City Council president Richard Conlin will announce new committee assignments for the 2010 council (featuring new council members Mike O'Brien and Sally Bagshaw) in the next few days, but PubliCola has a preview. Committee assignments determine which council members control which areas of city government; veteran council members typically head up powerful committees like land use and transportation, while newbies get stuck with the leftovers (this year, public utilities and parks.)

Caveat: Things can change (in 2006, infighting between factions favoring Richard Conlin and Jean Godden led to the unlikely council presidency of Nick Licata), so nothing's final until the council says it is. That said, here's what we're hearing for next year:

Jean Godden will keep control of the finance and budget committees, which she's chaired for the last two years.

Richard Conlin, who currently chairs the environment, emergency management, and utilities committee, will take on a new committee overseeing sustainability ("sustainable communities"), the environment, intergovernmental relations, economic development, and the library. It's unusual for a council president to take on so many subject areas, but Conlin says his committee is "the opposite of a power grab."

"I'm taking all the leftovers. I don't have any of the major departments," Conlin says. However, several council members did express interest in overseeing the library and the Office of Economic Development, which deals with economic recovery.

Bruce Harrell, who initially expressed an interest in taking over parks, will instead keep control of the energy (City Light) committee—a decision he made during the dispute over electric rates last week. Nick Licata had expressed interest in taking over the energy committee.

Sally Bagshaw, elected to replace Jan Drago this year, will get the parks committee.

Tom Rasmussen will move over to the transportation committee, which was most recently chaired by Drago.

Nick Licata—who, as mentioned above, wanted the City Light committee—will instead head up a new committee focusing on human services, housing, and culture.

Tim Burgess, a two-year incumbent, will stick with public safety and education.

Mike O'Brien, elected to replace Richard McIver, will head up a new committee focused on Seattle Public Utilities (water, sewer, and drainage) and the Department of Neighborhoods.

Sally Clark will continue to lead the planning and land use committee.

In other council news, the council had a press conference at noon today to announce its changes to next year's city budget, which I covered in detail last week.