Local government in texas – Flashcards
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What is the primary type of tax used to fund local government in texas
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property tax
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how many counties exist in texas?
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254
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what is the term of office for elected positions in county government (sheriff, county clerk, etc
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4 year term
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in a council manager form of municipal government the city manager is
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appointed by city council
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approximately how many special purpose district governments exist in texas?
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more than 3300
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identify at least two types of special purpose district governments
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ISD's- independent school districts MUD's- Municipal utility districts
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Do special district governments have taxing authority?
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Yes-set property tax rate
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What is a COG(Council of government)
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Regional bodies that exist throughout the US
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Why have COG's been formed
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Created in 1965 to comply with federal mandates regarding regional planning
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Do COG's have taxing authority?
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No tax authority
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Local Government in Texas
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More than 4,700 local units of government exist in Texas
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Three major kinds of local government in TX
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counties (254) municipalities (more than 1200) special purpose districts (more than 3300)
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Dillon Rule
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all local govt. is a creation of the state state govt. delegates or grants all powers/functions/responsibilities of local govt. no local govt. has sovereign powers from John Forrest Dillon who served as a U.S. Circuit Court judge from 1869-1879 and author of a book titled Municipal Corporations (1872
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County Government
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Serves as administrative arm of the state administer elections maintain vital records secures right-of-ways for state highways Limited taxing power No ordinance making power
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County Government
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Texas constitution mandates basic structure of county government
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Elected positions are:
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Commissioners Court (county judge and four county commissioners) County Clerk/District Clerk County Attorney/District Attorney Tax Assessor-Collector/Treasurer Sheriff/Constables County Court-at-Law Judge/Justice of the Peace
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Elected officials in county government
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serve 4 year term of office elected in partisan elections held in November of even numbered years
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Commissioners Court
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County Judge: Joe King Commissioner Precinct 1: Dude Payne(lake jackson,clute,freeport) Commissioner Precinct 2: Matt Sebesta-Angleton Commissioner Precinct 3: Jack Harris-Alvin Commissioner Pct 4: Larry Stanley-brazoria
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County Clerk
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Joyce Hudman
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Tax Assessor-Collector
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Ro'Vin Garrett
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General Law Cities- more of these
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all cities with a population under 5,000 some cities with a population over 5,000 allowed to exercise only those powers specifically granted to it by the legislature more than 800 general law cities in Texas
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Home Rule Cities-more flexibility
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cities over 5,000 pop. have the option to become a home rule city requires adoption of a charter by voters charter cannot conflict with the U.S. Constitution, the state constitution, or federal and state statutes
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Home Rule Cities
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began in Missouri in 1875 more than 300 home rule cities in Texas
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Mayor-Council-traditional model
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over 900 cities in Texas mostly "general law" cities two varieties of mayor-council form: weak mayor and strong mayor
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Council-Manager
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most "home rule" cities almost 300 cities in Texas
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Commission
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once popular, no Texas cities use it now
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Mayor-Council (Weak Mayor) dont really have power-smaller towns(face of the town)
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mayor shares authority with city council and other elected officials mayor has little independent control over city policy or administration mayor has little appointment power mayor has limited budgetary powers
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Mayor-Council (Weak Mayor)
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developed in early 1800s diffuses power so no one person possesses too much power lines between legislative and executive functions are blurred
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Mayor-Council (Strong Mayor)- bigger cities--like houston, new york, etc
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mayor in charge of the city's executive branch of government America's largest cities (including Houston) tend to have strong mayor-council form of government mayor has appointment (and dismissal) power for city department heads (hire and fire) mayor has significant budgetary powers
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Council-Manager (can have a mayor but he doesnt run the city or town)more urban society
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developed in early 1900s in Virginia Amarillo first city in Texas to adopt in 1913 most popular form of city government across the country (although a distant second behind mayor-council in Texas)
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Council-Manager
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council hires a professional city manager to run daily operations council develops policy, approves budget, raises revenues (taxes), borrows money, and provides oversight for city departments and programs civil service personnel system used (city workers hired & fired based on merit)
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Council-Manager
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no two council-manager cities are exactly alike in structure (city charter defines structure) size of council can vary method of council election can vary (city-wide, single member district, some combination) method of mayor selection can vary (mayor may be elected or chosen by the council from its members) mayor's participation on council can vary (may or may not be able to cast vote on council)
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Commission
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developed in Galveston after 1900 hurricane disaster commissioners elected to serve as head of city departments collectively, commission sets policy while individual commissioners run their departments (blurring legislative & executive functions
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Most city officials
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elected in non-partisan elections held in May (Houston holds city elections in Nov. of odd number years) serve a 2 year term of office (some cities have term limits while others do not)
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Special Purpose Districts
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Units of local government that provide a single or a few closely related services not provided by county or municipal govt. ISDs (independent school districts) are the best known type of special district govt. more than 1000 in TX MUDs (municipal utility districts) are numerous, especially in southeast Texas also hospital districts
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Special Purpose Districts
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An elected board develops policy sets property tax rate appoints an administrator to run daily operations
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Financing Local Government
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Property tax major source of revenue Cities and MUDs recoup some expenses (water/wastewater/garbage collection) through monthly billing for service State & federal govt. provide funds for some programs Borrowing for long-term infrastructure bonds approved by voters
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Councils of Government (COG)
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Created in 1965 to comply with federal mandates regarding regional planning COGs operate in geographically defined areas of the state with local units of government as members (counties, cities, special districts) 24 regional COGs in TX COGs do not have taxing authority
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general bond
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a bond issued by a state or city and backed by general tax revenue and the issuer's credit.
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revenue bond
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a bond issued, as by a municipal utility, to finance a specific project, the income from which will be used for repaying the bond.
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At-large elections
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is a designation for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body (for example, a city, state or province, nation, club or association), rather than a subset of that membership
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city charter or town charter
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is a legal document (charter) establishing a municipality such as a city or town
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District Elections
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The jurisdication is divided into districts, and one member is elected from each district
