The Mayor and City Council are elected to make decisions on behalf of Hastings' 22,000+ residents. They adopt and oversee the City's annual budget and set the annual property tax levy as one of the funding sources for the budget. The Mayor and Council also are responsible for policy decisions ranging from land use and subdivision applications to program development and awards of contracts.

In the Council-Administrator form of government, the City Administrator is responsible for carrying out the directions of the Council majority. In this way, the Mayor and Council can focus on "big picture" issues while they oversee the Administrator who manages the day-to-day operations of the City.