City Edition
Hampden County
Springfield, Massachusetts
Basketball was invented here, the first U.S. Army musket was machined here, and today Springfield is the third-largest city in Massachusetts and the capital of western New England. This guide hands you the facts to take part in your own city government, whether you are tracking a City Council vote, sorting out the schools, or hunting down a community resource.
The Springfield Civics Handbook
The 2026 Springfield Civics Handbook lays out local government, your elected officials, city services, demographics, and history in a print format built for schools and residents. Read it online.
Springfield at a Glance
Sources: City of Springfield, certified results, November 4, 2025 · US Census Bureau, 2020 Census · City of Springfield, city history.
- County: Hampden, the county seat and the largest city in western Massachusetts
- Government: strong-mayor, with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in office since January 2008
- Schools: Springfield Public Schools, about 23,600 students across 66 schools
How Springfield’s Government Works
The Mayor
Elected to a 4-year term. The city’s chief executive appoints department heads, writes the annual budget, enforces city law, and chairs the School Committee.
City Council
Thirteen members, five at-large and eight by ward, elected to 2-year terms. They pass ordinances, approve the budget, and can override a mayoral veto.
School Committee
Seven members. The Mayor chairs it as an ex officio member, with two elected at-large and four by district. It sets policy for Springfield Public Schools.
- Residents elect the Mayor to a 4-year term. The Mayor runs the city day to day, appoints department heads, and writes the annual budget.
- The 13-member City Council passes ordinances and approves the city budget. Eight members represent single wards, and five are elected at-large citywide.
- The Mayor can veto a City Council ordinance, and the Council can override that veto with a supermajority.
- The School Committee, chaired by the Mayor, sets policy and hires the superintendent who runs Springfield Public Schools.
Explore the Springfield Edition
- Mayor’s OfficeMayor Domenic J. Sarno: chief executive, budget, appointments
- City Council13 members: ordinances, oversight, budget approval
- School Committee7 members: policy for Springfield Public Schools
- City DepartmentsPublic works, health, housing, fire, police, and more
- Boards & CommissionsPlanning, zoning, conservation, and other advisory bodies
- Springfield HistoryFrom William Pynchon’s 1636 trading post to the birthplace of basketball
- LegislatorsYour state senator, four state reps, and members of Congress
- DemographicsPopulation, income, race, housing, and voter data
- Non-ProfitsCommunity health, housing, food resources, and family services
- Student DataEnrollment, demographics, and MCAS performance for Springfield Public Schools
Civic Calendar
- City Council: regular meetings on Monday evenings in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 36 Court Street. Hybrid participation is available, and you can sign up for the public speakout by calling the office at (413) 787-6170.
- School Committee: regular sessions at City Hall Room 220 at 6:30 PM. A public speak-out runs before select meetings, so call (413) 787-7100 x55112 at least 48 hours ahead to sign up.
- City Elections: non-partisan, held in November. The Mayor is elected every 4 years (next in November 2027). City Council members serve 2-year terms (next election November 2027), and School Committee members serve 4-year terms.
- City Budget: Springfield’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Budget hearings happen in spring, and the City Council adopts the budget each June.
- Voter Registration: register online at sec.state.ma.us or in person at the Elections office, City Hall Room 8.
Your County Officials
Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected, and neither one sits on Beacon Hill. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. The sheriff is elected by the voters of Hampden County. The district attorney is elected by the voters of a prosecution district, and Massachusetts draws eleven of those across its fourteen counties, so a district attorney’s territory does not always follow a county line. Both appear on your ballot in Springfield. Now you know what to look for.
Massachusetts elects fourteen sheriffs, one for each county, and eleven district attorneys, one for each prosecution district. The job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.
Your First Civic Action in Springfield
You do not have to wait until you can vote to be heard. Here is a concrete path from “I care about this” to “I said it on the record to the people who decide,” using rooms and phone numbers that are already open to you.
- Pick the right body. A park, a road, a pothole, taxes, or a line in the city budget is City Council territory. Your school, a class, a program, or the school calendar belongs to the School Committee.
- Find the meeting. The City Council meets on Monday evenings in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 36 Court Street, with hybrid participation available. The School Committee meets at City Hall in Room 220 at 6:30 p.m. To join the Council’s public speakout, call the office at 413-787-6170; for the School Committee speak-out, call 413-787-7100 x55112 at least 48 hours ahead.
- Know your councilors. Springfield has eight ward councilors, one tied to your own neighborhood, plus five at-large councilors who answer to the whole city. The City Clerk, who staffs the Council and its agenda, is your way in at 413-787-6170.
- Speak. Both the Council and the School Committee open their meetings to public comment. You sign up, you get your minutes, and you say your piece on the record.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken streetlight, or a trash problem any time through Springfield 311 at 413-736-3111, or file online at springfield-ma.gov/311.
- City Hall (main line): 413-787-6100
- City Clerk and Council agendas: 413-787-6170
- Springfield Public Schools: 413-787-7100, springfieldpublicschools.com
Springfield’s elected officials answer to you. Find your legislators, speak at a council meeting, or read the 2026 Handbook.
Sources
This guide draws on public sources, refreshed July 2026: U.S. Census Bureau, Massachusetts DESE School and District Profiles, Massachusetts Legislature (malegislature.gov), and the official Springfield government website.