Chapter 11: Local Government
ward
a division of a municipality, usually representing an electoral district of the city council
charter
a document that outlines the powers, organization, and responsibilities of a local government
commission-administrator system
a form of county governance in which executive and legislative powers reside with an elected commission, which hires a professional executive to manage the day-to-day operations of government
county commission system
a form of county governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected commissioners
council-executive system
a form of county governance in which legislative powers are vested in a county commission and executive powers are vested in an independently elected executive
town meeting form of government
a form of governance in which legislative powers are held by the local citizens
city commission system
a form of municipal governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected city commissioners
council-manager system
a form of municipal governance in which the day-to-day administration of government is carried out by a professional administrator
mayor-council system
a form of municipal governance in which there is an elected executive and an elected legislature
strong mayor system
a municipal government in which the mayor has the power to perform the executive functions of government
weak mayor system
a municipal government in which the mayor lacks true executive powers, such as the ability to veto council decisions or appoint department heads
city council
a municipality's legislature
city manager
an official appointed to be the chief administrator of a municipality
special act charters
charters that grant powers, such as home rule, to a single municipal government
general act charters
charters that grant powers, such as home rule, to all municipal governments within a state
at-large elections
elections in which city or county voters vote for council or commission members from any part of the jurisdiction
ward or district elections
elections in which voters in municipal wards vote for candidates to represent them on councils or commissions
counties
geographical subdivisions of state government
cities
incorporated political jurisdictions formed to provide self-governance to particular localities
special districts
local governmental units created for a single purpose, such as water distribution
townships
local governments whose powers, governance structure, and legal status vary considerably from state to state; in some states, townships function as general-purpose municipalities; in others, they are geographical subdivisions of counties with few responsibilities and little power
municipalities
political jurisdictions, such as cities, villages, or towns, incorporated under state law to provide governance to defined geographical areas; more compact and more densely populated than counties
mayor
the elected chief executive of a municipality
dillon's rule
the legal principle that says local governments can exercise only the powers granted to them by state government
home rule
the right of a locality to self-government, usually granted through a charter
