local government in the united states

8/13/2019 Local Government in the United States

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dCHAPTER I. Local government in the United States

.

The great political principles which govern the contemporary American society,undoubtedly have the state as the basis of their origin and source of development . Thestates which compose the American Union nowadays, all present the same characteristicsas far as regards the aspect of their institutions. Their political or administrative existenceis organized on three levels: local governemet, state government and the federalgovernment.

Local government in the United States is generally structured in accordance with thelaws of the various individual states. Typically each state has at least two separate tiers:counties (known in Louisiana as parishes and as boroughs in Alaska), and municipalities. Some states have their counties divided into townships. In turn there are several differenttypes of municipal government, generally reflecting the needs of different levels of population densities; although the types and nature of these municipal entities varies fromstate to state, typical examples include the city, town, borough, and village. Many ruralareas and even some suburban areas of many states have no municipal government belowthe county level. In a few states, there is only one level of local government: Hawaii hasno legal municipalities below the county level; while Connecticut and Rhode Island'scounties serve no legal function — these being filled by city and town governments.

In addition to the above, there are also often local or regional special districts that existfor specific purposes, such as to provide fire protection, sewer service, transit service or

to manage water resources. In many states, school districts manage the schools. Suchspecial purpose districts often encompass areas in multiple municipalities.

Finally, in some places the different tiers are merged together, for example as aconsolidated city-county.

Since the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution makes local governmentfor the most part a matter of state rather than federal law, the states are free to adopt awide variety of systems of local government. Nonetheless, the United States CensusBureau, which conducts the Census of Governments every five years, groups localgovernments in the United States into the following categories:.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parishes_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_boroughs_and_census_areas_in_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_city-countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States#cite_note-0#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States#cite_note-0#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States#cite_note-0#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States#cite_note-0#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_city-countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_boroughs_and_census_areas_in_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parishes_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state


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the township may incorporate itself into a city; this can be seen in the numerous squarecities of Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are different; these states have civil townships that are not based on the PLSS survey system, but on the older Metes and bounds survey system. A

New Jersey township differs only in name from other municipalities: its boundaries arefixed, it is an incorporated body, and it is free to adopt another form of government. TheFederal Government has frequently failed to allow for this; some New Jerseymunicipalities, such as the Township of the Borough of Verona or Township of SouthOrange Village [1], changed their names to qualify for additional Federal aid.

This categorization includes governmental units officially designated as "Towns" in the New England states, New York, and Wisconsin, some plantations in Maine and locationsin New Hampshire.

The Census Bureau includes New England towns in the category of townships because of

the historical circumstances of their formation. However, because county government inthe New England states is weak or nonexistent, New England towns have considerablymore power than townships elsewhere and often function as independent cities in all butname. Also, there is a tradition of local government presided over by town meetings — assemblies open to all voters to express their opinions on public policy.

Although towns in the six New England states and New York, and townships in NewJersey and Pennsylvania, are legally termed municipal corporations, perform municipal-type functions, and frequently serve densely populated urban areas, they have nonecessary relation to concentration of population, and are thus counted for census purposes as town or township governments. Even in states beyond New England,

townships often serve urbanized areas and provide municipal services typically provided by incorporated municipalities. In Minnesota, the terms town and township are usedinterchangeably with regard to township governments. Michigan has created chartertownships as a separate type of government to allow greater flexibility for townshipgovernments to serve urbanized populations.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2002 town or township government applied to16,504 organized governments in the following 20 states:

Connecticut Illinois Indiana Kansas Maine

Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska

NewHampshi

re New

Jersey New

York North

Dakota

Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Wisconsin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_County,_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_boundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(New_Jersey)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona,_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Orange,_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Orange,_New_Jerseyhttp://www.southorange.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_meetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missourihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missourihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_meetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://www.southorange.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Orange,_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Orange,_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona,_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(New_Jersey)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_boundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_County,_Minnesota


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Ohio

The count of 16,504 organized township governments does not include unorganizedtownship areas (where the township may exist in name only, but has no organizedgovernment) or where the townships are coextensive with cities and the cities haveabsorbed the township functions. It also does not include townships in Iowa, which arenot separate governments, but are classified as subordinate agencies of countygovernments.

