While William Penn's original 1691 charter for the city of Philadelphia included a "common council" with appointed members, no records exist of this body ever having been convened.

[5] The 1951 Home Rule Charter established the council as the legislative arm of Philadelphia municipal government, consisting of seventeen members.

[9] The Committee of Seventy, a non-partisan watchdog group for local elections, asked candidates for council in 2007 to support a list of ethics statements, including a call for fair redistricting, which should take place after the 2010 United States Census.

[10] In 2011, the council approved a redistricting map with more compact boundaries, eliminating the gerrymandered borders of the 5th and 7th districts; it took effect for the 2015 elections.

[12] This system can lead to conflicts of interest between council members and developers who want to change land use zoning or want to buy property below market rates in order to sell it at a higher price.

[12][14] Critics of councilmanic prerogative argue that it undermines government transparency and accountability, often operating in obscurity, thereby hindering development, fostering public mistrust, favoring political insiders, and allowing narrow interests to override broader city goals.