 Organization of state government (branches)  Taxation  Voter requirements  Legal amount of money the state can spend and borrow  Referendum, recall and initiative provisions  How to amend the constitution

 Governor: John Hickenlooper  Lieutenant Governor: Joe Garcia  30 years old  Colorado resident for 2 years  4 year term (2 terms max)

 Appoints and removes office holders  Special sessions  State of the state address  Pardons, stays of execution, and commutations  Extradition  Commands the National Guard  Party leader  Budget  Vetoes and approves bills  Ceremonial functions

SENATE: 35 MEMBERS  25 years old  Qualified voter  Residency in district 1 year before election  4 year term HOUSE: 65 MEMBERS  25 years old  Qualified voter  Residency in district 1 year before election  2 year term

 6 associate justices; 1 chief justice  Qualified voter  Licensed to practice law 5 years before governor’s appointment  10 year term; appointed by governor, approved by Senate  Must run on a non-partisan ballot for another term  Mandatory retirement age

Colorado Supreme Court Colorado also has seven divisions of water court Colorado Courts of Appeal District and County Courts (District Attorneys) Lower State Courts Municipal, Traffic, Juvenile, Small Claims, Domestic Relations

Welcome to Colorado Springs!

 County: Most states are divided into counties. They are a major unit of local government, created by the state itself  Townships: Some counties are divided into townships. Counties and township share local government responsibilities

 Special District: Created to perform a specific function, like school districts, water districts, fire protection, etc.

 Incorporation: State establishes a city as a legal body; residents want services; 80% of Americans live in cities or suburbs  Charter: like a “constitution” for a city  Boundaries, outlines the form of government  Metropolitan areas: areas that surround cities (like suburbs)

 Population: 418,076 (2010)  Median Age: 33.6  Median Income: $51,227 (household)  Unemployment rate: 8.0 (2009), 4.3% (2007)  Average price of a home: $267,000  Serious crimes per thousand: 45 (national average is 54 for similar sized cities)  Days of sunshine:300  Inches of rain:17.4

 Oldest and most widely used  Elected mayor and elected council  Strong Mayor  Mayor has veto power, hires and fires, makes policy decisions  Weak Mayor  Duties are shared  Defects:  Heavily dependent on the mayor, mayors and councils could have disputes, complex

 Strong council elected “at large”  Weak mayor chosen by voters  City manager, appointed by council, is the chief administrative officer  Defects:  Not democratic because the city manger is not elected  No strong policy leadership; worse in larger cities that have competing interests

 3-9 Commissioners are elected  They form the council, pass ordinances, control the budget  They head different department of the city;  Police, fire, parks, finance, etc.  Defects:  Too many chiefs/lack of one executive  Lack of coordination

 Voters decided to change from a council- manager for to “strong” mayor form.  This began with the mayoral election in April 2011  Council districts were changed as well:

 Colorado Springs Districts Colorado Springs Districts  Mayor: Steve Bach  1: Don Knight  2: Joel Miller  3: Keith King (also Council President)  4: Helen Collins  5: Jill Gaebler  6: Andy Pico  At large: Merv Bennet  At large: Jan Martin  At large: Val Snyder

 You are now going to create a city  Rule 1: All structure must be uniform in size  Rule 2: All structures must be connected by roads to the main highway in some way  Rule 3: Once you build it, you may not tear it down  There will be ten “rounds.” In each round, you will be required to build more structures in your city  You may improve your city as you wish

5” from right 6” from bottom Draw a highway After you draw your highway, add a natural feature to your land, such as mountains, a river, a lake, etc. The land feature should not take up more than ¼ of your page.

 Round One: Build your house and any improvements you would like to have  Round Two:  Five Houses  One Apartment  One Sewage Plant  One Shopping center

 Round Three  Ten Houses  One Church (any denomination )  One School  Round Four  15 Houses  One Factory  One Office

 Round Five  20 Houses  One Apartment Building  One Shopping Center  One Police and Fire Station  Round Six  25 Houses  One Apartment Building  One School  One Hospital

 Round Seven  30 Houses  One Shopping Center  One School  One Office Building  Round Eight  30 Houses  One Apartment Building  One Factory  One Office Building

 Round Nine  40 Houses  One Apartment Building  One Sewage Plant  One Church  Round Ten  50 Houses  One Apartment Building  One Shopping Center  One Office  Totals:  Houses: 226  Apartments: 6  Sewage: 2  Shops: 4  Churches: 2  Schools: 3  Factories: 2  Offices: 4  Police/Fire: 1  Hospital: 1