Texas Govt 2306: Chapter 7
Which of the following is considered a weakness of the council-manager form of government?
Council members are part-time. Powerful city managers can hide information from the council.
True or false: Special districts have no authority to tax in Texas and must rely on the legislature for funding.
False
Which of the following are characteristics of general-purpose governments?
Given broad discretionary authority Can control their own finances, personnel, and government structure
How could voter turnout be improved in local elections?
Hold the election in November.
General-law cities have ______ of extraterritorial jurisdiction outside their city limits.
.5 miles
Counties with populations of fewer than ______ are not required to have auditors.
10,000
In what era was the job of assessing the value of all property in a county for property tax collection purposes shifted from the county tax assessor/collector to a countywide assessment district?
1970s
How many county governments are there in Texas?
254
Texas has approximately ______ local government units.
5,000
In order to be chartered as a home rule city in Texas, cities must have a population of at least
5,000.
Which of the following is a weakness of county government in Texas?
It is unable to provide urban services. Plural executive is inherently weak.
In the council-__________ form of city government, the citizens elect a council and a mayor, and those officials hire a professional administrator to run the city.
Manager
From the following, select the accurate statements about county government.
Many states have modernized their county governments in the recent past. Texas has refused to make major changes to county governments in the recent past.
Which of the following accurately describes county attorneys in Texas?
Not all counties have county attorneys.
Which of the following statements are true about the Texas Association of Counties (TAC)?
The TAC is a politically powerful group. The TAC has fought diligently against home rule for Texas counties. The TAC represents elected county officials.
Which of the following statements are true about Texas municipal elections?
The Texas Election Code allows home rule cities to use partisan elections. Partisanship was not an issue for most of the twentieth century, since Democrats dominated Texas politics. No Texas cities officially use partisan elections today.
What are some of the reasons that local elections have lower voter turnout than other elections?
The are conducted in off years. Elections are held in May rather than November. There are uncontested seats.
Which of the following best describes city managers' role in policy making?
Their role is generally advisory.
Which of the following are true statements about county commissioners?
They are elected for four-year terms. They are elected from commissioner precincts. They are elected in partisan elections.
True or false: After an election, personnel at the county courthouse can change dramatically.
True
True or false: All Texas county governments have the same basic structure regardless of the county's size.
True
True or false: County governments lack the general authority to pass ordinances.
True
Nonpartisan elections were chosen for city elections in the early twentieth century to
Undercut the power of big-city political machines.
How do weak mayors' and strong mayors' veto powers differ?
Weak mayors have little or no veto power; strong mayors have full veto power.
Which of the following describes American federalism?
a highly decentralized system of government rooted in the historic fear of a strong national government
Which of the following is more likely to have a board of directors that voters elect?
a multicounty special purpose district
In an at-large election system,
all voters in the city elect the mayor and city council members
The county auditor is
appointed by the district judge(s).
In a council-manager form of government, how does someone become city manager?
appointment by the city council
When counties issue marriage licenses, birth certificates, and automobile registrations they are acting
as an arm of the state.
The most common form of at-large voting in Texas is
at-large by place.
Which of the following systems is most likely to limit the concentration and effect of minority votes?
at-large voting
In independent school districts in Texas, which of the following is responsible for setting district policies, approving the budget, setting tax rates, and making personnel decisions?
board of trustees
Taxes to fund the functions of county government are paid mostly by whom?
citizens living in cities within the county
Which of the following is an example of a general-purpose government?
city
The term "commission" survived the end of the commission form of government in some cities, but it was used to describe the
city council.
The county tax assessor/collector is responsible for
collecting state and county revenue.
The ______ form of city government was created in Galveston after the 1901 hurricane but is no longer in use in Texas today.
commission
Rural Texans often rely on volunteer fire departments because
counties are not permitted to operate fire departments.
What was the primary reason that MUDs were created?
counties' inability to provide certain services to areas outside cities
County attorneys usually prosecute less serious criminal offenses before ______ courts.
county
If you wish to obtain a marriage license, you should visit the office of the
county clerk.
All of the following are constitutionally prescribed county officers except
county surveyor.
The holder of what office my be designated as the chief investment officer for the county?
county treasurer
What office is responsible for receiving, maintaining, and disbursing special revenue funds?
county treasurer
Rural residents are more likely to identify with ______ governments, while urban residents are more likely to identify with ______ governments.
county; city
A(n) _________ _________ system is a system in which voters can concentrate all their votes on one candidate rather than casting one vote for each office up for election.
cumulative voting
In what areas are schools most strictly subject to state control?
curriculum financing
One of the chief prosecutors for serious court cases in a county is the
district attorney.
