Local Governments
Local Government Counties (each with a county seat) Municipalities – cities, towns, villages, all incorporated with a charter All municipalities have the ability to expand or annex more land into their boundaries Both have legislative and executive branches, some have judicial too
Types of Municipal Government Mayor-Council Form Very common 2 types - strong and weak mayor
Weak Mayor Strong Mayor Strong executive powers Veto power for ordinances (city laws) Creates budget Appoints officials Smaller towns Authority is limited Presides over city council meetings and votes in a tie
Council-Manager Form Mostly in suburbs City manager holds executive powers – not mayor Manager is appointed and not affiliated with a political party
Commission Form Commissioners elected Oversee certain functions— police, fire, finance, health, public works Meet to form policies— legislators and executives (no separation of powers) Choose mayor from among themselves
Public Services of Local Governments Police Department Fire Department Water/Sewer Parks Garbage Road Construction
City v. Town No set definition or qualifications for either A city is usually differentiated from a town by Population Importance Existence of an urban core
Local Government New York City (20 million) Los Angeles (13.1 million) Metropolis: area composed of a larger city and its suburbs; More than 50,000 New York City (20 million) Los Angeles (13.1 million) Chicago (10 million) Houston (7 million) Dallas (7.5 million) Washington, D.C. (6.2 million)
Local Government Special District: unit of local government that controls a specific function and may overlap cities Example – School districts
Statute v. Ordinance Statute: law written by the state Ordinance: law passed by local government Example: Wake Forest has a noise ordinance, 9am-9pm: 60 dB, 9pm- 9am: 50 dB $100 fine for first offense
Sheriff v. Police Sheriff: operates county jail, provides law enforcement for unincorporated parts of a county Police: employees of the city and provide law enforcement to that city
Town of Wake Forest 1909 the North Carolina General Assembly rechartered Town of Wake Forest and granted permission to sell bonds to build a generator and an electric system
Town of Wake Forest 2000 Census 12,588 People Currently 45,000
Questions on Town of Wake Forest Directions: Complete the questions provided using the following website: https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/