Of the 16,504 town or township governments, only 1,179 (7.1 percent) had as many as10,000 inhabitants in the 2000 census and 52.4 percent of all towns or townships hadfewer than 1000 inhabitants. There was a decline in the number of town or townshipgovernments from 16,629 in 1997 to 16,504 in 2002. Nearly all of the decline involved

townships in the Midwest.

As it could have been observed, the townships are not organized in the samemanner in every part of the Union; Because township government is defined by eachstate, the use of this form also varies by state. States using a township form include for

following:

Township government is used in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota andWisconsin (in Wisconsin known as "towns").

The form is sometimes used or used in parts of Illinois and Nebraska.

Some states formerly used township governments, or have some vestige of namedtownships. These include Arkansas, California, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Washington.

The New England state combine the municipal and area government forms into a

town; this is the locus of the town meeting. These states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. New York also hasincorporated townships, called towns, although they have fewer powers than NewEngland towns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indiana_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Missourihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(New_Jersey)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ohio_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(Pennsylvania)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_subdivisions_of_Wisconsin#Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nebraska_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arkansas_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oklahoma_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_meetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York_State#Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York_State#Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_towns_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_meetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oklahoma_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arkansas_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nebraska_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_subdivisions_of_Wisconsin#Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(Pennsylvania)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ohio_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_(New_Jersey)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Missourihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_townships_in_Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indiana_townshipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio


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In spite of these variations, the town the smallest division of a community, mustnecessarily exist, local assemblies of citizens constitute the strength of freenations.

―Township institutions are to liberty what primary schools are to science‖;

they bring it within the people's reach, they teach men how to use and how toenjoy it. A nation may establish a system of free government, but without thespirit of township institutions it cannot have the spirit of liberty It is, however,easy to perceive that the same principles have guided the formation of both ofthem throughout the Union.

AUTHORITIES .

The responsibilities and the form of the township government is specified by the state

legislature.

The public duties in the township are extremely numerous and minutely divided, but thelarge proportion of administrative power is vested in the hands of a number ofindividuals.

The most common form of township government has an elected board of trustees orsupervisors, generically called town officers or functionaries in the next sections of the book

The general laws of the state impose a certain number of obligations on theelected board of town trustees. In all the affairs, however, which are determined by thetown-meeting, they are the organs of the popular mandate. They usually act upon theirown responsibility, and merely put in practice principles which have been previouslyrecognised by the majority. But if any change is to be introduced in the existing state ofthings, or if they wish to undertake any new enterprise, they are obliged to refer to thesource of their power. If, for instance, a school is to be established, members of theelected board convoke the whole body of electors on a certain day at an appointed place;they explain the urgency of the case; they give their opinion on the means of satisfying it,on the probable expense, and the site which seems to be most favorable. The meeting isconsulted on these several points; it adopts the principle, marks out the site, votes therate, and confides the execution of its resolution to the elected bord.

The trustees alone have the right of calling a town-meeting; but they may berequested to do so: if the citizens are desirous of submitting a new project to the assent ofthe township, they may demand a general convocation of the inhabitants and are obligedto comply, but they have only the right of presiding at the meeting.[67]

The trustees are elected every year. The town-meeting chooses at the same time anumber of municipal magistrates, who are intrusted with important administrative

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functions. The most common responsibilities include such things as road maintenance,land use planning, and trash collection.

. A constable is appointed to keep the peace, to watch the streets, and to forward theexecution of the laws; the town-clerk records all the town votes, orders, grants, births,

deaths, and marriages; the treasurer keeps the funds; committee-men are appointed toattend to the schools and to public instruction; and the road-surveyors, who take care ofthe greater and lesser thoroughfares of the township, complete the list of the principalofficers or functionaries, terms with which the trustees and municipal magistrates will begenerically called town officers in the next sections of the book

. Every inhabitant is constrained, on pain of being fined, to undertake these differentfunctions; which, however, are almost all paid. In general the American system is not togrant a fixed salary to its functionaries. Every service has its price, and they areremunerated in proportion to what they have done.

