test bank exam 3
When you pay your motor vehicle registration fees, the money goes into which fund?
State Highway Fund
Why is the price of oil important for the budget of the State of Texas?
Texas collects tax revenue on all oil removed from the ground based on a percentage of the market value of a barrel of oil. Higher prices raise more revenue, and lower prices less revenue.
In Texas, ________ create(s) special purpose districts.
Texas voters in the areas that will be covered
What happens if money needs to be transferred from one agency to another and the legislature is not in session to authorize this transfer?
The governor can propose the transfer and the LBB can approve the proposal.
What is preemption?
The legislature's power to overrule ordinances or actions of local home-rule cities.
Authorized by voters in 1991, the Texas state lottery generates a sizeable sum for the state budget. Which of the following statements regarding the Texas lottery is true?
The lottery is played by large numbers of people from all social classes
What is the function of the 24 councils of government in Texas today?
They are a regional board meant to coordinate local planning and development.
Why are Texas counties important?
They provide the main form of government in rural areas.
Community colleges in Texas are allotted their own special purpose districts.
True
In Texas, county governments are responsible for which of the following tasks?
administration of ordinances and regulations
In 1978, the Texas Constitution was amended (Article 8, Section 22), so that if the economy of the state shrinks,
appropriations have to shrink as well
In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget
auditor
the ________ is a dedicated fund established by the constitution for the support of public education in the state
available school fund (ASF)
The debate over preemption between local self-governance and control by the 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
According to Texas Constitution (Article 3, Section 51a), Texas cannot spend more than _________ of the state budget in any two-year period to help needy dependent children or their caretakers.
1%
In Texas, the state and local governments can both levy sales taxes. These general state and local sales taxes can combine to reach a rate of _________ percent.
8.25
What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city?
A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons
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
All cities in Texas with pension funds have sufficient funding to meet their obligations to be able to pay retirees.
False
Cities are primarily responsible for providing indigent health care.
False
Constables are appointed by the county sheriff.
False
As the number of urban areas grew in the state 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.
Which statement about the Texas budget is true?
It covers a two-year period.
The Legislative Budget Board is chaired by
Lieutenant Governor
What is a key problem with counties in Texas?
Many of them 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.
When the federal government reimburses Texas for monies spent in program such as Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, these reimbursements go into which fund?
Other Funds
According to Article 3, Section 49a (Pay-as-You-Go Limit) of the Texas Constitution, state agencies are allowed to take on debt, but only for one project at a time.
false
According to the Texas Constitution, only the Texas legislature is permitted to borrow money using capital appreciation bonds
false
All colleges and universities in Texas have access to monies through the Higher Education Fund
false
All large cities in Texas have structures of government that give strong executive powers to the mayor.
false
Because the budget process in Texas operates on a two-year cycle, Texas legislators have adequate time to gather information, carefully analyze it, and craft a detailed and accurate state budget.
false
Besides the state government, the only other governmental authority who can impose a sales tax is a city government.
false
Commissioner governments are designed to run school districts and other special purpose districts throughout the state
false
Federal matching funds for a program are not dependent on how much the state also contributes to that program.
false
In Texas, special purpose districts are run by a board of trustees appointed by the governor.
false
In order to be a general-law city, the population of the city must be larger than 5,000.
false
One of the problems with Texas government is that there are no regional councils that promote coordinated planning across local governments
false
Since most county officials are appointed, they are only accountable to the members of the county commissioners' court.
false
The Rainy Day Fund is more properly known as the National Research University Fund
false
The county commissioners' court has original jurisdiction for cases involving violation of county laws.
false
The county commissioners' court is responsible for prosecuting violations of law that occur outside of the city limits but within the county lines.
false
The state legislature can impose a personal income tax without requiring voter approval.
false
There is no mechanism available under the current budgetary system in Texas to shift monies between agencies or programs when the legislature is not in session.
false
Flood control is managed through special purpose districts because
flooding is seldom contained in a single city or county.
According to the Dillion 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 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 charter
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 counties is
indigent health care
When we talk about a progressive tax, we are talking about a type of tax where
individuals with a lower income pay less in taxes because of a lower tax rate than those with a higher income.
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 city limits, 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 district
Federal money is an important part of the Texas budget, but monies that Texas receives from the federal government
often come with strings attached
While many of the sources of revenue in Texas are dedicated to specific purposes, designated as "nondedicated," or come from the federal government, there are some funds that are not included in the specific budget categories. Where do we classify these funds?
other funds
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.
Who is responsible for developing independent audits for state agencies to ensure that they are complying with the state budget?
the state auditor's office
To whom are most county officials most responsible, 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
A major factor in the increase in preemption is the partisan split between a state legislature controlled by Republicans and major city governments controlled by Democrats
true
County governments are most important for administering rural areas throughout Texas.
true
Fewer than 10 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in special purpose district elections.
true
Home-rule cities are able to set a maximum property tax rate of $2.50 per $100 valuation.
true
Monies generated from the motor fuels tax are dedicated to either construction, maintenance, and policing of public roads or public education.
true
One of the proposed changes to public pensions in Texas is to increase the required years of service to be eligible to receive a pension.
true
One problem with special purpose districts is that sometimes local government officials work in relative obscurity, avoiding media and public scrutiny.
true
Public education in Texas is funded through both the Permanent School Fund (PSF) and the Available School Fund (ASF).
true
San Antonio and Dallas both have council-manager forms of government.
true
Since each county in Texas is required under the one person, one vote doctrine to have approximately the same number of residents, county lines must be redrawn every ten years as part of the redistricting process after the census.
true
Texas maintains a balanced budget because the state constitution requires it.
true
The Texas Comptroller's Office is predicting declining receipts in the tobacco settlement account due to fewer people purchasing cigarettes
true
The bulk of Federal Funds expenditures is in two areas: health and human services and education.
true
The primary sources of funding for special purpose districts are property taxes and user fees.
true
The state auditor's office is responsible for making sure that agencies are in compliance with their budgets
true
The National Research University Fund (NRUF) was established through a constitutional amendment to provide a source of funding for
universities seeking to achieve national prominence as research institutions.
What is the composition of the county commissioner's 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
The purpose of the Biennial Revenue Estimate is to provide
a detailed forecast of total revenues that the state is expected to take in over the next biennium
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 specific type of special district that provides public education in a designated area
Nondedicated funds
can be used for any purpose.
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
Lesser criminal cases are generally prosecuted by _______________, while the more serious criminal cases tend to be prosecuted by ______________.
county attorneys, district attorneys
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?
county clerk
Who is responsible for construction and maintenance of county roads and bridges?
county commissioner
Who collect the taxes owed to the county?
county tax assessor-collector
Texas relies on ____________ taxes more than any other source of revenue to fund the government.
sales tax
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
The chief law-enforcement officer in county governments is the
sheriff
________ is a unit of government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area.
special district
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
Most federal expenditures in Texas go to education and health and human services. However, in order to receive these funds, Texas must
spend state money in these areas first
Compared to other states, Texas tends to spend a relatively small amount of money on programs that are jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Because of this,
the amount of money that Texas receives in matching funds and grants from the federal government is relatively low as compared to other states.
One significant component of the budget process that is relatively unique to Texas is
the constitutional mandate that Texas legislators write a budget every two years.
While the Texas Constitution does require that the state maintains a balanced budget, the state is allowed to carry debt as long as
the debt payments are not more than 5 percent of the state's revenue.
In the commissioner form of government,
the legislative and executive functions are performed by the elected commissioners.
When thinking about the system of public financing through these various budgets and funds, it is important to remember that
the legislature does not have direct control of most of the money in the state budget
