Everything about Local Government In The United States totally explained
Local government in the United States (sometimes referred to as
municipal government) is generally structured in accordance with the laws of the various individual
states. Typically each state has at least two separate tiers:
counties (known in
Louisiana as
parishes and as
boroughs in
Alaska), and
municipalities. In turn there are several different types of municipal government, generally reflecting the needs of different levels of population densities; although the types and nature of these municipal entities varies from state to state, typical examples include the
city,
town, and
village. Many rural areas and even some suburban areas of many states have no municipal government below the county level. In a few states, there's only one level of local government:
Hawaii has no legal municipalities below the county level; while
Connecticut and
Rhode Island's counties serve no legal function—these being filled by city and town governments.
In addition to the above, there are also often local or regional
special districts that exist for specific purposes, such as to provide
fire protection,
sewer service,
transit service or to manage
water resources. In many states,
school districts manage the schools. Such special purpose districts often encompass areas in multiple municipalities.
Finally, in some places the different tiers are merged together, for example as a
consolidated city-county.
Types of local government
Since the
Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution makes local government for the most part a matter of
state rather than federal law, the states are free to adopt a wide variety of systems of local government. Nonetheless, the
United States Census Bureau, which conducts the Census of Governments every five years, groups local governments in the United States into the following five categories:.
County governments
County governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government in an area generally defined as a first-tier geographic division of a state. The category includes those governments designated as boroughs in Alaska, as parishes in Louisiana, and as counties in other states.
Subcounty general purpose governments
This category includes municipal and township governments. Municipal and township governments are distinguished primarily by the historical circumstances surrounding their formation.
Municipal governments
Municipal governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government for a defined area, generally corresponding to a population center rather than one of a set of areas into which a county is divided. The category includes those governments designated as cities, boroughs (except in Alaska), towns (except in Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin),
and villages. This concept corresponds roughly to the "
incorporated places" that are recognized in Census Bureau reporting of population and housing statistics, although the Census Bureau excludes
New England towns from their statistics for this category, and the count of municipal governments excludes places that are currently governmentally inactive.
Township governments
Township governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government for a defined area, generally corresponding to one of a set of areas into which a county is divided. The category includes those governments designated as towns in Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin, and townships in other states that have them. Depending on state law and local circumstance, a township may or may not be incorporated.
School district governments
School districts are organized local entities providing public elementary, secondary, and/or higher education which, under state law, have sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments. The category excludes dependent public school systems of county, municipal, township, or state governments (for example,
school divisions).
Special district governments
Special districts are all organized local entities other than the four categories listed above, authorized by state law to provide only one or a limited number of designated functions, and with sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments; known by a variety of titles, including districts, authorities, boards, commissions, etc., as specified in the enabling state legislation. A special district may serve areas of multiple states if established by an
interstate compact.
One of the most famous examples of a special district is the
Reedy Creek Improvement District in
Florida, but better known as the home of the
Walt Disney World Resort. Two cities are located within the district:
Bay Lake and
Lake Buena Vista.
County vs. municipal government
All the states are divided into counties (referred to as boroughs in
Alaska and parishes in
Louisiana); though only a portion of Alaska is so divided.
Connecticut and
Rhode Island have completely eliminated county government, and
Massachusetts has partially eliminated it. These can exist both for the implementation of the state government's policies, and also as local governments in their own right. The locality which houses the county's main offices is known as the
county seat.
Municipalities are generally formally incorporated entities in built-up areas. They usually operate with a degree of autonomy.
Both types of government often operate in the same area, albeit with different responsibilities. Generally in heavily urbanised areas the city government will have considerable powers, with the county government conversely having relatively few (or even none).
Unlike in some other countries, both types of government often have powers to
tax both local residents and businesses and to incur
public debt. In some areas this means the power to raise a local
income tax. County governments in some states also have the ability to add a percentage to the state
sales tax. In
California, the taxation power of municipalities is strictly limited by
Proposition 13, a
1978 amendment to the
state constitution.
Responsibilities of county governments generally include local highway maintenance as well as the provision of refuse collection and recycling facilities in unincorporated areas. Municipal governments are usually responsible for public safety (policing and the fire department).
In most states county and municipal governments exists side-by-side. There are exceptions to this, however; in
Virginia, for example, a number of major urban areas exist as
independent cities, which exist outside the county framework; similarly, some states have merged city and county governments for some of their biggest cities (examples of this are
Carson City in
Nevada, and
San Francisco in
California). In Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts, counties exist only to designate boundaries for such state-level functions as park districts (Connecticut) or judicial offices (Massachusetts).
