 The city receives heavy winter snow totaling from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.Nagano has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 39 members.The city and neighboring towns of Shinano, Iizuna, and Ogawa contribute 11 members to the 57-member Nagano Prefectural Assembly.