1. Warm up Who is Anthony Foxx? Who is our county commissioner for Mecklenburg County? What are some tax-payer supported services that are provided for Charlotte residents?

2. Unit 4 Local Government

3. I. Counties A.Gov’t Structure 1.Largest subdivision in NC (100 counties in NC) 2.County seat- center of gov’t

4. 3.County commissioners- governing legislature a.Elected by voters b.Pass ordinances- laws passed by local gov’t c.Support public schools 4.School board- determine educational policy a.Superintendent- executive of school system

5. B.Other county elected officials 1.Sheriff- runs jail, county law enforcement 2.Clerk- registers documents 3.Treasurer- keeps and manages county funds 4.District attorney- prosecutes criminal cases 5.Assessor- sets property values, taxes 6.Coroner- (Medical Examiner) investigates suspicious deaths

6. II. Municipalities A.Creating municipalities 1.Municipalities- smaller units of gov’t (cities, towns, villages) 2.Each city, town, village incorporated into state a.Have a charter- basic rules of gov’t b.Rights given by state

7. 3.Cities expand borders through annexation- adding to city limits 4.Zoning- divide a city into zones (residential, commercial, industrial) 5.Metropolitan areas- cities and the areas around them (ex: Charlotte, Matthews, Concord, etc)

8. B.Government structure 1.City council- local legislature 2.Mayor- elected chief executive 3.Council-Manager form of city gov’t a.Strong city council b.Mayor is chairman of council, mostly ceremonial duties c.City manager hired by council for day- to-day gov’t operations d.City council makes laws

9. 4.Mayor-Council form of city gov’t a.Mayor is strong, not a member of council, runs gov’t b.City council makes laws c.Model for large cities d.Cities like Chicago & NYC, not Charlotte

10. C. Local Revenue Sources a.Municipal Bonds- loans issued by state and local gov’ts to build highways, libraries, parks, schools, etc 1.may raise taxes to pay back 2.voters vote on bonds b.Sales Tax- primary state tax (4.5% in NC) + 2.75% in Mecklenburg County 1.easy to collect, dependable 2.regressive- people pay same amount c.Federal Grants-in-Aid –federal money for local projects; ex: light rail

11. Civics 3.08-9 “Revenues, Taxes, and Expenditures” (ch. 13.3)

12. I. Revenue Sources A.Federal Grants-in-Aid- federal money goes to state and local governments (usually for specific projects) B.Intergovernmental Revenue- money from one level of gov’t to another (federal-state, state- county or city)

13. C.Municipal Bonds- loans issued by state and local gov’ts to build highways, libraries, parks, schools, etc 1.may raise taxes to pay back 2.voters vote on bonds

14. D.Other sources 1.Fees- developers to use local service, use of utilities 2.Fines- punishment for violations 3.Licenses- grant permission (hunt, marriage, etc) 4.Permits- grant permission (construction project) 5.Tolls- roads, bridges 6.Lotteries- most states allow

15. II. Taxes A.Sales Tax- primary state tax (4.5% in NC) + 2.75% in Mecklenburg County 1.easy to collect, dependable 2.regressive- people pay same amount B.State Income Tax- income of individuals and corporations 1.progressive- more income, higher percentage

16. C.Property Tax- biggest source of local money 1.real property- land, buildings, etc 2.personal property- cars, boats, jewelry D.Excise Taxes E.Estate Tax

17. III. Expenditures A.NC is legally required to have a balanced budget B.Education- most expensive expenditure 1.local taxes provide much funding 2.states set curricula, graduation req., pay for teachers

18. B.Public Safety- law enforcement and corrections system C.Highways and Roads- speed limits, licenses, inspections D.Other- Gov’t buildings, hospitals, libraries, parks