* * * * *

Individual and community / township and state

The principle of the sovereignty of the people governs the whole American political system. Every individual is therefore supposed to be equal with any of hisfellow-citizens. He obeys the government, not because he is inferior to the authoritieswhich conduct or less capable, but because he acknowledges the utility of an associationwith his fellow-men, and because he knows that no such association can exist without aregulating force. Every one is the best and the sole judge of his own private interest, andthat society has no right to control a man's actions, unless they prejudice the commonweal, or unless the common weal demands his co-operation. This doctrine is universallyadmitted in the United States. Township independence is therefore a natural consequenceof the principle of the sovereignty of the people in the United States. The townships areonly subordinate to the state in those interests common to all the citizens. They areindependent in all that concerns themselves. The towns buy and sell, prosecute or areindicted, augment or diminish their rates, without the slightest opposition on the part ofthe administrative authority of the state.

They are bound, however, to comply with the demands of the community. If thestate is in need of money, a town can neither give nor withhold the supplies. If the state projects a road, the township cannot refuse to let it cross its territory; if a policeregulation is made by the state, it must be enforced by the town. A uniform system ofinstruction is organised all over the country, and every town is bound to establish theschools which the law ordains. In speaking of the administration of the United States, it isimportant to point out the means by which the townships are compelled to obey itsobligation in different cases. Strict as this obligation is, the government of the stateimposes it in principle only, and in its performance the township resumes all itsindependent rights. Thus, taxes are voted by the state, but they are assessed and collected by the township; the existence of a school is obligatory, but the township builds, pays,and superintends it.


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PUBLIC SPIRIT OF THE TOWNSHIPS

In America, not only do townships exist, but they are kept alive and supported by public spirit. The township possesses two advantages which infallibly secure the interest

of mankind, namely, independence and authority. The town citizen is attached to histownship, not only because he was born in it, but because it constitutes a strong and freesocial body of which he is a member, and whose government claims and deserves theexercise of his sagacity. In Europe, the absence of local public spirit is a frequent subjectof regret to those who are in power; everyone agrees that there is no surer guarantee oforder and tranquility. Yet, without power and independence, a town may contain goodsubjects, but it can have no active citizens. The township serves as a centre for the desireof public esteem, the want of exciting interests, and the taste for authority and popularity,in the midst of the ordinary relations of life: and the passions which commonly embroilsociety, change their character when they find a vent so near the domestic hearth and thefamily circle.

The local administration thus affords an unfailing source of profit and interest to avast number of individuals.The American system, which divides the local authority among so many citizens,

does not scruple to multiply the functions of the town officers. For in the United States, itis believed that patriotism is a kind of devotion, which is strengthened by ritualobservance. In this manner the activity of the township is continually perceptible; it isdaily manifested in the fulfillment of a duty, or the exercise of a right; and a constantthough gentle motion is thus kept up in society.

County governments

County governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutionsand statutes and established to provide general government in an area generally definedas a first-tier geographic division of a state.All the states are divided into counties orcounty-equivalents (referred to as boroughs in Alaska and parishes in Louisiana), thoughonly a portion of Alaska is so divided. Connecticut and Rhode Island have completelyeliminated county government, and Massachusetts has partially eliminated it.

In areas lacking a municipal or township government, the county government is generallyresponsible for providing all services. A county is a local level of government below thestate (or federal territory). Counties are used in 48 of the 50 states. The U.S. Census

Bureau lists 3,141 counties or county-equivalent administrative units in total. There areon average 62 counties per state. The limits of the counties are arbitrarily laid down, andthe various districts which they contain have no necessary connexion, no commontraditional or natural sympathy; their object is simply to facilitate the administration of public affairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County-equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County-equivalent


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In most Midwestern and Northeastern states, counties are further subdivided intotownships or towns and may contain other independent, self-governing municipalities. The average U.S. county population is about 100,000. The most populous countyequivalent is Los Angeles County, California, with 10,226,506 inhabitants as of 2005,and the least populous county is Loving County, Texas, with 60 inhabitants as of 2005,

Kalawao County, Hawaii, a leper colony, is the next-smallest county, with a populationof 147. The largest county equivalent by (total) area is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area,Alaska, at 147,843 square miles (382,912 km²), while the largest county is SanBernardino County, California, at 20,105 square miles (52,071 km²). The smallest countyequivalent is the independent city of Falls Church, Virginia, at 2.0 square miles (5 km²),while the smallest county is Kalawao County, Hawaii, at 13 square miles (34 km²). Thesmallest self-governing county is New York County, New York, at 22.96 square miles(59.47 km²).[1]

. There are certain wants which are felt alike by all the townships of a county; it istherefore natural that they should be satisfied by a central authority.

