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Standard and Short Edition:
1 American Political Culture
2 The Founding and the Constitution
3 Federalism
4 Civil Liberties
5 Civil Rights
6 Public Opinion
7 The Media
8 Political Participation and Voting
9 Political Parties
10 Campaigns and Elections
11 Groups and Interests
12 Congress
13 The Presidency
14 Bureaucracy In A Democracy
15 The Federal Courts
16 Government and Economy
17 Social Policy
18 Foreign Policy and Democracy
Texas Edition:
19 The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
20 The Texas Constitution
21 Parties and Elections in Texas
22 Interest Groups, Lobbying, and Lobbyists
23 The Texas Legislature
24 The Texas Executive Branch
25 The Texas Judiciary
26 Local Government in Texas
27 Public Policy in Texas

Chapter 26: Local Government in Texas

Chapter Review

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County Government in Texas

Local government institutions play a major role in Texas. In 2002, there were 4,784 local government institutions. Of these, 1,450 were general-purpose governments (including 254 county governments and 1,196 municipal governments) There were also 3,334 special-purpose governments (including 1,089 public school systems and 2,245 special districts.

I. How is county government in Texas a form of checks and balances? Does this system make it more difficult to govern? What explains the variation in the types of public offices at the county level? What are the primary functions of county government?

  • County governments are the primary form of government for rural areas.
  • As with the other levels of government, the county has a multiplicity of elected officials, which serves as a check on the officials because no one officeholder can dominate county government.
  • A county is generally run by the county judge (elected by the county at-large) and a commissioner’s court (elected to represent a particular area of the county).
  • The election of so many officials creates a check on the power of government officials.
  • The main duties of the county commissioners is the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges within each county precinct, county jails, and indigent health care facilities.
  • Other officials at the county level include the county attorney, tax assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, district attorney, sheriff, and constable.
  • This decentralized system makes coordination of government activities very difficult.

 

City Government in Texas

I. What are the three major forms of city government in Texas? How do they vary?

  • The 2004 census reported 1,196 municipal governments incorporated in Texas.
  • Municipal governments, like county governments, are creations of the state.
  • Cities with populations in excess of 5,000 can adopt home-rule charters that give them greater authority over taxes and the form of government used
  • Cities with populations of less than 5,000 are governed by general statutes.
  • The forms of local government include mayor-council (either strong mayor or weak mayor), council-manager, and commission.
  • At-large elections minimized minority representation and have been replaced by single-member district elections or mixed at-large/single-member district elections.
  • Cities that have lost a portion of the tax base due to migration to the suburban areas may annex the unincorporated areas.

 

Special Districts

I. What are the types of special districts in Texas? What functions do each perform?

  • A special district is a unit of local government that performs a single service in a limited geographical area.
  • These governments solve problems associated with providing a service that crosses political boundaries of other local governments.
  • School districts are the most common form of special district, providing public education from prekindergarten through the twelfth grade.
    • These districts adopt policy for the district, adopt the districts budget, set the tax rate, adopt textbooks, hire principals and faculty, set the school calendar, and determine salaries.
    • The school board is elected by the voters of the district.
  • Nonschool special districts include municipal utility districts, flood control districts, and community college districts.

 

II. How are special districts created, governed, and financed?

  • Special districts are created by the voters of the area to be served.
  • The district is governed by an elected board and is financed through local property taxes, user fees, and federal and state contributions.

 

III. What are regional councils of government and what do they do?

  • Councils of government are created to coordinate government activity in a particular region.
  • The council of government will also assist in economic planning for a particular region.

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