Danville's city government is led by a mayor & aldermen. The mayor and aldermen are elected by the registered voters of Danville. Danville is divided into seven geographical areas called wards, with two council members elected from each ward. Council members represent the special concerns of the people in their wards as well as the entire city. The mayor's position is full time; aldermen serve part-time.

The mayor presides over City Council meetings and votes only in cases of a tie on all City Council business. He appoints members to serve on City boards and commissions with the consensus of the Council. The mayor and City Council set policy, enact laws, and authorize all expenditures of city monies. These elected officials serve four-year overlapping terms.

City government is made up of many departments: public affairs, public works, parks, finance, development services, and the fire and police departments.

Danville Fire Department has four fully equipped fire stations located throughout the City of Danville with four fire engines, one ladder truck, one light/heavy rescue vehicle, one mobile command unit, one special service truck, and one special response bus. Danville Fire Department responds to approximately 2,700 alarms each year covering approximately 17.5 square miles.

Serving the residents within the limits of the City of Danville, Danville Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency with three divisions, criminal investigations, patrol, and technical services. The department has an authorized strength of approximately 70 police officers including the chief of police, lieutenants, sergeants, and street officers.

Many of the officers serve on special units in addition to their normal assignments. These units include the emergency response unit, canine unit, elderly services officer unit, and bicycle unit. During the summer months, the department operates the Friendly Town Traffic Education Center located in Lincoln Park. Through close supervision, the children learn traffic safety, personal, and fire safety. Officers are also available throughout the year for talks to community, church or civic groups on a variety of topics. Each year, the department also conducts a Citizen's Police Academy which allows members of the community to participate in a forum to learn about their police department.

Vermilion County operates under a township form of government. The nineteen townships hold various responsibilities, from road and drainage upkeep to senior transportation and food pantry programs.

A board of 27 members oversees the county government's operations. The county is broken up into nine different regional districts; three people represent each district. The board is responsible for adopting all ordinances, establishing departmental budgets and levying taxes. The county includes service for county highways, the health department, recycling program, VMEG (regional drug enforcement group), county-run nursing home and animal shelter, county courthouse, sheriff's department and adult jail/juvenile detention center. The county board chairman also serves as the chief executive officer of the Workforce Investment Board, the body which oversees how state and federal employment training dollars are spent in the county.

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