The power of the county government varies widely from state to state, as does therelationship between counties and incorporated municipal governments. The distributionof power between the state government, county governments, and municipal governmentsis defined in each state's constitution.

Governance

Counties are usually governed by an elected board of supervisors, county commission,

county council, or county legislature. In some counties, there is a county mayor or acounty executive. The position of mayor is mostly ceremonial in some states, while inothers, the mayor is more powerful than the commissioners or supervisors.[1]

In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all threetraditional branches of government. It has the legislative power to enact ordinances forthe county; it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of countygovernment; and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (likehearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists).

As for the day-to-day operations of the county government, they are sometimes overseen

by a county manager or chief administrative officer who reports to the board, the mayor,or both.

In some states, the county technically has a plural executive in that several importantofficials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors (implyingthey cannot be fired by the board). This can create tension if such officials then disagreeon how to best carry out their respective functions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_County,_Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_County,_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leper_colonyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon-Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon-Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Church,_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_County,_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_supervisorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_commissionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_councilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=County_legislature&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=County_legislature&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_councilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_commissionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_supervisorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_governmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_County,_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Church,_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon-Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon-Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leper_colonyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_County,_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_County,_Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_County,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_township


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Scope of power

The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does therelationship between counties and incorporated cities. The government of the countyusually resides in a municipality called the county seat. However, some counties may

have multiple seats or no seat.

Minimal scope

The extent of the township was too small to contain a system of judicial institutions; In New England, counties function at most as judicial court districts and sheriff'sdepartments (in Connecticut only as judicial court districts and in Rhode Island, theyhave lost both those functions) and most government power below the state level is in thehands of towns and cities. In several of Maine's sparsely populated counties, small townsrely on the county for law enforcement, and in New Hampshire several social programsare administered at the state level. In some New England states, such as Connecticut,

parts of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, counties are only geographic designations anddo not have any governmental powers. In the state of Massachusetts the authority isvested in the hands of several magistrates who are appointed by the governor of the state,with the advice[70] of his council.[71] The officers of the county have only a limited andoccasional authority, which is applicable to certain predetermined cases. The state and thetownships possess all the power requisite to conduct public business. The budget of thecounty is only drawn up by its officers, and is voted by the legislature.[72]

All government is either done at the state level or at the municipal (town or city) level. InConnecticut, 15 regional councils have been established to partially fill the void left

behind when the state abolished its eight county governments in 1960. Connecticut'sregional councils do not conform to the old county lines; rather, they are composed oftowns that share the same geographic region and have similar demographics. Theregional councils' authority is much more limited compared with a county government:the regional councils have no taxing authority or authority to issue permits; theaforementioned powers are delegated to the town governments. Regional councils do,however, have authority over infrastructure and land use planning, distribution of stateand federal funds for infrastructure projects, emergency preparedness, and limited lawenforcement.

Moderate scope

Counties typically provide, at a minimum, public utilities, libraries, hospitals, publichealth services, parks, roads, law enforcement, and jails. There is usually a countyregistrar, recorder, or clerk (the title varies) who collects vital statistics, holds elections(sometimes in coordination with a separate elections office or commission), and preparesor processes certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees).Other key county officials include the coroner /medical examiner, treasurer, assessor, auditor, controller, and district attorney.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_seathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_utilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_examinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assessorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comptrollerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_attorneyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_attorneyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comptrollerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assessorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_examinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_utilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Englandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_seat


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In most states, the county sheriff is the principal law enforcement officer in the county.

In most Western states, the county controls all unincorporated land within its boundaries.In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the township.Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level

resource allocation decisions can incorporate as a city or village.

A few counties provide public transportation themselves; this usually comes in the formof a simple bus system. However, in most counties, public transportation is provided byone of the following: a special district that is coterminous with the county, a multi-countyregional transit authority, or a state agency.

