What the new councils can actually do in their first 100 days

A new council gets sworn in, sits down, and then hits the rule book. BC law sets a lot of the early calendar, and a mayor’s power is narrower than most people think. Here is what the new City of Langley and Township of Langley councils can do, and how fast.

First, the oath

Nobody takes a seat without one. Under the Community Charter, a person elected by voting has 45 days from the declaration of results to take the oath of office. It can be sworn before a judge, a justice of the peace, a commissioner for taking affidavits, the corporate officer or the chief election officer, and the signed oath goes to the corporate officer before the person takes office. Miss the deadline and the person is disqualified until the next general local election.

The City set its official declaration for October 21, 2026, so its 45 days run to December 5 by our count. The Township’s results page says its results are certified but doesn’t give a declaration date. More on the swearing-in steps is on our after the election page.

The first meeting

The Community Charter says the first regular meeting after a general election has to fall in the first ten days of November, on a date set in the council’s procedure bylaw. Both Langleys picked Monday, November 2. The City’s meetings page lists an Inaugural Ceremony and Council Meeting at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers, and the Township’s calendar lists its Inaugural Council Meeting from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in the Fraser River Presentation Theatre.

After that, the City’s next listed regular meeting is November 23. The Township lists council meetings on November 16 and 30 and December 14.

The procedure bylaw

Every council must have a procedure bylaw. By law it covers how meetings run, how resolutions pass and bylaws get adopted, committee meetings, minutes, where public notices are posted, how an acting mayor is picked, and that first-meeting date. Changing it takes a bylaw, and bylaws need readings (more below).

Committees and regional seats

This is where the mayor does have a solo power. The Community Charter says the mayor must set up standing committees for matters the mayor thinks are better handled that way, and the mayor appoints the members. At least half of each standing committee has to be council members. Council as a whole can also create select committees to look into a specific issue, with at least one councillor on each.

Council, not the mayor, picks its Metro Vancouver directors. The Local Government Act says a municipal director is appointed by council from among its own members, and the old appointments end no later than November 30 of an election year. Council can name alternates too. Metro Vancouver’s board has 41 members, 40 of them appointed by the councils of its 22 member jurisdictions, and both Langleys are members.

A code of conduct decision

Within six months of that first regular meeting, each council must decide whether to adopt a code of conduct, or whether to review the one it already has. If it decides not to, it has to give the public its reasons on request. The Province also introduced Bill 17 in April 2026 to create a single provincial code, which it said was expected to be in place for the councils elected on October 17, if the bill passed. Check the Province’s site for where that stands.

The budget clock

Each year a council must adopt a five-year financial plan by bylaw, after public consultation, and only then pass the property tax bylaw. That tax bylaw must be adopted before May 15. The Province’s 2026 circular reads “before” strictly, so the last possible day is May 14. Both bylaws can pass at the same meeting, as long as the financial plan goes first. Councils also can’t budget for a deficit.

The two Langleys run on different schedules. Last year the City introduced its 2026 draft on October 6, 2025, held an open house on November 26 and gave the bylaw third reading on December 8. The Township took survey input until January 9, 2026, looked at draft budgets on January 26 and February 23, and approved its 2026 to 2030 plan on March 23, 2026, with a 3.97% property tax increase. Neither calendar listed 2027 budget meetings when we checked, so watch them over the winter. Our property tax explainer covers what lands on your bill.

What they can’t do quickly

A bylaw needs three readings and then adoption, and there has to be at least one day between third reading and adoption. Council can give up to three readings at one meeting, but some bylaws also need provincial approval or voter assent, which has to come after third reading and before adoption. So a campaign promise that needs a bylaw takes at least two meetings, and often months.

The mayor’s limits

A mayor has less power than the title suggests. The mayor is the head and chief executive officer, chairs meetings, recommends bylaws, gives staff general direction on council’s policies and sets up standing committees. A mayor can suspend an officer or employee, but council has to confirm it.

When it’s time to vote, though, the mayor gets one vote like everyone else, every member present has to vote, and a tie means the motion is defeated. The one extra tool is reconsideration: the mayor can make council vote again on something within 30 days, once per matter. If it fails the second time, it’s treated as repealed.

With everyone present, that means a Township mayor needs at least four of the eight councillors on side to pass anything, and a City mayor needs three of six. Who sits around each table is on our Township results and City results pages, and our agenda explainer shows where to watch it all happen.

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