1. Chapter 13
Local Government
in Texas

2. Local Government in Texas
Recent scandals involving the Dallas County constables—including the high number of traffic tickets issued and the high number of cars impounded by constables—have raised questions about local government in Texas.

3. Local Government in Texas
Local officials should be easily accountable to the public.
Conditioned upon public and media attention
More time cost to follow local news and politics
Easier to keep informed of higher offices
High volume of national media coverage in virtually all outlets, including local news
In Texas, it is hard to keep a “statewide” point of view as well, due to the size and distinct regions.

4. County Government in Texas
Texas has more than 4,835 local governments.
That is *a lot* of government for a state so much associated with limited and small government.
254 county units
1,209 municipal (cities) units
1,082 school districts
2,291 special districts
Ex.: water, utility, community college, hospital
1. There are certainly more of these special districts, but this list includes those likely most familiar to students.
2. Anyone with access to their property tax bill can see which of these apply to their specific case.
3. Students can go online to various county tax assessor websites to see the range of local taxing government units in different parts of the state.

5. County Government in Texas
More authority in sparsely populated areas
Administer state laws (do little legislation)
Historical origins, began as “municipalities”
1835, 23 municipalities
1836, Republic of Texas changes name to “counties”
1921, there were 254 counties (same as today)

6. County Government in Texas
County commissioners court
Main governing unit of the county
Sets budget and county tax rate
County may not legislate much, but tax rates certainly impact local residents, business, and industry
Composition
One county judge
Four county commissioners

7. Countywide and Precinct-Level Elected Officials
TABLE 13.1 Countywide and Precinct-Level Elected Officials

8. County Government in Texas
County judge
Elected countywide
Four-year terms, no limits
In rural counties, may also serve as actual judge
Most cases is administrator for the county
County commissioners
Elected by geographic districts
Each one-quarter of county

9. The County Commissioners Court
FIGURE 13.1 The County Commissioners Court

10. Primary Functions of County Government
TABLE 13.2 Primary Functions of County Government

11. County Government in Texas
County government responsibilities
Maintain roads, bridges, and county jails
Cover some health care costs for indigent
Large counties maintain public facilities
Libraries, parks, or public hospitals
Assist with natural disaster logistics and costs
Administer all elections in the county
No matter the offices on the ballot, counties are responsible for election administration

12. County Government in Texas
County government responsibilities, staff, and resources vary dramatically
Reflect population and land size differences
Compare
Loving County: pop. 94; size 681 sq. mi.
Harris County: pop. 4.2 million; size 1778 sq. mi.
Medium and small counties vulnerable
Natural disasters, costly trials can exhaust budget
SOURCE: Data from 2010 Census County quick facts.

13. Functions of County Government
Five main functions of county government
Road and bridge construction and maintenance
Law enforcement
Dispute resolution
Record keeping
Social services

14. Functions of County Government
Law enforcement
Sheriff: chief county law enforcement officer
Provide deputies for courthouses
Maintain county jails
County and district courts
Attorneys for county and district
DAs typically handle the more serious crimes.
County prosecutors take less serious cases.
In smaller counties, duties are not split in that fashion.

15. Functions of County Government
County clerks keep records.
Vital stats for county (births, deaths, marriages)
Issue licenses (driving, marriage)
Maintain court records
Record property transactions
Dispute resolution
Justice of the peace, county and district courts resolve civil disputes

16. Functions of County Government
Counties may provide a range of services.
Some of them are a matter of administering federal- and state-funded programs
Nutrition and housing assistance
Health care (including mental health)
Public health monitoring and records
Public parks
Fire and sanitation

17. City Government in Texas
1,209 municipalities in Texas
Municipalities are state creations.
The state can create, merge, or disband them.
Towns with >5,000 residents may apply for “home-rule” status.
City charter recognized by the state
Alternatively, towns may follow the basic rules set out by the state for all municipalities.

