County and City Government in Georgia Standard: SS8CG5 The student will analyze the role of local...
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Transcript of County and City Government in Georgia Standard: SS8CG5 The student will analyze the role of local...
County and City Government in Georgia
Standard: SS8CG5The student will analyze the role of local governments in the state of Georgia
Standard: SS8CG5
a. Explain the origins, function, purposes, and differences of county and city governments in Georgia
d. Evaluate the role of local government working with state agencies to administer state programs
Local Governments• Local governments are the
most numerous in the U.S.•Georgia’s local governments
get their powers from the Georgia constitution•Georgia has 159 counties and
each county has a government
• In addition to the counties, there almost 600 cities in Georgia, each with their own government• These governments are
important because they are closest to the people and most likely to affect us directly
County Government• Counties are subdivisions of the
state• The state constitution sets out the
powers of the county government–These include the power to tax to
cover the cost of police systems, road maintenance, public health, and parks and libraries
•The constitution requires that all county governments be organized the same way•Most county governments are headed by boards of commissioners
County Boards of Commissioners
•A board of commissioners is elected in each county to serve 4-year, staggered terms
• They have the authority to establish county policies, adopt county ordinances (laws), establish a budget and tax rates, a provide services to the citizens of a county• A county administrator,
appointed by the board, serves as chief administrative officer
County Officials
• Each county has a different number of officials, depending on its population
• Each county has at least these elected officials: commissioners, superior court clerk, probate court judge, tax commissioner, sheriff, and coroner
• Other county officials are appointed, rather than elected. Appointed county officials include clerks, attorneys, fire chiefs, roads supervisors, and surveyors
To become a city…• A city with its own government is called a municipality• A city becomes a political unit when it receives a charter from
the state legislature– A charter is a document that outlines the conditions under
which a city is organized and defines its rights and privileges• To be chartered, a city must meet these 3 requirements:
– It must have at least 200 residents– It must be located at least 3 miles from the boundaries of
the nearest city– It must have 60% of its land divided into tracts or being used
for homes, business, industry, or government purposes
City Government• A city government can only do what
its charter authorizes it to do• Most city charters allow cities to
provide police protection, license businesses, maintain streets and sidewalks, control traffic, and provide water and sewage services• Other services may only be provided
if they are in the city charter
Standard: SS8CG5
b. Compare and contrast the weak mayor-council, the strong mayor-council, and the council-manager forms of city government
Forms of City Government
• There are 3 most common forms of city government–Mayor-council Form–Council-manager Form–Commission Form
Mayor-Council Form
• The elected city council is responsible for making laws•An elected mayor is the
city’s chief executive officer
•The mayor also makes sure laws are carried out and city agencies do their jobs•There are 2 types of mayor-council government: strong mayor and weak mayor
Strong-Mayor System
• In this system, the mayor is a strong leader who proposes legislation, prepares the budget, appoints department heads, and has veto power• The city of Atlanta is an example
of a strong-mayor city
Weak-Mayor System
• In this system, the city council has legislative and executive powers• The mayor has limited
powers, appoints a few city officials, and has little veto power
• The mayor is basically a figurehead (a person who is the head of an organization but has no powers)• The mayor usually only
presides over council meetings and performs ceremonial duties
Council-Manager Form
• The voters elected a city council that establishes laws and policies• There is a mayor who is
either elected or appointed by the council
• The council hires a city manager who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the city• Savannah has a council-
manager form of government
Commission Form
• The voters elect the commissioners• Each commissioner is the
head of a department within the city government, such as finance, streets, public safety, etc.
•The mayor is elected by the commissioners from among themselves•Decatur has a commission form of government
Standard: SS8CG5
c.Describe the functions of special-purpose governments
Special-Purpose Governments
• There are a number of special-purpose districts in Georgia• These are created for a
single job or group of tasks•Most of these govern
themselves
•An example of a special-purpose government is a school system•While the state requires
children to go to school, the control of each system is left up to the school board office–The system establishes rules, dress codes, schedules, etc.
Other Special-Purpose Districts
•MARTA is another special-purpose district–They run the system, set the cost of fares, set the routes, and schedule times
• The Public Housing Authority is another–They determine location of public
housing, construct and maintain the buildings, rent the housing, and determine rules and regulations
• Community fire departments, airports, and the port authorities are other examples
Consolidated Government
•Some counties provide services outside of cities, such as water, sewage, sanitation, and fire protection.
•As cities and counties grow, these can overlap•To avoid duplication, a city and county government can consolidate (merge) into a single government
Questions:• 1) Where do Georgia’s local governments
get their power?• 2) How many counties does Georgia have?• 3) Why are local governments important?• 4) What is a county?• 5) What types of powers do county
governments have?• 6) Who heads most county governments?• 7) How long is a term of a member of a
board of commissioners?• 8) What authorities do county boards of
commissioners have?• 9) Who serves as the chief administrative
officer of a board of commissioners?
• 10) How is the number of county officials determined in each county?
• 11) Which county officials are elected?• 12) Which county officials are appointed?• 13) What is a municipality?• 14) How does a city become a political
unit?• 15) What is a charter?• 16) What 3 requirements are necessary
for a city to be chartered?• 17) What powers are granted to a city by
its charter?• 18) What are the 3 common forms of city
government?
Questions…• 19) Who makes laws in the mayor-
council form?• 20) Who is the chief executive officer
in the mayor-council form?• 21) What are the duties of the mayor
in them mayor-council form?• 22) What are the 2 types of mayor-
council form?• 23) What does the mayor do in the
strong-mayor system?• 24) Who has legislative and executive
powers in the weak-mayor system?• 25) Describe the role of the mayor in
the weak-mayor system?• 26) What does the city council do in
the council-manager form?• 27) What does the city manager do in
the council-manager form?
• 28) What do commissioners do in the commission form?
• 29) How is the mayor chosen in the commission form?
• 30) Why are special-purpose governments created?
• 31) Who governs special-purpose governments?
• 32) List 3 examples of special-purpose governments, and what they do
• 33) What is a consolidated government?
• 34) Why are consolidated governments created?