In areas lacking an incorporated municipal government, the county government is generally responsible for providing all services.
Dillon's Rule
Unlike the relationship of
federalism that exists between the U.S. government and the states (in which power is shared), municipal governments have no power except what is granted to them by their states. This legal doctrine was established by Judge
John Forrest Dillon in 1872 and upheld by the
Supreme Court in 1907. In effect, state governments can place whatever restrictions they choose on their municipalities (including merging municipalities, controlling them directly, or abolishing them outright), as long as such rules don't violate the state's constitution.
Institutions
The nature of both county and municipal government varies not only between states, but also between different counties and municipalities within them. Local voters are generally free to choose the basic framework of government from a selection established by state law.
In most cases both counties and municipalities have a governing council, governing in conjunction with a
mayor or president. Alternatively, the government may be run by a
city manager under direction of the
city council. In the past the
municipal commission was also common.
In addition to elections for a council or mayor, elections are often also held for positions such as local judges, the
sheriff (head of the county's police department), and other offices.
Municipalities
Municipalities range in size from the very small (for example, the Village of
Lazy Lake, Florida, with 38 residents), to the very large (for example,
New York City, with about 8 million people), and this is reflected in the range of types of municipal governments that exist in different areas.
Most municipalities have a planning department or planning commission. Whether they've other departments or contract out for services (such as accounting and legal services) depends upon the size of the municipality, its legal status (for example, whether it's a city or village), and so on.
San Francisco, for example, has a population of about 750,000 living in a compact geographical area, and has a merged city and county government with a significant budget that's used to provide services through various departments; in contrast, the
City of Ypsilanti, Michigan, with a population of about 24,000, contracts its legal services out to a local law firm, and doesn't even have its own
district attorney.
The names given to the various types of municipal government don't necessarily correspond to usage of the same terms in other
English-speaking countries; for example, in
British English, a "city" implies an urban area with a large population, whereas in parts of the United States the term can be applied to communities of only a few hundred people.
Most municipalities use either a
mayor-council government or a
council-manager government. A third type, the
city commission government, was once prevalent but has since fallen out of favor.
Other types of government
New England town meeting
In
New England, there's a tradition of local government presided over by town meetings - assemblies open to all voters to express their opinions on public policy.
Indian reservations
While their territory nominally falls within the boundaries of individual states,
Indian reservations actually function outside of their control. The reservation is usually controlled by an elected
tribal council which provides local services.
Grand Divisions of Tennessee
» Main article: Grand Divisions (Tennessee)
The state of
Tennessee is composed of three "Grand Divisions" established by law in the
Tennessee State Constitution. These regions,
East,
Middle and
West Tennessee, are intermediary between state government and county government, and were legally established to recognize Tennessee's sometimes-disparate geographic and cultural areas, and to ensure equal representation and legal protection.
Similar cultural divisions in other states, such as the "divide" between
Northern and
Southern California,
Upstate vs.
"Downstate" New York, and the
Florida Panhandle (vs. the Florida Peninsula), refer to real cultural and geographic differences, but none of these areas' distinguishing characteristics are "protected" or enshrined in law as they're in Tennessee.
Census of local government
A census of all local governments in the country is performed every 5 years by the
United States Census Bureau, in accordance with 13 USC 161.
Governments in the United States
(not including insular areas)
|
| Type |
Number |
| Federal |
1 |
| State |
50 |
| County |
3,034 |
| Municipal (city) |
19,429 |
| Town or township |
16,504 |
| School district |
13,506 |
Special purpose
(utility, fire, police, library, etc.) |
35,052 |
| Total |
87,576 |
Examples of local government in individual states
The following sections provide details of the operation of local government in a selection of states, by way of example of the variety that exists across the country.
Alaska
Alaska calls its county equivalents "boroughs," functioning similar to counties in the Lower 48; however, unlike any other state, not all of Alaska is subdivided into county-equivalent boroughs. Owing to the state's low population density, most of the land is contained in what the state terms the
Unorganized Borough which, as the name implies, has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the state government. Many of Alaska's boroughs are consolidated city-borough governments; other cities exist both within organized boroughs and the Unorganized Borough.
California
California has several different and overlapping forms of local government. Cities, counties, and the one city and county can make ordinances (local laws), including the establishment and enforcement of civil and criminal penalties.
