Local Government Serving the People
Public Safety Includes police and fire protection, animal control, traffic regulation, building codes Police, firefighters, and inspectors all require special training
Public Works Take care of the basic facilities-roads, water and sewer lines, storm drainage Must determine what to do with food and other garbage -landfill -burn -recycle
Public Utilities Include: waterworks, sewage treatment plants, electric and gas companies -laying and repairing pipes for water and sewer fall under public works, but operating the plants is the job of public utilities
Community Development -Divides the community into zones. -Each zone has a designated use: -residential (homes) -commercial (businesses) -industrial (factories) -agricultural (farms)
Human Services -Provide hearing and vision tests for students -Spray for mosquitoes -Prevent disease through immunization
Leisure Services -Oldest and most common example are city parks -Public swimming pools -Sports complexes -Libraries
Judicial Services -Running of all county courts and the sheriff’s department -Local courts still connect the people to the state and national system of justice
Record Keeping Keeps internal records for county: -land lots -births/deaths -marriages -taxes on property -voter registration
Costs of Services How much $ did GA cities and counties spend in 2002? $12,000,000,000 What was it used for? To pay workers Buy equipment and supplies Maintenance and utilities for: courts and clinics firehouses and police stations
Two types of income for local governments General Revenue Property, sales, and excise taxes License and permit fees Service charges (fees and fines) Intergovernmental revenues Largest source for counties Enterprise Revenue Services that generate revenue from users Public utilities Largest source for cities
Two types of property that can be taxed Real PropertyPersonal Property
State sales tax = 4% Here in Cherokee county we currently pay 6% in sales tax -1% tax for education -1% special-purpose local option sales tax for transportation
Excise Taxes Levied on the use of a product or service -alcoholic beverages tax -tax on lodging bills for hotels and motels -tax on insurance premium
Service Charges Money collected from a parking meter is called a user fee Money collected because the driver lets the meter expire is called a fine
Two solutions to increasing expenditures with decreased revenues Privatization Local government may contract with private business to deliver a service Garbage collection Building maintenance Joint Services Cities and counties may combine efforts to provide a service Police Fire *consolidation