend in person, meetings air live on cable channels 17 (Comcast and WOW) and 99 (AT&T) and replay continuously until the next scheduled meeting.7City of Elgin, Illinois. About City Council Meetings The city also livestreams on its official YouTube channel and keeps archived recordings there.8YouTube. City of Elgin YouTube Channel
The 2026 budget was presented in November and December 2025 and formally adopted on January 1, 2026. An interactive version and a full PDF are posted on the city’s budget page.9City of Elgin, Illinois. Budget and Financial Information
How to Speak at a Meeting
The Open Meetings Act guarantees the public a chance to address officials under rules the governing body sets.10Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 5 ILCS 120 – Open Meetings Act In Elgin, you sign a registration sheet near the entrance before the meeting begins, listing your name and the topic you want to address. When the matching agenda item comes up, you are called to the podium.
Each speaker gets three minutes. Total public comment is capped at 30 minutes per meeting; if time runs out, remaining speakers are heard after the council finishes its other business. You cannot give your time to another speaker.11Municode Library. Elgin Code of Ordinances Title 2 – Administration and Personnel
Public comment is one-way. The council listens and takes notes but does not debate or negotiate with speakers at the podium. Comments go on the record, and the council may direct the city manager to follow up afterward.
Running for a Seat
To run for mayor or council, you must be a registered voter in Elgin and have lived inside the city limits for at least one year before the election.12Justia Law. Illinois Code 65 ILCS 5 Article 3.1 – Officers Two things will disqualify a winner from taking office: owing money to the city, or a felony conviction without a pardon or official restoration of rights from the Governor.
Elgin’s races fall on Illinois’s consolidated election calendar in April of odd-numbered years. The next Elgin election is April 2027, when the mayor’s seat and five council seats are up. There are no term limits. New officeholders take an oath to uphold the state constitution and city regulations before taking their seats, and the staggered schedule leaves the council with a majority of experienced members even when several seats turn over at once.