City and Township Government Ch. 14 – Sec. 3 Academic Civics

City of Altoona Altoona’s government is even smaller than a county In fact, not all of you may be governed by the city of Altoona Altoona vs. Logan Township Despite having only 45,000 people, Altoona is indeed a city (class-3 city; 10th largest in PA) Cities are governed by city charters – like Constitutions

Home Rule Sometimes, cities don’t get charters from the government. This is called Home Rule Cities must follow state laws but have the ability to design their own charters Advantages: Autonomy and efficiency Disadvantages: Lack of aid and funding from states

Who’s in charge of Altoona? Power is divided between the mayor (executive) and the city council (legislative) to get ordinances passed.

Strong vs. Weak Mayor Strong Mayor Weak Mayor Most of the law-making and enforcing duties are vested in the mayor The mayor is a lot like the president or governor in the other levels of government Mayor submits a budget for the fiscal year Department officials chosen by mayor Weak Mayor Most decisions are made by the city council Ordinances are passed by city council City council chooses department officials, including city manager Mayor serves as a tie-breaking vote This is what we have in Altoona

Council Manager System In Altoona, City Council chooses a city manager, who has most of the city’s executive powers. Running day to day operations of the city In charge of the city’s departments Makes the agenda for city council meetings Makes the city’s budget Altoona’s City Manager: Joseph F. Weakland

Parts of cities Cities (like Altoona) are broken down into smaller wards, which are represented by city council officials, elected by us Think of it like states being represented by senators or representatives Can you name any of Altoona’s wards?

Problems facing Altoona: Crime (drugs, homicide, theft, etc.) Budget and decline in city revenue ($$$) Lower population and declining property tax base Reduction in state and federal funding