Civics 10 Chapter 9 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 6,600Hawaii 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 _________________?

Services: What do local governments do for us? 1.Police 2.Fire Protection 3.Settle Conflicts (courts) 4.Public Education 5.Utilities 6.Health/Welfare 7.Recreation/Park- Rec 8.Run cultural Centers 9.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: ( 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 role- New 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 320 acres 160 acres 80 acres 40 acres 640 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 3. villages 4. boroughs Municipalities meet certain needs of their citizens: police, fire, electric and water service, public transportation, street maintenance, park and recreation These are smaller in population size

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)