government exam 2 (local government)

How are regional councils of government (COG) involved in major infrastructure projects, such as the widening or building of a new highway?

Since these projects involve multiple local government boundaries, COGs helps to coordinate the work between the different local entities.

In Texas, ________ create(s) special purpose districts.

Texas voters in the areas that will be covered

What is the function of the 24 councils of government in Texas today?

They are regional boards meant to coordinate local planning and development.

How can private citizens be involved with councils of government (COG)?

While two-thirds of the membership of COGs must be composed of elected local officials of cities and counties, private citizens can also be members.

In Texas, county governments are responsible for which of the following tasks?

administration of social services

In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget.

auditor

What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city in Texas?

A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.

________ is a unit of government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area.

A special district

Which of the following is a primary function of counties in Texas?

Counties provide the main form of government in rural areas.

Which of the following statements about county government in Texas is accurate?

County government in Texas varies in importance; some areas rely on it heavily, others much less so.

What happens when a city council uses single-member districts?

Each member of the city council represents a specific "district" of the city and is elected by residents of that geographical area.

As the number of urban areas grew in Texas in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the management of local affairs became such a growing burden on the state legislature that it passed the

Home-Rule Charter Amendment in 1912.

In Texas, who collects the taxes owed to the county?

In Texas, who collects the taxes owed to the county?

Which of these statements best describes a critical difficulty county government in Texas faces?

Many counties are too small and underpopulated to function well.

What is the level of popularity of the commissioner system of city government in Texas today?

No city in Texas today has a pure commissioner system, but a handful claim a variation of the system.

he debate over preemption between local self-governance and control by Texas' state government echoes which of the following:

debates between the state governments and the federal government about which level of government should make governing decisions

Flood control is managed through special purpose districts because

flooding is seldom contained to a single city or county.

According to the Dillon Rule doctrine,

general-law cities and towns are much more constrained than home-rule cities, and cannot take any action unless explicitly authorized by a law passed by the state.

If you live in a Texas city that can set property tax rates up to $2.50 per $100 valuation and may have the power to annex land adjacent to the city, then you live in a city governed by

home-rule charte

Employee pensions are an issue for all levels of government in Texas. Which of the following is a change that has been recently implemented as a way to make pension plans more economically sound?

increased retirement age

One of the most important social services provided by Texas counties is

indigent health care.

One goal of the deferred retirement option plan (DROP) was to

keep Dallas police officers and firefighters working on the job instead of retiring and collecting their pension after 20 years of service.

If you live outside the limits of a city in Texas, water, sewer, sanitation, and electricity services are offered by

municipal utility districts (MUDs)

Community college districts and fire-prevention districts are examples of

non-school special purpose districts.

Flood control districts, hospital districts, emergency service districts, and port authorities are all examples of

nonschool special districts.

Special districts in Texas are primarily paid for by revenue generated by

property taxes and user fees.

Special purpose districts were initially designed to help develop poor and rural areas of Texas. However, many people are now concerned that the system is being abused because

real estate developers have figured out a way to develop the infrastructure for new developments but pass the costs on to future owners of the property.

What is preemption?

the legislature's power to overrule ordinances or actions of local home-rule cities

Capital appreciation bonds (CAB) are unique because

the principal and interest accrued are both paid off in one lump sum when the bond reaches maturity.

To whom are most county officials most accountable, and how?

the voters, through the electoral process

Mayors are elected using at-large elections because

they represent the entire geographical area of the city rather than one specific district.

Many of the counties in Texas are too small to be goverened efficiently, and some argue that Texas has too many counties. What would have to happen to merge or combine some of Texas's counties?

a constitutional amendment authorizing the merger of counties

Who serves on the county commissioners' court?

a county judge who is elected countywide and presides over the meetings, and four county commissioners who are each elected to represent about one-quarter of the population of the county

What is a user fee?

a fee paid for a particular good or service, such as water service

Suppose you were trying to reform your city's government so that it better reflected the ethnic and racial diversity of your city and with leadership that is more accountable to voters. Which of the following forms of city government would most likely achieve these goals?

a mayor-council form of government with single-member districts

A school district is

a special district.

Cities and towns in Texas often see rapid population growth. Such growth requires school districts to quickly expand. In this type of situation, school districts use __________________ to borrow the necessary funds to achieve this goal.

capital appreciation bonds (CABs)

A ________ form of government is one in which public policies are developed by the city council and executive and administrative functions are assigned to a professional city manager.

council-manager

In Texas, lesser criminal cases are generally prosecuted by _______________, while the more serious criminal cases tend to be prosecuted by ______________.

county attorneys; district attorneys

Who is responsible for the construction and maintenance of Texas' county roads and bridges?

county commissioners

Each county has the ability to set its own budget and tax rate. If you wanted to be involved in these decisions, which elected body would you need to serve on?

county commissioners' court

In a mayor-council form of government, the mayor ____________________ while the city council __________________.

serves as chief executive officer of the city; serves as the legislative body for the city

Constables are traditionally responsible for which of the following?

serving legal papers

The chief law-enforcement officer in county governments in Texas is the

sheriff.

Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?

special districts

What type of government is called hidden government because people often do not know it exists?

special purpose districts

If you want to get married and need to get a marriage license, or need to get a copy of a birth or death certificate, which office do you need to contact?

the county clerk where you are getting married, or where the death or birth occurred

Who is the primary record-keeper of documents generated by district courts?

the district clerk

In the commissioner form of government,

the legislative and executive functions are performed by the elected commissioners.