18. Municipal Governments in Texas, 2010
TABLE 13.3 Municipal Governments in Texas, 2010
SOURCE: Calculated from www .texasalmanac.com/topics/ government/government.

19. The Largest Home-Rule Cities, 2010
TABLE 13.4 The Largest Home-Rule Cities, 2010
SOURCES: Compiled from Texas Almanac 2006–2007 (Dallas: Dallas Morning News, 2006), 340–64; Texas Almanac 2008–2009 (Dallas: Dallas Morning News, 2008), 8; Texas State Data Center; .html; City Charter of the City of Laredo as Amended (2010).

20. Forms of City Government in Texas
Mayor-council form of city government
City has a mayor and city council
Mayor is elected from city at-large
Council either at-large or single-member districts
Council acts as city legislature
Strong v. weak mayor differences
Personnel: can hire and fire department heads
Budget authority
Degree of power shared with city manager
Clarify that weak-strong mayor distinctions are references to vested authority in city charters, not a comment on individual officeholders.
Weak mayors, like the Texas governor, can be influential and powerful if they use their power of persuasion well.
Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros is a textbook (though not in this textbook) example: the office is weak by definition, yet Cisneros spearheaded the project that is now one of the city’s largest revenue sources, The San Antonio Riverwalk.

21. Forms of City Government in Texas
Council-manager government
Most common in Texas
250 of 291 home-rule cities in the state
City council may select a mayor, or mayor elected
Council hires a city manager to run the city
Manager does not campaign or run for office
Applies for and holds executive public position much like public school superintendents, who are hired by local school boards
The parallel to superintendents may be useful for students: they hold executive public positions, but do not run for office. The job is political, but not in the same way that it is for an individual who runs for office. Professional expertise is essential to getting and keeping position.

22. A Tale of Three Cities
Annise Parker is the current mayor of Houston. She previously served as a member of the city council and as city controller.

23. A Tale of Three Cities
San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, elected in 2009, previously served as a member of the city council. His twin brother, Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) was elected to Congress in 2012, after several terms in the Texas House of Representatives.

24. School board of trustees
School Districts
School board of trustees
Adopts a budget and sets the tax rate
Hires superintendent
Most districts, superintendent hires district personnel
Smallest districts, board may take on those duties
Selects textbooks
Sets school calendar

25. Special Districts
Local government that performs a single service within a limited geographical area
The creation of special districts by developers has sometimes been controversial. Recent investigations have charged developers with abusing the process in order to circumvent inconvenient laws and to give the developers greater control over taxes and other government functions in the district.

26. Municipal utility districts (MUDs) Flood control districts
Nonschool Districts
Municipal utility districts (MUDs)
Provide services to certain areas outside of cities
Flood control districts
Community college districts
Hospital districts
Water districts

27. Councils of Government
Councils of governments (COGs)
Regional planning boards that try to coordinate efforts of local governments
Comprised mostly of elected officials
May include other community members
Deal with issues relevant to several local governments
Make sense in large areas where there are many layers of local government and coordination may be useful

28. Should Texas merge small counties that have very small populations?
Public Opinion Poll
Should Texas merge small counties that have
very small populations?
Yes, too many small governments is not useful and costly to the state.
No, the state should leave them as they are.

29. What is the best form of city government? Council-Manager
Public Opinion Poll
What is the best form of city government?
Council-Manager
Council-Mayor

30. Which do you think is the most important form of
Public Opinion Poll
Which do you think is the most important form of
local government in Texas?
Counties
Cities
Public school districts

31. Should city managers and public school district
Public Opinion Poll
Should city managers and public school district
superintendents be elected?
Yes, they have executive duties and the voters should decide who is best for the job.
No, they should focus their time and attention on city and school responsibilities, not raising money to run for office.

32. Should very large cities be split into several smaller ones?
Public Opinion Poll
Should very large cities be split into several
smaller ones?
Yes, very large cities are too difficult to manage and smaller ones work better.
No, the state should let cities make such choices.