1. Chapter 9 Section 1 (pgs. 228-230) Units of Local Government
Essential Question:
How are city and county governments similar and different?

2. Establishing Local Governments (pg.228)
Citizens are affected the most by the most local government
Powers Come from the State (pg.228)
States use their own constitutions to set local governments
Local governments operate in units known as a municipality
Municipality: a unit of local government that is incorporated by the state and has a large degree of self-government
Examples of municipalities includes cities, towns, county, villages, townships, parishes, boroughs, counties, etc.
The Need for Local Government (pg.228)
Local governments provide services to make the areas population daily lives easier.
Those services can be collecting taxes, supervising elections, enforcing ordinances, police and fire protection, correctional facilities, libraries, health care, welfare, clean water, street cleaning, bus and subway transportation, sewage systems, local roads and rail lines, recreational parks, etc.
The largest type of local government is a city
City: the largest type of municipality
Q: What are the services local governments provide?

3. County Governments (pg.229)
The highest level of local governments are county governments
County: a subdivision of state government formed to carry out state laws, collect taxes, and supervise elections
County governments are usually the largest type of local government unless there’s a major city
Some county and city governments are combined into one legislative body.
Ex. Jacksonville, Fl./ Duval County
Elect officials from local governments legislative bodies
These groups are refer to as county commissioners, county board, board of commissioners, county court, board of county supervisors, etc.
County governments’ executive branch supervises county business and services
If the county has a single executive leader, they’re usually called the county manager or county executive
Most counties have no single executive leader
Instead, the county elects citizens or have their legislative body appoint citizens to fulfill department positions in their executive branch
Some common county department positions include county sheriff, county clerk, county treasure, county auditor, county coroner, and county prosecutor aka district attorney
Sheriff: the chief law-enforcement official in some county governments
County sheriffs usually only enforce the laws in areas of the county that aren’t incorporated
Q: What are the basic structures of county governments?

4. Governments Work Together (pg.230)
Local governments must be approved by the state
The duties of government officials are usually outlined in a charter
Charter: a basic plan of government granted by state legislatures to local governments (local government’s constitution)
Local governments often attempt to fulfill their responsibility of making their community better places to live by having their legislative body pass ordinances
Ordinances: regulations that govern a local government unit (local government’s laws)
Local governments assist with the state and federal government by supervising elections for state and federal government positions
Why must state and local governments cooperate?

5. Chapter 9 Section 2 pgs.231-233 Towns, Township, and Village Governments
Essential Question:
What are some different types of local governments in lesser populated areas?

6. Town Government (pgs.230-231)
Town: a unit of local government, usually larger than a village and smaller than a city
Towns usually consist of churches, homes, a few buildings, and surrounding farmlands
Townspeople typically elect 3-5 offices to manage the town’s affairs
Historically towns often govern themselves through a simple, yet effective practice known as a town meeting
Town Meeting: a form of government in which all citizens meet regularly to discuss town issues
Town Meeting’s are a form of direct democracy since it allows everyone in the to participate in the discussion
After discussion, town meetings often hold on an immediate vote on new ideas
In what kind of community does a town meeting work well?

7. Townships and Special Districts (pgs.232-233)
Some states divide land into subdivisions units when the area population is smaller than a town
Two common types of subdivisions are townships and special districts
Townships exist in some states, Special Districts exist in every state
Townships (pg.232)
Township: a unit of local government, usually larger than a village and smaller than a city
In population size, townships a very similar to towns. However, the population is disperse over a larger geographical area
Townships most often use a representative democracy governing system due to the greater distance
Special Districts (pg.233)
Certain areas where people live require specific and particular needs
In such cases, the state establish a special district for the area’s particular need or needs
Special District: a unit of local government set up to provide a particular service
The needs varies, but could be fire protection, parks and rec centers, hospitals, public transportation, sewage disposal, water management, etc.
School District are often consider as a special district by researches for various factors including the learning style and background knowledge strengths and weaknesses in different areas
Why do school districts qualify as special districts?

8. Village and Borough Governments (pg. 233)
Rural communities (farming communities) might establish a village or borough government when their population grows usually to 200 or more
Villages and boroughs have the same powers and can provide the same services as local government units
Villages and boroughs are known to have the smallest legislative and executive branches of local government
Why does an increase in population require the formation of a government?

