Counties, towns, Townships, and cities

Counties a major unit of local government in most States vary widely in area and population

Examples In Virginia: In California In Georgia: In Massachusetts York Gloucester Roanoke In Georgia: Fulton Cobb Forsyth In California Fresno Los Angeles Monterey In Massachusetts Nantucket Norfolk Suffolk

Virginia (8,326,289 vs. 318,857,056/US) 95 Counties 39 Independent Cities No city serves or is part of a county Some of the cities were formed from an entire county. These cities are no longer county seats, since the counties ceased to exist once the cities were completely formed, but are functionally equivalent to counties. Largest County in Size: Pittsylvania County at 978 Sq. Mi. Largest City in Size: Suffolk at 400 Sq. Mi. Largest County Population: Fairfax at 1,118,683 (York @ 66,146) Largest City Population: Virginia Beach 448,479

Counties WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A COUNTY? Vary from State to State Share the functions of local government OR Major unit of government for rural areas

Governmental structure of counties A typical county has 4 major elements: a governing body a number of boards or commissions appointed bureaucrats a variety of elected officials A county board is usually known as a board of commissions or board of supervisors

Two types of County boards Board of commissions: Smaller and more common Board of supervisors: Much larger body (15 + members)

Legislative powers of counties Most important legislative power of counties deal with finance. appropriate funds levy taxes incur limited debts

Besides dealing with $, counties also… Keep the peace Build/Repair roads, bridges, drains Maintain jails and correctional facilities Assess property for taxes Maintain schools Enforce Zoning Provide public utilities (water, sewage, trash, etc.) Emergency Services (ambulance, fire, police) Auditoriums and Sports Complex/Arenas

City Planning City Zoning Practice of dividing a city into districts and regulating property uses Residential Commercial Industrial Each zone is then subdivided Ie. Residential zones may be subdivided into single-family, two family, and multifamily units. Determine height and area limits for buildings

City Planning City Zoning York County Zoning Zoning Codes York County Land Use York County Property Information

Townships can be found in NY, NJ, ND, PA, SD, NE, OH and KS different kinds of settlements in different counties, subordinate to county Townships can be found in NY, NJ, ND, PA, SD, NE, OH and KS The layout of townships resemble crazy quilts or perfect squares.

Cities 3 Basic forms of government: Mayor Council – oldest and most commonly used form A Commission Council-Mayor Form

America’s Rural-Urban Shift OVER 75% live in cities & close suburbs Today More than ½ lived in cities 1920’s 2/5 of nation lived in urban areas 1900’s 5.1% Lived in Cities 1790