Mayor and Council
The City of Sumter is governed under the Council-Manager form of government. In fact, Sumter has the distinction of being the first to adopt this form of government in the United States.
The Mayor is elected at-large with six Council members from individual wards. The Council’s only employee is the City Manager who serves at Council’s pleasure and administers the day-to-day responsibilities of the City.
City Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month (except the first Tuesday in July). The first meeting of each month, the meetings are held at 1 PM, while the second meeting is held at 5:30 PM in Council Chambers on the 4th Floor of the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main Street (enter thru the back parking lot entrance, and take elevator to 4th floor).**
City Council hosts a public comment period at each third Tuesday meeting. If you are a citizen of the City of Sumter and wish to speak to Council during the “Comments by City Citizens” Period, please complete the sign-in sheet in the lobby of the Council Chambers prior to the start of the meeting. The Clerk will collect this sheet prior to the meeting to verify addresses and location within the City ten (10) minutes before the meeting begins. Comments are limited to no more than three (3) minutes.** Section 2-61 of the Sumter City Code provides: "Any citizen of the city shall be entitled to an appearance before the council at any regular meeting concerning any city matter, with the exception of personnel matters. Persons desiring to speak must notify the city clerk prior to the beginning of the meeting."
For more information please call (803) 436-2578.
Thank you.