9. Chapter 9 Section 3 pgs. 234-237 City Government
Essential Question:
What are the similarities and differences in the forms of city government?

10. Home Rule Organization (pg.234)
A city is generally the largest type of municipality
Cities can vary from a hundreds to millions of citizens
Traditionally cities, received their powers (charter and authority) from the state legislature
Today, more cities are being granted home rule
Home Rule: the power of a city to write its own municipal charter and to manage its own affairs
Usually, it is written by a group of city elected officials and approve by city voters
City citizens can amend this type of charter without needing state approval Does home rule strengthen or weaken local governments?

11. Forms of City Government (pg.235-237)
City governments manage various responsibilities that could include providing residents education, health, safety, transportation systems, sanitation, water supplies, police and fire protection, etc.
Today, there are 4 common styles of city government charters: 1) mayor-council, 2) strong- mayor, 3) commission, 4) council-manager
Mayor-Council Government (pg.235)
It is the oldest and most common form of city government
The type of city government has a city council and mayor
City Council: the lawmaking body of a city
Mayor: the chief executive of a city government
In a mayor-council government, usually the city is divided into sections often called wards
The residents within each ward elect one representative for them in the city council
The mayor is usually elected by city residents (popular vote)

12. Forms of City Government (pg.235-237)
Mayor-Council Government (pg.235)
Weak-Mayor Plan (pg.235)
A type of mayor-council city government plan where the city council has equal or more power than the mayor
The mayor has equal voting power as the council members
Ex. The council appoints city department leaders
Ideal to ensure no one government official abuses their powers
Strong-Mayor Plan (pg.235)
The mayor has more power than the city council
Often, the mayor has veto voting power
More common recently, the mayor has primary responsibility for running the city’s government
Ex. The mayor appoints most city department leaders
More efficient than a weak-mayor format

13. Forms of City Government (pg.235-237)
Commission Government (pg.237)
City government by a commission
Commission: a local government body that has both legislative and executive powers
First used in 1900
Usually consists of 3-9 officials known as commissioners
Each commissioner is the head/leader of a city department
Disadvantages: finding a commissioner with suitable expertise to run a city department and commissioners disagree on which department should manage multiple jurisdiction activities and budgets
Council-Manager Government (pg. 237)
It’s a commission city government plan with a city manager added
City voters elect the city council members, aka the commissioners
The city council members appoint the city manager
The city manager is the city’s chief executive who appoints city department heads
The city manager can remove department heads from office
The city council can remove the city manager from office
What are the types of city government, and how are they different?

14. Chapter 9 Section 4 pgs.239-242 How Governments Work Together
Essential Question:
What are some ways that the three levels of U.S. government work together?

15. Governments Work Together pg.239-241
By requiring local governments charters to agree with the state constitutions that must agree with the U.S. Constitutions, all levels of government in the U.S. Federal System are ensure the powers to do their jobs
Building Roads Together (pg.240)
A good example of all three levels of government working together are the nation’s roads
Funds from all three levels of government are use to build roads in every state and most counties
State government largely help out building roads to connect counties
Ex. State Roads, State Highways, the Florida Turnpike
Federal government largely help out building roads to connect states (these must travel through state counties)
Ex. U.S. Highways, U.S Interstate
City Governments Work Together (pg.241)
Cities often work together to solve problem regarding safety, pollution, etc.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors meets regularly to discuss problems and possible solutions for city based problems
How is the road system an example of cooperation between state and federal government?

16. Governments Cooperate to Serve the Public (pg.241)
Public education is one of most important areas in which governments work together
State governments fund and serve their communities and districts educational needs
Local governments manage the daily operations of their schools
Federal Government Programs (pg.241)
The federal government gets state and local governments to cooperate by providing funds like grant-in-aids, block grants, etc. for important programs
Grant-In-Aids: federal funds given to state and local governments for specific projects
These projects are supervised by the federal government. Governments receiving these funds must meet certain standards and conditions
Block Grants: federal funds given to state and local governments for board purposes
Governments receiving these funds must establish a spending plan and report expenditures
State and Local Governments (pg. 242)
State governments often require businesses use good business practices through state laws
They ensure qualified professional workers through state licensing boards
What are some other ways that different levels of government cooperate?

17. Governments in Competition (pg.242)
All three levels of governments compete against each other for citizens tax dollars
States and cities compete against each other for industries and trade
What are some of the areas in which government compete?