LOCAL GOVERNMENT
County Governments County: the largest territorial and political subdivision of a state Make sure people have order, protection, and services Run by a county board of commissioners Elected by residents of county Administers statewide programs and makes rules to meet the needs of the citizens of the county
City Government City: a municipal government A municipality is an incorporated place. What does it mean to be incorporated? A place with an officially organized government that provides services to residents Cities are created when residents apply to the state legislature for a city charter. City charter: a document that grants power to a local government A city constitution
City Government Services provided by city governments: Law enforcement Fire protection Street repair Water and sewage systems Garbage pickup Parks and recreation
Mayor-Council Form Power divided between branches Legislative = city council Sets city policy, enacts laws (ordinances), adopts city budget Executive = mayor Represents the city Oversees the operation of administrative offices Appoints the heads of departments Voters elect mayor and city council members Strong-mayor system: mayor has strong executive powers Weak-mayor system: mayor’s authority is limited
Council-Manager Form Voters elect the city council (legislature) Makes policy, adopts ordinances, approves budget City council appoints a city manager Recommends a budget, oversees city departments, deals with personal matters Mayor acts as member and presiding officer of the council Most popular form of city government today.
Commission Form Voters elect 5 commissioners Each commissioner heads a major dept. police, fire, finance, health, public works Commissioners perform executive duties for their particular department. Meet together with legislative powers to pass city ordinances and make policy decisions One commissioner chosen to be ceremonial mayor Not very popular. No one person in charge. New commissioners may not be very familiar with dept. Difficult to resolve disputes between commissioners.
Special Districts A unit of government that deals with a specific function Ex: education, water supply, transportation Most common example: local school district School board: council of a local school district Can be either elected or appointed Help determine educational policy in a city or county Alderman represents city districts and work with the mayor to run city gov’t
Metropolitan Areas A central city and its surrounding suburbs Growth in population and expanding businesses & industry Problems: transportation, pollution control, law enforcement, land-use management
A political unit that is larger than a village and smaller than a city Towns A political unit that is larger than a village and smaller than a city Town meetings popular in New England states
Townships A subdivision of a county Smaller than New England towns but have similar governments Most run by an elected body of officials Have declined in importance due to the growth of cities and counties Townships often work together with county governments to provide local services
Law enforcement Sheriff Chief of Police County’s highest elected law enforcement officer Chief of Police Appointed commanding officer of the city’s police department