1. Ch. 13 s. 2 Parish/ County Governments # 24

2. Parish/County States are divided up into counties or parishes. They are political subdivisions of the state. Counties vary greatly in population and land area County Seat-- They have parish or county courthouses which are the center of parish government. (Covington, LA) Parishes have their version of the 3 branches of government too.

4. http://louisiana.gov/Government/Parish_StTa mmany/ parish http://louisiana.gov/Government/Parish_StTa mmany/ http://www.stpgov.org/ local http://www.stpgov.org/

5. St. Tammany Parish Executive Branch PATRICIA P. BRISTER - PARISH PRESIDENT CONTACT P.O. Box 628 Covington, LA 70433 (985) 898-2362 (985) 898-5237 askpat@stpgov.org askpat@stpgov.org

6. St. Tammany Parish Executive The sheriff is the county’s chief law enforcement officer. The sheriff’s department, including deputies and jailers, enforces court orders and manages the county jail.

7. St. Tammany Parish Legislative Branch St. Tammany Parish Council. They pass ordinances (laws) covering the general welfare, health, peace and good order of the parish. They also manage parish affairs according to the U.S., Louisiana, and Parish Constitution.

8. http://www.stpgov.org/ government/st- tammany-parish-council http://www.stpgov.org/ government/st- tammany-parish-council Other members of the council 2014-2015

9. St. Tammany Parish Judicial Branch The district attorney, the county’s prosecutor, investigates crimes, brings charges, and prosecutes cases in court. The coroner tries to establish the cause of unusual deaths.

10. http://www.22ndjd.org/2015%20Court%20Cal endar.pdf court calendar http://www.22ndjd.org/2015%20Court%20Cal endar.pdf

11. The county clerk keeps government records and supervises elections. The assessor estimates the worth of taxable property.

12. The treasurer supervises county funds, makes payments, and may serve as tax collector. The auditor supervises the treasurer’s work to make sure that no county money is spent without the board’s approval. In most places, parish/county governments are important. They provide water, sewer, and sanitation services, operate hospitals, police departments, and mass transit systems.