Transcript Civics 10 Chapter 9

Civics 10
Chapter 9
Local Governments
Local Governments
• Definition: Units of government found with a state.
Examples: counties, cities (municipal), townships
• Statistics: 1 national government, 50 state
governments. Numbers vary greatly from state to
state. Why?
Example: Illinois 6,600 Hawaii 18
• Authority: Local government’s powers are set by the
state governments. This is called Unitary Authority
(states don’t share powers
• National and State Governments do share power. This
is called _________________?
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
•
Services: What do local governments do for us?
Police
Fire Protection
Settle Conflicts (courts)
Public Education
Utilities
Health/Welfare
Recreation/Park- Rec
Run cultural Centers
Garbage/Sewer/Water
Other things to remember:
A. Services provided at local level depend on:
population/location/climate, natural resources available
B. Local governments reflect customs/traditions, goals and
values of the citizens they share.
County Governments
• Largest unit of local government
• Louisiana has parishes/Alaska has boroughs
• Connecticut & Rhode Island don’t have county
governments
• Counties serve as administrative centers for most
states
• County seat is where the county business is
conducted.
– Examples: drivers license, marriage, divorce, court
hearings, etc.
• Trivia:
-San Bernadino County (southern California) is
the largest county in the US in area (20,102 sq
miles)
-Los Angeles County is the largest in
population (9.8 million)
-Most counties have less than 50,000 people
3,024 county governments in the US
Delaware has the fewest with 3
Texas has the most with 254
Minnesota has ______ counties
• Services
1. Helps collect property and state taxes
2. Carry out welfare services
3. Handle elections- set up polls, prepare ballots,
etc.
4. Law Enforcement- County Sherriff’s Department
5. Court
6. Jails
7. Repair roads
8. Supervise schools
9. Record keeping
• Structure
County Board: citizens are elected by the people of
the county to carry out county business.
Membership: (10-100 which depends on the
county’s size)
Authority:
Legislative- make laws called ordinances
Example: zoning ordinance, building permits,
feed lots
Executive- carry out ordinances
Manager- carry out programs created by the
county board.
Townships
• The primary unit of local government for an
unincorporated territory within a rural area.
• It is the most democratic form of government
in America today (People play a direct roleNew England Towns)
• Township level of government is known as
“Grassroots” government- meaning it is the
lowest level or closest to home
Townships in MN
• MN is divided into 87 counties
• Each county is divided into townships
(Number of townships vary county to county)
LeSueur County has 16 townships
• Each township is divided into sections
• Each section is 640 acres or 1 sq mile
• Land measurement
1 section= 640 acres
1/2 section= 320 acres
1/4 section= 160 acres
1/8 section= 80 acres
1/16 section= 40 acres
640 acres
160 acres
320 acres
80 acres
40
acres
Special Districts
• Carry out a service that citizens want but are not provided
by other area governments
Example: flood control, soil and water conservation,
waste disposal, school districts
• Most numerous of all government units (over 44,000)
• School District
1. Board of Education (elected officials or appointed)- they hire
teachers, maintain school grounds, etc.
2. Superintendent (hired)
3. Administration- Principal (hired)
*In 1957 there were 67,000 school districts/today fewer than
16,025. Why the decrease? Advantages/Disadvantages
Municipalities
• Urban area governed by the local governmental unit
Examples:
1. cities- largest populations (New York City has 8
million people)
2. towns
These are smaller
3. villages
in population size
4. boroughs
• Municipalities meet certain needs of their citizens:
police, fire, electric and water service, public
transportation, street maintenance, park and
recreation
• How are new municipalities established? The
process is called incorporation. The reason they
are formed is population growth.
• Process:
1. Petition
2. Election- enough voters must agree to form the
municipal government
3. Prepare a Charter- name of the municipality,
boundaries, organizational structure, powers
Home Rule: the state allows the people of an
area to write their own charter but they must
follow state laws (example- speed limits)
3 Forms of City (Municipal) Government
A. Mayor-Council Government (most common)
1. Mayor is the executive (similar to president?)
elected position. Works with the state and
national leaders, spokesperson for the city.
Term is 2-4 years.
2. City Council is the legislative body
(Congress?). Makes laws, develops new projects
(roads, parks, etc) 6 or fewer members. Larger
cities have more. Most are elected- one from
each ward…( a geographical section of a city)
• Mayor Council Continued
3. Weak Mayor Plan- mayor has limited
powers. City council has most of the power. It
works best in smaller towns.
4. Strong Mayor Plan- mayor has full
executive authority. Full veto power, plays a
major part in budget planning, etc. It works
best in large cities like Chicago.
B. Council/Manager Government
1. Citizens elect a city council, the council
then hires a manager to care for day to day
business operations.
2. Duties:
- Appoints department heads and other
leaders
- Prepares budget
- Council may fire the manager if they’re not
satisfied with performance
(Dallas, Fort Worth TX)
C. Commission Government (least common)
1. Citizens elect city leaders (usually 3-7)
2. Board of Commissioners handle both
legislative and executive duties. Each
commissioner heads one or more
departments
Examples: police, health, finance, fire
(Galveston, TX has a commission type
government)