The City of Evanston is a general purpose municipal government located in Cook County, Illinois. It is a home rule unit, as defined in the 1970 Illinois Constitution, and operates under the Council/Manager form of government to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of Evanston residents.

Mission Statement

The City of Evanston is committed to promoting the highest quality of life for all residents by providing fiscally sound, responsive municipal services and delivering those services equitably, professionally, and with the highest degree of integrity.

In September 2009, Evanston’s City Council met to discuss long-term objectives for the city and to make plans on how to achieve those aspirations in the upcoming years. While each Alderman and the Mayor expressed the importance of all City services, they selected twelve goal areas to really focus attention. As one of those goals, the Council and Mayor decided to create a Federal/State/Regional Government Affairs Agenda for Evanston. The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs was created in 2010 to enact the City Council’s plan and address both short and long-term goals.