Committees
The municipal council can establish committees to provide advice and support. The committees can comprise council and non-council members. Non-council members are paid for attending meetings. Council members receive no additional payment for serving on committees.
Council committees
Council committees prepare decisions for the council and provide advice on them. Each committee is specialised in several areas and has its own remit. Members who are not on the council receive a payment. The amount received depends on how many residents there are in the municipality. Municipalities are divided for this purpose into six categories. The amounts paid are adjusted on 1 January every year. The changes are communicated by way of annual circulars.
Executive committees
The municipal council, the municipal executive or the mayor can appoint executive committees. They are appointed to look at a specific municipal issues, like youth work for instance. Municipalities can grant executive committees administrative powers.
If an executive committee requires special expertise or a lot of time to carry out its work, the municipal council can increase the pay its members receive. The amounts paid are adjusted on 1 January every year. The changes are communicated by way of annual circulars.
Other committees
The municipal council, the municipal executive or the mayor may also appoint other committees to deal with complaints or objections, for instance. If a committee requires special expertise or a lot of time to carry out its work, the municipal council may increase the pay its members receive. The amounts paid are adjusted on 1 January every year. The changes are communicated by way of annual circulars.
Districts abolished
Municipalities have no longer been able to establish districts (deelgemeenten) since 19 March 2014, the day on which the Act abolishing municipal authorities’ powers to establish districts entered into force. However, it is still possible to establish a committee of representatives from areas or neighbourhoods.
The Act has substantially reduced the number of municipal executive and council members in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
This is in keeping with the government’s vision of a small, strong and service-oriented government using less taxpayers’ money, fewer civil servants, fewer rules and fewer administrators.