Capitalize when part of a proper name. For example,
- The Chicago City Council is meeting tonight.
Retain capitalization if the reference is to a specific council but the context does not require the city name. For example,
- CHICAGO (AP) — The City Council is meeting tonight.
Lowercase in other uses. For example,
- The Chicago and Boston city councils are meeting together.
- A city council is a powerful body.
Use the proper name if the body is not known as a city council.
- the Miami City Commission
- the City Commission
- the commission
- the Louisville Board of Aldermen
- the Board of Aldermen
- the board
Use “city council” in a generic sense for plural references. For example,
- The Boston, Louisville, and Miami city councils all have meetings tonight.