The entire state is subdivided into 58 counties (for example
Santa Clara County). The most important municipal entity is the city (for example
Los Angeles). California cities are granted broad plenary powers under the
California Constitution to assert jurisdiction over just about anything, and they can't be abolished or merged without the consent of a majority of their inhabitants. For example, Los Angeles runs its own water and power utilities and its own
elevator inspection department, while practically all other cities rely upon private utilities and the state elevator inspectors.
San Francisco is unique in that it's the only consolidated city-county in the state.
The city of
Lakewood, California pioneered the Lakewood Plan, a contract under which a city reimburses a county for performing services which are more efficiently performed on a countywide basis. Such contracts have become very popular throughout California and many other states, as they enable city governments to concentrate on particular local concerns like zoning. A city which contracts out most of its services, particularly law enforcement, is known as a
contract city.
There are also thousands of "
special districts", which are areas with a defined territory in which a specific service is provided, such as schools or fire stations. These entities lack plenary power to enact laws, but do have the power to promulgate administrative regulations that often carry the force of law within land directly controlled by such districts. Many special districts, particularly those created to provide public transportation or education, have their own police departments (for example
Bay Area Rapid Transit District/
BART Police and
University of California/
UC Police Department).
Revenue is raised through local property and sales taxes, and the issue of public bonds. Counties also receive revenue from the state Vehicle Licensing Fee (VLF). Unlike other states which allow counties and cities to levy separate taxes upon the ownership of motor vehicles, California has consolidated taxation of vehicle ownership into a single tax at the state level. This simplifies administration but also regularly leads to a flurry of fiscal emergencies in lean years when the state government withholds VLF revenue from local entities in order to balance the state budget.
Connecticut
Unlike most other states,
Connecticut doesn't have county governments; government exists only at the state and municipal levels. Connecticut counties were mostly eliminated in 1960, with the exception of the sheriff system. In 2000, the county sheriff was abolished and replaced with the state marshal system, which is still divided by county. The judicial system is divided, at the trial court level, into judicial districts. The eight counties are still widely used for purely geographical purposes, such as weather reports.
There are 169 towns across the state, which serve as the primary source of local government. There are also 21 cities, most of which are coterminous with their namesake towns and have a merged city-town government. There are two exceptions: City of Groton, which is a subsection of the Town of Groton and the City of Winsted in the Town of Winchester. There are also ten incorporated boroughs, nine of which provide additional services to a section of town. One, Naugatuck, is a consolidated town and borough.
District of Columbia
The
District of Columbia is unique within the United States in that it's under the direct authority of the
U.S. Congress, rather than forming part of any state. Actual government has been delegated under the
District of Columbia Home Rule Act to a city council which effectively also has the powers given to county or state governments in other areas.
Georgia
The state of
Georgia is divided into 159 counties (the largest number of any state other than Texas), each of which has had
home rule since at least
1980. This means that Georgia's counties not only act as units of state government, but also in much the same way as municipalities.
All municipalities are classed as a "city", regardless of population size. For an area to be incorporated as a city
special legislation has to be passed by the
General Assembly (
state legislature); typically the legislation requires a referendum amongst local voters to approve incorporation, to be passed by a simple majority. This most recently happened in
2005 and
2006 in several communities near
Atlanta.
Sandy Springs, a city of 85,000 bordering Atlanta to the north, incorporated in December 2005. One year later,
Johns Creek (62,000) and
Milton (20,000) incorporated, which meant that the entirety of north
Fulton County was now municipalized. The General Assembly also approved a plan that would potentially establish two new cities in the remaining unincorporated portions of Fulton County south of Atlanta, namely South Fulton and
Chattahoochee Hill Country. Both proposed cities are set to vote on incorporation later in 2007.
City charters may be
revoked either by the legislature or by a simple majority referendum of the city's residents; the latter last happened in
2004, in
Lithia Springs. Revocation by the legislature last occurred in
1995, when dozens of cities were eliminated
en masse for not having active governments, or even for not offering at least three municipal services required of all cities.
New cities may not incorporate land less than 3 miles (4.8km) from an existing city without approval from the General Assembly. The body approved all of the recent and upcoming creations of new cities in Fulton County.
Three areas have a "consolidated city-county" government:
Columbus, since
1971;
Athens, since
1991; and
Augusta, since
1996.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has no incorporated municipalities at all. Instead it has four counties plus the "consolidated city-county" of
Honolulu. All communities are considered to be
census-designated places, with the exact boundaries being decided upon by co-operative agreement between the
Governor's office and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Kalawao County is the smallest county in the United States, and is often considered part of
Maui County.
