The scope of responsibilities of the Municipal Councils includes urban planning and construction, public ****sanitation, cultural and recreational activities, maintenance of the environment and protection of the living standard of the residents. Its operation is closely related to the life of every citizen, and its scope of work is quite extensive, making it a rather large organization.
The Macao Municipal Council consists of more than 10 departments, the main ones being the Municipal Institutions Auxiliary and Consultant's Office, the Culture and Recreation Department, the Municipal Health Supervision Department, the Variety House, the Itinerant Hawkers' Group, the Municipal Police, the Administration and Finance Department, the Information Center, the Traffic Affairs Department, the Law and Notary Public's Office, the Hygiene and Cleanliness Department, the Parks and Greenery Department, the Workshop and Transportation Department, the Municipal Engineering Department, the Municipal Laboratory, and so on.
The Department of Parks and Greening - which consists of the Field Unit, the Parks and Gardens Unit, and the Cemeteries Section - is responsible for the maintenance, management and repair of parks, mini-zoo's and cemeteries throughout Macao, as well as the greening of sitting-out areas and flowerbeds on streets, researching ways to cultivate and treat plants, and pruning plants that pose a nuisance to the public. The Works and Transportation Division - a more inward-looking division - consists of the Electrical Equipment Unit, the Vehicle Management Unit and the Vehicle Repair Unit. Its duties are primarily to manage and maintain the City's fleet of vehicles and to assist other City departments in the maintenance and repair of various electrical and mechanical equipment.
The Municipal Engineering Department, comprising three divisions and nine groups, is a relatively large department within the Urban Services Department, namely the Construction Division, the Highways Division, the Engineering Division, the Works Supervision Group, the Electricity Group, the Research and Design Group, the Roads Planning Group, the Roads Works Supervision Group, the Tunnels Permit Group, the Ordnance Survey Group, the Licensing Group and the Cadastre Group. The Construction Division is responsible for studies and plans for municipal buildings, public **** grounds, markets, parks, gardens and other miscellaneous works, and for landscaping. The Agency is responsible for carrying out maintenance works on public **** streets and various urban facilities, providing logistic support to public **** and private organizations, and also carrying out holiday light decoration work. The Highway Division is responsible for developing programs for public *** street resurfacing, water mixing systems, and trenching projects. In addition, the issuance of door licenses, authorization of work on public **** streets, management of levy signs and billboards, and air-conditioner drips are also under the purview of the Engineering Department.Effective July 15, 1993, the issuance of licenses for amusement game centers, hair salons, restaurants, and theaters is the responsibility of the Licensing Unit of the Engineering Department.
The Municipal Laboratory - comprised of the Microbiology Unit and the Chemistry Unit - is responsible for the systematic control of the quality of water supply to Macao and the outlying islands, the control of the hygienic quality of swimming pools, the testing of the quality of well water and seawater, and the determination of the quality standards of water supply at the request of governmental bodies and private organizations.
The Department of Health Supervision, the Department of Culture and Recreation, the Department of Variety Arts, the Itinerant Hawkers Unit and the Municipal Police are under the direct jurisdiction of the Municipal Council.
The Health Surveillance Department - a department with a heavy workload - consists of the Health Surveillance Unit, the Markets Unit, the Kennels and the Animal and Plant Health Unit. It is responsible for inspecting the hygiene of imported pigs, cattle, vegetables, seafood, frozen meat and restaurants, managing municipal markets, controlling the entry and exit of live animals and issuing the relevant certificates, providing medical services for livestock and catching stray dogs.
Culture and Recreation Department - under the Exhibition Section, Folklore Section, Urban Recreation Section and Art and Design Section. It coordinates various exhibitions, urban recreational activities, literary and artistic competitions, music and dance performances organized by the City Hall, and assists other government agencies and civic associations in organizing the above activities.
The Arts and Civic Center Group - is the department that manages the Arts and Civic Center, which provides a venue for large-scale events organized by City Hall, government agencies and civic associations, and where a number of international competitions and performances have been held.
The Itinerant Hawker Unit - in addition to licensing and managing some 2,000 legal hawkers in Macao, the unit also has the responsibility of intercepting the import of parallel imported food while prosecuting unlicensed hawkers.
The Municipal Police - is responsible for prosecuting citizens or organizations that violate municipal ordinances, and removing motorcycles that are parked illegally on the streets. Municipal police officers are different from the general municipal inspectors in that they have the status of police officers. In maintaining order and enforcing municipal ordinances, they are less likely to be obstructed, so they will also provide assistance to other municipal departments upon request when necessary.