Elected Representatives
Each municipality has an assembly of elected representatives, the municipal council, and an executive, the municipal college (still called the college of mayor and aldermen until the next council elections).
The municipal council is made up of directly elected representatives the number of which varies according to the number of inhabitants of the municipality (7 in municipalities of 1,000 inhabitants and 55 in municipalities of 300,000 or more inhabitants).
The municipality is governed by the municipal college.
Municipal elections are held every six years, on the second Sunday of October.
The majority pact, sealing the agreement of the political groups forming the majority, will state the identity of the individuals forming the municipal college.
Until now, unlike other assemblies in the country, the municipal council did not have the possibility of dismissing any member or members of the college in which it no longer wished to put its trust. This will now be possible and the mayor, aldermen and CPAS chairman thus become responsible to the municipal council. No-confidence motions in individuals already exist; however, joint no-confidence motions will only be put in place at the start of the next municipal term of office.
The mayor is the most popular candidate on the most popular list within the majority. In order to comply with the voters' choices, any municipal councillor who stands down or resigns will not be allowed to fill another post within the municipal college during that term of office.
The mayor chairs the municipal council, with voting rights, as well as the college. As well as having responsibilities similar to those of an alderman, he has specific responsibilities, especially in terms of security and maintaining order. Municipalities are governed by the New Municipal Law integrated in the Walloon Local Democracy and Decentralization Code. Since 1 January 2002, the Walloon Region is responsible for regulating the operation and organization of the municipalities. As the CPAS chairman is a member of the municipal college, from the next municipal council elections, municipal councils can decide to reduce the number of aldermen by one. From 2012, this reduction will be mandatory for municipalities with at least 20,000 inhabitants.
The municipal college must be mixed.
The remuneration of all local office-holders (municipalities, provinces, CPASs) paid for carrying out a task or responsibility of a political nature will be capped at 1.5 times the parliamentary allowance. Office-holders will have 6 months after taking the oath to declare all the offices they hold. The Walloon government or its representative will check this. If they exceed the maximum, office-holders will have to put themselves in order and thus reduce their remuneration to 1.5 times the parliamentary allowance. If this is not done, the Walloon government or its representative will take the necessary measures to enforce the reduction. In the case of a false declaration or omission of one or more remunerated offices, there will be a penalty: the office-holder will be deprived of his office as municipal, provincial or social welfare councillor and will be ineligible for 6 years.
All local office-holders must lodge a declaration each year with the Walloon government, stating all their offices, and managerial and professional roles in both the private and public sectors. The declaration will state if these offices and managerial and professional roles are remunerated or not. In addition, this declaration will state: If it is from a municipal councillor, the amount of remuneration received in the course of carrying out a public office; if it is from a mayor, an alderman or a CPAS chairman, the amount of remuneration received in the course of carrying out a public and private office. In the case of a false declaration or omission, the office-holder will be deprived of his office of municipal councillor.
The municipal council is made up of directly elected representatives the number of which varies according to the number of inhabitants of the municipality (7 in municipalities of 1,000 inhabitants and 55 in municipalities of 300,000 or more inhabitants).
The municipality is governed by the municipal college.
Municipal elections are held every six years, on the second Sunday of October.
The majority pact, sealing the agreement of the political groups forming the majority, will state the identity of the individuals forming the municipal college.
Until now, unlike other assemblies in the country, the municipal council did not have the possibility of dismissing any member or members of the college in which it no longer wished to put its trust. This will now be possible and the mayor, aldermen and CPAS chairman thus become responsible to the municipal council. No-confidence motions in individuals already exist; however, joint no-confidence motions will only be put in place at the start of the next municipal term of office.
The mayor is the most popular candidate on the most popular list within the majority. In order to comply with the voters' choices, any municipal councillor who stands down or resigns will not be allowed to fill another post within the municipal college during that term of office.
The mayor chairs the municipal council, with voting rights, as well as the college. As well as having responsibilities similar to those of an alderman, he has specific responsibilities, especially in terms of security and maintaining order. Municipalities are governed by the New Municipal Law integrated in the Walloon Local Democracy and Decentralization Code. Since 1 January 2002, the Walloon Region is responsible for regulating the operation and organization of the municipalities. As the CPAS chairman is a member of the municipal college, from the next municipal council elections, municipal councils can decide to reduce the number of aldermen by one. From 2012, this reduction will be mandatory for municipalities with at least 20,000 inhabitants.
The municipal college must be mixed.
The remuneration of all local office-holders (municipalities, provinces, CPASs) paid for carrying out a task or responsibility of a political nature will be capped at 1.5 times the parliamentary allowance. Office-holders will have 6 months after taking the oath to declare all the offices they hold. The Walloon government or its representative will check this. If they exceed the maximum, office-holders will have to put themselves in order and thus reduce their remuneration to 1.5 times the parliamentary allowance. If this is not done, the Walloon government or its representative will take the necessary measures to enforce the reduction. In the case of a false declaration or omission of one or more remunerated offices, there will be a penalty: the office-holder will be deprived of his office as municipal, provincial or social welfare councillor and will be ineligible for 6 years.
All local office-holders must lodge a declaration each year with the Walloon government, stating all their offices, and managerial and professional roles in both the private and public sectors. The declaration will state if these offices and managerial and professional roles are remunerated or not. In addition, this declaration will state: If it is from a municipal councillor, the amount of remuneration received in the course of carrying out a public office; if it is from a mayor, an alderman or a CPAS chairman, the amount of remuneration received in the course of carrying out a public and private office. In the case of a false declaration or omission, the office-holder will be deprived of his office of municipal councillor.