Ordinance is the means by which Secretaries instruct the organization and functioning of public services.

According to the Brazilian constitution, the municipal government is obligated to provide children's education, urban transportation, city planning (including maintenance, lighting and cleaning), and is the level of government primarily responsible for health.

The municipal government is not responsible for security, criminal law, prisons, social security benefits and electoral reform.

There are a number of social and economic subdivisions of the prefeitura, which either belong to the municipal government or a partner with it.

The Prefeitura is an expansive and wide-ranging organization, responsible for the formation of laws and distribution of resources, as well as the social, cultural and environmental development of the city.