1. Towns, Townships, and Villages

2. Town Government Smaller political units than counties (parishes)
Receive their authority from the state governments
Consists of both urban and surrounding rural areas
Some towns have town councils (representative government) that runs the local government

3. New England Town Governments
In the New England States, the town handles the needs of the small communities while the counties are mainly judicial districts
one of the oldest forms of government within the US
Within the New England colonies, colonists met regularly to discuss issues that involved the majority- called town meetings
-majority vote settled any disagreements
-colonists, rather than elected representatives, made all of the decisions
-direct democracy

4. In New England today, town meetings are called once a year where residents discuss what the town should be doing, vote on local ordinances, taxes and the budget
-only useful for broad policy making, because they are held so rarely
-cannot handle the day to day operations of the town
-selectmen are elected by the townspeople to run the local government
-also elect clerks, treasurer, and tax assessors

5. Township Governments
Found mostly in the Midwest, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
In New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania counties are divided into townships (smaller than New England towns)
In the Midwest states, land was divided by Congress into perfectly square blocks, usually six miles wide and long (the township hall was to be within a hours buggy ride for any resident) as the US expanded into the west

6. As settlers moved in, they set up the local governments
Most townships elect a small body called the township committee, board of supervisors, or board of trustees which have legislative responsibilities and oversee the administration of services

7. Village Government Smallest unit of local government
Receive authority from the state government
Government usually consists of a small elected board of trustees
-has the power to collect taxes and spend the money on projects that benefit the village
Some also elect an executive, called the chief burgess, president of the board, or mayor