City Gov Outline Questions
What are the primary sources of revenue for Texas cities?
-Conspicuously absent from this list is financial assistance from the state. Instead of revenue, Texas cities receive something equally important from the state—broad authority to govern themselves, including the authority to raise their own revenue. -This local authority has worked to the benefit of cities and the state for many decades and should continue into the future.
How do the annexation powers of general law cities compare to those of home-rule cities?
-authorizes a home rule city to annex according to its charter, and most home rule charters authorize annexations without consent. -On the other hand, general law cities, for most annexations, must receive a request from landowners or voters prior to annexing.The bottom line for general law cities is that the legislature has seen fit to severely limit when they can annex.
Be able to discuss how power is dispersed and among whom in the three models of city government below. There is a good description of these forms on pages 341-343 in Governing Texas
1. mayor-council form: It consists of an elected mayor and city council. The mayor is usually elected from the city in an at-large election. The council may be elected either at large or from a group of single-member districts, or a mixture of the two. In the mayor-council form of government, the mayor is the chief executive officer of the city. 2. commissioner form: the city is run by a small commission, composed of between five and seven members generally elected at large. The commission acts in both a legislative and an executive capacity. 3. council-manager form: a city council elected in at-large elections was to be the policy-making body.
What are the three major spending items common among Texas cities? Refer to the San Antonio budget or survey the Houston
Capital budget: $585 M General fund: $1.14 B Restricted Funds: $824 M
Why would a city want to annex an outlying area? What does the city gain and what responsibility does it incur?
Most cities annex for two basic reasons: 1. to control development; and/or 2. to expand the city's tax base.
What differentiates between a general law and home-rule city? You will find a brief comparison on the first page of this linked document
general law: - a city whose powers are limited by the specific authority granted by Texas statutes. General Law cities are restricted to doing what state statutes direct or permit them to do home-rule city: cities with a population over 5,000 in which the citizens have adopted a home rule charter to define the structure, power, duties, and authority of their local government
Which of the following types of policies would be favored most by the wealthy, which by the poor, and which type would gather support from both?
wealthy: redistributive poor: developmental both: allocational
What are the three common zoning designations for Texas cities, and how do they differ from each other? The first three listed in the linked article are the ones to survey:
-Residential zoning: can include Single Family Residences (SFR), Suburban Homestead (SH), or any number of other designation which cover homes, apartments, duplexes, trailer parks, co-ops, and condominiums. Residential zoning can cover issues such as whether mobile homes can be placed on property, and the number of structures allowed on certain property. -Commercial zoning: usually has several categories and is dependent upon the business use of the property, and often the number of business patrons. Office buildings, shopping centers, nightclubs, hotels, certain warehouses, some apartment complexes -- as well as vacant land that has the potential for development into these types of buildings -- can all be zoned as commercial. Almost any kind of real estate (other than single-family home and single-family lots) can be considered commercial real estate. -Industrial Zoning: Like commercial zoning, industrial zoning can be specific to the type of business. Environmental factors including noise concerns usually are issues in determining into which industrial level a business falls. Manufacturing plants and many storage facilities have industrial zoning. Certain business -- such as airports -- may warrant their own designati
What does it mean to say that the city manager is a "professional"? Look under the heading "What is the Manager's Function?"
-The manager is hired to serve the council and the community and to bring to the local government the benefits of training and experience in administering local government projects and programs on behalf of the governing body. -The manager prepares a budget for the council's consideration; recruits, hires, and supervises the government's staff; serves as the council's chief adviser; and carries out the council's policies.
What does the city gain and what responsibility does it incur?
GAIN: Cities (city taxpayers) pay for a wide array of services and facilities that benefit entire regions and the entire state. For example, it goes without saying that such basic activities as mail delivery couldn't take place if cities don't construct and maintain streets. The economy of Texas would crumble without city investments in the basic infrastructure upon which business and industry rely. Cities are centers of employment, health care, entertainment, transportation, and merchandising used by non-city-residents throughout the region. This means that cities must support public safety services and a physical infrastructure sufficient to serve a daily influx of visitors from throughout the metropolitan region. RESPONSIBILITY:Most states recognize that cities should be assisted in making these expenditures that benefit entire regions and the whole state. Virtually every state transfers state-generated revenue to cities to assist in the provision of services and facilities. They do this in recognition of the fact that cities (city taxpayers) are making expenditures that benefit all residents of the state. For example, all populous states give a portion of state gasoline tax revenue to cities to assist in street construction and repair. Many states share vehicle registration revenue or motor vehicle sales tax revenue with cities. A survey conducted by the National League of Cities found that cities across the nation receive 13 percent of their revenue from state aid.