County government officials are almost all
elected by voters in the county
All Texas cities have a power called ______ over an area that extends beyond the city limits to an area adjacent to the city limits.
extraterritorial jurisdiction
To get basic services like water or sewage service, citizens living just outside of cities are forced to
form other governments, like water districts. contract with the city for the services. contract with private contractors for the services. provide those services themselves.
In Texas, county commissioner's courts are made up of the constitutional county judge and ______ county commissioners.
four
In most Texas counties, each county commissioner is responsible for road repair within the boundaries of the precinct in which the commissioner is elected. This means there are ______ separate road crews, each under a commissioner's direction.
four
A ______ city is one whose charter is specified in state statutes.
general law
The main role of the county commissioner's court is to
govern the county.
If counties in Texas were given the same power of county __________ rule as most Texas cities have, the counties would be able to adopt any form of county government not forbidden by law.
home
__________ ___________ cities, which are governed by city charters created by the actions of local citizens, have the authority to pass ordinances not prohibited by state law.
home rule
A ______ city is one whose charter is created by the actions of local citizens.
home-rule
Media coverage in city elections mostly
ignores suburban city elections.
In cities that have switched from at-large to single-member districts, the election of minority candidates to the city council has
increased substantially.
In a unitary system, state power
is expressly granted by the central government.
Which of the following may be a duty of the county clerk?
issuing birth certificates administering elections
One of the major flaws of the commission form of city government is that
it combined legislative and executive functions.
The combination of legislative and executive functions in the commission form of government led to
logrolling. a lack of checks and balances. efficiency.
A city _________ is hired to serve as chief administrative officer of some city governments.
manager
In a true single-member district system, only the ___________ is selected at large.
mayor
What are the two basic forms of government used by Texas cities today?
mayor-council council-manager
What are MUDs?
municipal utility districts
Which of the following are an example of a special purpose district?
municipal utility districts
Which of the following is the most visible example of a general-purpose government?
municipality
Some municipalities in Texas use multimember district systems. How many of them use multimember district system elections?
none
An election in which voters can't tell the political party of the candidates by looking at the ballot is called a(n) ___________ election.
nonpartisan
Under the American federal system, powers
not expressly granted to the national government are reserved for the states.
In the council-manager form of government, mayors ______ have veto power.
occasionally
What is likely to be the sheriff's primary duty in urban counties?
operating the county jail
What aspect of the council-manager form of government allows city managers to ignore large parts of the community when it comes to the provision of simple city services?
political coalitions on the council
The system of electing city council members in which a voter is allowed to rank candidates according to his or her wishes is called the ______ system.
preferential voting
Which of the following characterize the role of mayor in the council-manager form of city government?
presiding officer of the city council ceremonial leader
County government was designed to meet the needs of and provide services to a(n) ______ population.
rural
Most counties in Texas are
rural, with small populations.
In order to pass specific ordinances, county governments must
seek legislative approval.
The type of municipal election in which the city is divided into election districts with approximately equal populations and the voters in the districts each elect a council member is called a(n)
single-member district election.
Local governments get their authority from ______ governments.
state
Under the __________ mayor form of government, the mayor can appoint and remove the major heads of departments, has control over budget formation and execution, and can veto the actions of the city council.
strong
What are the two forms of the mayor-council system of city government?
strong mayor weak mayor
In small rural counties, the sheriff is allowed by law to also function as the county
tax assessor-collector.
The major contribution of the commission form of government was
that it served as a transition between the old weak mayor-council form of government and the new council-manager form.
What form of local government was likely to replace the commission?
the council-manager form
Special districts are often called shadow governments because
they operate out of the view of most citizens.
Identify the reasons that a city may annex land within their ETJ.
to protect and enhance their tax base to keep from being surrounded by other cities to become more politically important
Which of the following is a duty of the county tax assessor/collector?
voter registration sale of state vehicle licenses and permits county property tax collection
Constitutional county judges must be ______ before they run for office.
well informed in the law
Which of the following correctly describes the inequity of financial resources in county and city governments in Texas?
City residents pay twice for services they receive only once. County residents pay little of the cost to operate the county governments from which they receive services.
______ are elected law enforcement officers whose primary function is to be court officers for the justice of the peace courts.
Constables
Which of the following statements are correct about the commission form of government?
Before 1920, many cities adopted the commission form of city government. The form had several fundamental weaknesses and was eventually abandoned by most cities that adopted it.
The Gulf Coast Waste Disposal authority is an example of
a MUD.
