Departments

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. The executive committee 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 of culture ,sport and leisure, the committee of education and youth, the committee of planning and transport , the committee of welfare, the committee for human rights and democracy, the committee of environment and health and the committee of purchase. 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 Reykjavík 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 Human resources division, Employment division and the Service and Operations division. Other departments have names in accordance with the committees that they serve, Department of Education and leisure, Sport and Leisure Department etc.  Heads of divisions manage the administration 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.

The City Attorney represents City of Reykjavík in all legal matters. It gives legal advice and counsel to the City Council and the Executive comittee as well as to the city‘s departments, firms and offices on the many legal issues that arise on a daily basis. The office handles lawsuits filed against the city, or the city files against other parties, and cases for the Department of Welfare, regarding matters such as child protection. It also provides legal advice in public procurement matters and is responsible for reviewing contracts, documents and instruments creating any legal obligation affecting the city. All claims submitted to the city regarding tort and personal injury cases are handled by the office as well as cases regarding compensation claims of city employees.

The office of the Mayor and the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for general and specialized service to the Mayor. The office supervises central service and coordination within the administration. The employees of the office handle public relations and relations with other organizations both domestically and internationally. The office organises events and coordinates various campaigns and development projects, for instance unemployment and e-democracy. The office has supervision over human resources of the city. It is leading in policy making and works as an advisory body to the administration. The office is also responsible for analyzing statistics for publication and gives advice on economic and employment affairs. The office produces the economic groundwork for the annual financial plan and the five year financial plan. The office has several divisions such as human resources division, employment division, information division, statistics division and city archives.

Main tasks are administration for the City council, Executive committee and other high committees. The office receives documents and prepares them for meetings. It has supervision of the meetings of the City council and the Executive committee. It also prepares the official record of those meetings for publication. It advises chairmen and city councillors on protocol and legal affairs, runs the offices of the city council members and informs them about the minutes. It also supervises general elections in Reykjavík.

The Human Rights office main tasks are to execute decisions of the Human Rights and Democracy Council. It promotes and educates about human rights in the various divisions of the administration and cooperates with grass-root organizations in human rights and other municipalities. It works closely with the Reykjavík Multicultural Council. To contact the office, email: mannrettindi@reykjavik.is or tel: 411-4153. Visit www.reykjavik.is/en/human-rights to learn more.

The Office of Finance is responsible for making policy and innovations in the field of finance, accounting and finances. The Office is responsible for the planning procedures of the City Treasury, supervision of the income and expenses of the city, deviation analysis of the budget and cost analysis. It is also responsible for the coordination and supervision of various offices’ projects, supervision of day to day operations, budget preparation and work schedule, the department of financial allowances and supervision of the personnel management of the department, as well as the overall supervision of development, publications, promotion and information about the department’s projects.

The office is responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of buildings and structures owned by the city as well as land, lots and other properties in the city’s ownership. This includes rental agreements, land leases, communications with the Public Road Administration and other parties regarding construction projects in the city.

The office also promotes Reykjavík as a business location and assists local and international companies considering locating or expanding in Reykjavík to reach their business objectives, as well as develop new and interesting economic areas in the city of Reykjavík. The office runs the website www.investinreykjavik.is, an information gateway for people interested in investing in Reykjavík. Tel: 4 11 11 11, Address: City Hall, Tjarnargata 11, 101 Reykjavík.

The Department of Sport and Leisure operates seven swimming pools, nine community centres, three sports halls, the youth centre “Hitt Húsið”, a service centre, two ski slopes Bláfjöll and Skálafell mountains, district-based ski slopes, the family and pet park, summer activities for children, summer  fun and the sailing club at Nauthólsvík. Tel: 4 11 11 11, e-mail: itr@reykjavik.is, Address Höfðatorg 12 - 14, 105 Reykjavík.

The Department of Culture and Tourism is responsible for cultural affairs and the operation of Reykjavík’s cultural institutions which include Reykjavík City Library, Reykjavík City Museum and Reykjavík Art Museum. The City of Reykjavík supports cultural institutions such as the Reykjavík City Theatre and Harpa – Concert Hall, The Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra and offers grants to a wide range of producers of the arts, city festivals and provides facilities for artists. E-mail for the cultural department: menning@reykjavik.is.

Visit Reykjavík is in charge of tourism and marketing. Visit Reykjavík leads promotion of Reykjavik as a destination both for leisure and conference guests. www.visitreykjavik.is. E-mail for visitors information: info@visitreykjavik.is.

The department of Education and Youth administers the two earliest education levels and more than thirty after-school centres. Their role is to give the city’s children and teenagers the best possible education at each given time, to be at the forefront of education and to follow a progressive policy for the primary and junior schools, as well as provide its staff with an interesting working environment and the opportunities for work-related development.

 

It operates 63 preschools for ca. 6050 children from 18 months to five years and supervises 17 independent preschools for ca. 1000 children as well as domestic day care program. It also operates 36 compulsory schools for about 14.000 students from 6-16 years and supervises six independent compulsory schools. The department also operates adult education for individuals over 16 years and runs four school orchestras.

The Department of Welfare is responsible for the welfare service, including child welfare. This includes policymaking in the field of welfare, planning, coordination and integration in welfare service, supervision and assessment of the results and development of new procedures.

 

It operates six service centres in the districts of the city. The service centres deal with individuals and families, grant specialist services to schools, advise about leisure activities and provide general information on the operations of the City of Reykjavik. Service flats for the elderly and more than ten community centres in the city operate under the auspices of the community service centres. The community centres are meant for the residents of Reykjavik of all ages, although they are mostly frequented by senior citizens.

 

The department of Environment and Planning deals with the supervision of health conditions and pollution, wildlife conservation, cleaning and gardening in the city, the operation of Reykjavík’s Summer Youth Work Programme, collection of waste from homes in the city, and supervision of waste management, pest control, animal protection and preparation for policy making in the field of the environment and traffic, as well as supervision of its implementation. The department oversees all construction and maintenance projects carried out by the city.

 

It also provides advice to residents, councillors, consultants, designers, contractors and others that need advice and information on planning and construction. The department also formulates policy for the city’s planning and construction affairs in cooperation with the planning committee.