The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 23 upper secondary schools with 2,000 teachers.

[1][2] The county municipality's most important tasks include secondary education, recreation (sports and outdoor life), and cultural heritage.

The county municipality has further responsibility for regional land-use planning, business development, power production, and environmental management.

Both the council and executive committee (with at least 5 members) are led by the county mayor (Norwegian: fylkesordfører).

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.