POLS 2023 Unit 4: Local Governments

Imported from Quizlet

2 types of city classifications in TX

General law cities and home rule cities

2 types of special districts

School and non-school districts

3 types of local government

County, city, and special districts

4 types of home rule cities

Strong mayor-council form, weak mayor-council form, council-manager form, and commission form

All city elections in TX have these two similarities

They are non-partisan and held in May

Almost all TX cities are part of this organization

Texas Municipal League (TML)

City Managers

They are appointed by the city council and control budgeting issues

Commission form

Heads of departments (e.g., police, fire, parks and recreation, waste disposal, etc.) are elected and serve as the policy-making body for the city

Council-manager form

There's an elected city council, which includes the mayor, and there's an appointed City Manager who runs the executive functions of the city government "like a business"

Councils of Government (COG)

They are regional planning councils that help local governments plan for future issues, like transportation, environmental impact, medical, water, or education needs, and basic demographic changes

County Attorneys

Responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor criminal cases within the county's Justice of the Peace courts

County Clerks

Keep records for the county, including property titles and birth and death certificates

County Commissioner's Court

Limited law-making bodies, with 4 elected Commissioners and the Constitutional County Judge; not actually courts

County Sheriffs

Responsible for enforcing the state law within the county and maintaining the county jail

Countywide Tax Appraisal Districts

Were created in 1979 by a Constitutional Amendment and assess property values in the county

Current superintendent for Denton ISD

Jamie Wilson

Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD)

Governed by a 7-member elected board that serves 6-year terms

Dallas has this type of government as a home rule city

Council-manager form

DART system

Serves 13 cities and is governed by an appointed board of 15 people

DCTA

Operates the A-train that connects Denton to Dallas

Denton and Dallas are part of this COG that serves 16 North TX counties

The North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG)

Denton has this type of government as a home rule city

Council-manager form

Denton's current City Manager

Sara Hensley

DFW Airport Authority

Has a governing board of 12 appointed members

Example of a TX home rule city with a weak mayor-council form

Conroe

Example of a US home rule city with a commission form

Portland, OR

Example of TX home rule cities with a council-manager form

Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, and Denton

Examples of TX home rule cities with a strong mayor-council form

Houston and El Paso

General law cities

Have less than 5,000 people in population and are governed by general rules set by the TX Legislature

Home rule cities

Have more than 5,000 people in population and write charters for the city

How do the elections for Dallas's city council work, given that it has a council-manager form?

14 members of the city council are elected from 14 districts within the city

How do the elections for Denton's city council work, given that it has a council-manager form?

There are 7 city council members; the mayor and 2 city council members are elected at-large, and 4 city council members are elected from 4 districts within the city every other year

Larger home rule cities tend to have this form

Strong mayor-council form

Least populated county in TX, with a population of 169

Loving County in west TX

Mayor of Dallas

Eric Johnson

Mayor of Denton

Gerard Hudspeth

Members from the County Commissioner's Court, County Attorneys, County Sheriffs, and County Clerks have terms that last this long

They have 4-year terms

Most important structure of the county government

County Commissioner's Court

Most popular form adopted by TX home rule cities

Council-manager form

Most populated county in TX, with a population of 4.7 million

Harris County, where Houston is

Municipal Utility Districts are an example of this type of district

Non-school district

Number of counties in TX

254 counties

School districts

Governed by school boards

Strong mayor-council form

Mayor has substantial power with respect to the city council, allowing them to hire and fire and shape the city's budget

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system is an example of this type of district

Non-school district

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) is an example of this type of district

Non-school district

The DFW Airport Authority is an example of this type of district

Non-school district

The Texas Municipal League (TML) and Councils of Government (COG) have this type of membership

Voluntary membership

There are this many community college districts in TX

50 community college districts

True or False: The Denton city charter requires a majority vote during mayoral elections

True

TX has this many Councils of Government (COG)

24 COGs

Weak mayor-council form

Mayor does not have a lot of executive power with respect to the city council

What do the 7 members of school boards do?

They are elected and set the property tax rates for the district, hire and fire staff, and make policy for the district

What does the County Commissioner's Court do?

Sets the county property tax rate

Who do school boards appoint to run the school district's daily affairs?

A superintendent

Why does every TX county have the same structure?

County government structures are outlined in the TX Constitution