The City of Medical Lake has a strong mayor form of government characterized by a separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers and has a system of checks and balances patterned after our traditional national and state governments. The power of government is inherent in the people.

The mayor is elected and serves as the city’s chief executive officer and seven elected city council members (the legislators) are responsible for formulating and adopting city policies and ordinances. The city contracts with the City of Cheney for judicial services.

The elected mayor and city council members all serve on a part-time basis serving four-year terms. Under the direction of the mayor, the city administrator serves as the chief operations officer. The city administrator carries out the policies established by the city council, provides leadership to city departments, assesses community needs, is liaison to the community, leads interdepartmental planning efforts, and works directly with the mayor in collaboration with regional partners.