Chapter 13 Local Government in Texas

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.

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.

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.

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)

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

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

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

The County Commissioners Court FIGURE 13.1 The County Commissioners Court

Primary Functions of County Government TABLE 13.2 Primary Functions of County Government

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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; www.citypopulation.de/USA-Texas .html; City Charter of the City of Laredo as Amended (2010).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.