Louisiana
In
Louisiana, counties are called
parishes; likewise, the county seat is known as the
parish seat. The difference in nomenclature doesn't reflect a fundamental difference in the nature of government, but is rather a reflection of the state's unique status as a former
French colony (although a small number of other states once had parishes too).
Massachusetts
Despite having fourteen counties, all of the land in
Massachusetts is divided up among the cities and towns and there are no "unincorporated" areas or county governments.
New Jersey
The 21 counties of New Jersey are divided into five types and eleven forms of municipal government. Like other Northeastern states, townships are considered to be incorporated municipalities and annexation is extremely rare. See
New Jersey's municipalities for detail on municipal government organization.
New York
For details of local government in
New York, see:
Administrative divisions of New York.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 67 counties. With the exception of
Philadelphia and
Allegheny, counties are governed by three to seven county commissioners who are elected every four years; the
district attorney, county
treasurer,
sheriff, and certain classes of judge ("judges of election") are also elected separately. Philadelphia has been a consolidated city-county since 1952. Allegheny County has had a council/chief executive government since 2000, while still retaining its townships, boroughs and cities.
Each county is divided into municipalities incorporated as cities, boroughs, townships, and towns. The Commonwealth doesn't contain any "unincorporated" land that isn't served by a local government. However the US Postal Service has given names to places within townships that are not incorporated separately. For instance
King of Prussia is a
census-designated place but has no local government of its own. It is rather contained within
Upper Merion Township, governed by Upper Merion's commissioners, and considered to be a part of the township.
Townships are divided into one of two classes, depending on their population size. Townships of the "First Class" have a board made up of five to nine commissioners who are elected either at-large or for a particular ward, while those of the "Second Class" have a board of three to five supervisors who are elected at-large. Both commissioners and supervisors serve a four-year term. Some townships have adopted a
home rule charter which allows them to choose their form of government. One example is
Upper Darby Township, in
Delaware County, which has chosen to have a "mayor-council" system similar to that of a borough.
Boroughs in Pennsylvania are governed by a "mayor-council" system in which the mayor has only a few powers (usually that of overseeing the municipal police department, if the borough has one), while the borough council has very broad appointment and oversight. The council president, who is elected by the majority party every two years, is equivalent to the leader of a council in the
United Kingdom; his or her powers are operate within boundaries set by the state constitution and the borough's charter. A small minority of the boroughs have dropped the mayor-council system in favor of the council-manager system, in which the council appoints a borough manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the borough.
McCandless and
Bloomsburg are the Commonwealth's only towns.
Cities in Pennsylvania are divided into three classes: Class 1, Class 2, Class 2A, and Class 3. Class 3 cities, which are the smallest, have either a mayor-council system or a council-manager system like that of a borough, although the mayor or city manager has more oversight and duties compared to their borough counterparts.
Pittsburgh and
Scranton are the state's only Class 2 and Class 2A cities respectively, and have mayors with some veto power, but are otherwise still governed mostly by their city councils.
Philadelphia is the Commonwealth's only Class 1 city. It has a government similar to that of the Commonwealth itself, with a mayor with strong appointment and veto powers and a 15-member city council that has both law-making and confirmation powers, although unlike its state-level counterpart (the
General Assembly), it doesn't have the authority to override the mayor's veto. Certain types of legislation that can be passed by the city government require state legislation before coming into force. Unlike the other cities in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia city government also has oversight of county government, and as such controls the budget for the district attorney, sheriff, and other county offices that have been retained from the county's one-time separate existence; these offices are elected for separately than those for the city government proper.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island's five counties have no government and serve only to delineate regions of the state. All local government in Rhode Island is conducted by its 31 towns and eight cities.
Virginia
Virginia has special provisions relative to cities and counties. The Commonwealth is divided into 95 counties and 39 cities. Cities are
independent cities, which mean that they're separate from, and independent of, any county they may be near or within. Cities in Virginia thus are the equivalent of counties as they've no higher municipal government intervening between them and the state government. The equivalent in Virginia to what would normally be an incorporated city in any other state, for example a municipality subordinate to a county, is a
town. For example, there's a County of
Fairfax as well as a totally independent
City of Fairfax, which technically isn't part of Fairfax county even though the City of Fairfax is the County seat of Fairfax County. Within Fairfax County, however, is the incorporated town of
Vienna, which
is part of Fairfax County.
West Virginia
West Virginia has 55 counties, which are themselves divided into districts and incorporated cities. The districts exist only for taxation purposes and are otherwise governed at the county level. The incorporated cities have home rule powers.
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