Inquizitive Ch. 10 Texas Govt

Which functions do local governments serve in Texas?

1. Maintaining Roads and Bridges
2. Enforcing Laws
3. Providing K-12 education

A (1) law charter is a set of rules created by a city with greater than (2) law people that defines how the government will operate.

1)HOME-RULE
2)5,000

A special district is a unit of (1) government performing a (2) in a limited geographic area.

1) local
2) single service

If you were to purchase a capital appreciation bond from the local school district, how would your investment be paid back?

Principal and interest payments upon bond maturity.

Which public official presides over the county commissioners' court?

County Judge

Match each power to whether it's a power of the mayor in a strong mayor-council variant, weak mayor-council variant, both, or neither.

Both
-preside over council meetings

Strong Mayor
-removal power

Weak Power
-appointment power shared with council

Neither
-passing local laws

What is the purpose of a capital appreciation bond?

to allow local governments to quickly generate revenue
(all others are wrong)

All county governments in Texas have an identical structure of government.

true

What effect did drawing county commissioner precincts to represent equal geographic areas (rather than equal population groupings) have on the representation of county voters?

1. It exaggerated the voting power of residents in rural areas.
2. It undermined "one person-one vote" principles.

In Texas, which governmental entity would you approach to address concerns regarding disability services or student dress code for your child who attends a public school?

school district

Suppose you are a commissioner in a city that has a city commissioner form of government. Which of the following would be some of your duties?

directing city departments
voting on laws proposed in the commission
writing laws for the commission's consideration

Suppose you are a county judge in rural Texas. How would your duties differ from those of a county judge living in a more urban area?

In contrast to county judges in urban areas who serve a mostly administrative function, judges in rural areas are also responsible for carrying out judicial functions.

Which of the following reasons explain why cities are having trouble with their pension obligations?

-Voters are usually uninterested in employee pension plan viability.
-Public employees may qualify for pensions at a younger age than their private sector counterparts.
-City pension fund managers have made risky investments.

Which of the following statements about Texas local government is accurate?

Texas has more local governments than most states in total, but fewer local governments per capita.

In modern times, there is little practical reason for Texas to have so many counties. Nonetheless, county consolidation is unlikely. Why is the number of counties in Texas unlikely to change?

-Many voters have a traditional loyalty to a county.
-Voters may fear losing control of their county government.
-County officeholders would fear losing their jobs.
-County consolidation would require a constitutional amendment.

Special districts are limited to only an area within a single county.

False

Match each public service to the type of local government that most often provides that service.

city government
-enforce zoning ordinances
-annex adjacent lands

special district
-public schools
-flood control

county government
-sheriff's law enforcement
-issue marriage licenses

Which of the following statements about representation on city councils in Texas are accurate?

White residents are over-represented on most city councils.

Which city reform has made city government more politically representative of its residents?

single-member district elections of council members

Citizens of Houston are simultaneously governed by which of the following forms of government?

-the Texas state government
-a school district
-a county government
-the federal government
-a city government
-a nonschool special district

Municipal utility districts (MUDs) are designed to pay for the cost of furnishing utilities in unincorporated areas outside of cities. Which groups tend to benefit the most from the creation of MUDs?

-finance companies
-real-estate developers

Which characteristics are typically incorporated in a home-rule charter?

-the form of government in the city
-the authority to annex adjacent land
-the power to set property tax rates