Articles+Nine+and+Eleven+-+Local+Governments

Power Points:



In this section we dig a bit deeper into local governments in the state with special attention paid to those in our general area. There are three basic types of local governments: municipalities (cities), counties and special districts. There's also a peculiar beast called a council of government which attempts to coordinate the activities of all three. All three of these, we will learn, are subject to control by the state. Cities - especially large ones - can write their own charters and can then achieve a degree of autonomy from the state. They get to write their own laws and regulations and such. Most importantly they can determine what type of government they will have. Counties are administrative arms of the state and are the entities that implement that bulk of state laws. They do so with personnel voted in by and responsibel to the county residents. Special districts - like the one that governs Alvin Community College - are responsible for certain defined functions as sanctioned by the state, but as with counties, are implemented by officers elected by residents of the district.

After reviewing the material you should get a hint about how complex the governing system in the state actually is, but hopefully you will become familar enough with it - especially local officials and institutions - that it begins to seem a bit tangible and real to you.

Goals. After reading this material you should be able to address the following:

- The relationship between the state and local governments in Texas. - What Dillon's Rule tells us, and does not tell us, about the power of cities in the state. - The different types of local governments in the state. - How each level of government is granted its authority. - The definition of "city" and "county" and the relative functions of each. - The conflict in Texas between urban and rural areas. - The home rule movement and how it helped develop stronger, more independent cities.

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