Broad scope

In some states, more populated counties provide many facilities, such as airports,convention centers, museums, beaches, harbors, zoos, clinics, law libraries, and public

housing. They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mentalhealth services, welfare services, veterans assistance services, animal control, probationsupervision, historic preservation, food safety regulation, and environmental healthservices. They have many additional officials like public defenders, arts commissioners,human rights commissioners, and planning commissioners. Finally, there may also be acounty fire department (as distinguished from fire departments operated by individualcities, special districts, or the state government).

Maryland in particular vests its counties with broad powers, including police andeducational responsibilities.

Number of counties or county equivalents per state

There are on average 62 counties per state. The state with the fewest counties is Delaware(three), and the state with the most is Texas (254).[3] Southern and Midwestern statesgenerally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states. Connecticut,Massachusetts and Rhode Island have abolished county governments in whole or in part,though the former county territories may be observed in the three states' state-leveladministrative districts.

254 – Texas

159 – Georgia

134 – Virginia

120 – Kentucky

115 –

93 – Nebraska

92 – Indiana

88 – Ohio 87 –

Minnesota

83 –

67 – Florida

67 – Alabama

66 – SouthDakota

64 –

46 – SouthCarolina

44 – Idaho

39 – Washington

36 –

17 – Nevada

16 – Maine 15 –

Arizona 14 –

Vermont 14 –

Massachus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriffs_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transportationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_controlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_defenderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delawarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-2#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-2#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-2#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Southhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Midwesthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Westhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Northeasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Georgia_(U.S._state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Kentuckyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Nebraskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Ohiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Florida_countieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alabamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alabamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Idahohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Nevadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Vermonthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Nevadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Washingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Idahohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_South_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alabamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alabamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Florida_countieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Minnesotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Ohiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Nebraskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Kentuckyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Georgia_(U.S._state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Northeasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Westhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Midwesthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Southhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-2#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delawarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_defenderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_controlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transportationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriffs_in_the_United_States


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Missouri 105 –

Kansas 102 –

Illinois

100 – NorthCarolina

99 – Iowa 95 –

Tennessee

Michigan 82 –

Mississip pi

77 –

Oklahoma

75 – Arkansas

72 – Wisconsin

67 – Pennsylvania

Louisiana

64 – Colorado

62 – NewYork

58 – California

56 – Montana

55 – WestVirginia

53 – NorthDakota

Oregon 33 –

NewMexico

29 –

Utah 27 –

Alaska 24 –

Maryland

23 – Wyoming

21 – New

Jersey

etts 10 – New

Hampshire 8 –

Connecticu

t 5 – Rhode

Island 5 – Hawaii 3 –

Delaware

Source:[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Missourihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Tennesseehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Tennesseehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mississippihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mississippihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oklahomahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oklahomahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Arkansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Montanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_West_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_West_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oregonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Utahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Delawarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_(United_States)#cite_note-NACO_overview-0#cite_note-NACO_overview-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Delawarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Rhode_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Connecticuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Hampshirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Massachusettshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Jerseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyominghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Marylandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Alaskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Utahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oregonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Dakotahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_West_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_West_Virginiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Montanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Louisianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Pennsylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wisconsinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Arkansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oklahomahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Oklahomahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mississippihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Mississippihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Tennesseehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Tennesseehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Iowahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_North_Carolinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Illinoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Kansashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Missouri


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County equivalents

The term county equivalents includes three additional types of administrative divisionswhich are different from the type of county found in most states:

Alaska census areas: Most of the land area of Alaska is not contained within anyof Alaska's 16 boroughs. This vast area, larger than France and Germanycombined, is officially referred to by the Alaska state government as the

Unorganized Borough, and, outside of other incorporated borough limits, has noindependent "county" government, although several incorporated citygovernments exist within its boundaries; the majority of it is governed and run bythe State of Alaska as an extension of state government. The United States CensusBureau, in cooperation with the Alaska state government for census and electoraldistricting purposes, has divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 census areasfor statistical purposes only.

Independent cities: These are cities that legally belong to no county. As of 2004,there are 42 such cities in the United States: Baltimore, Maryland; Carson City, Nevada; St. Louis, Missouri; and all 39 cities in Virginia, where any municipalityincorporated as a city (in contrast to town) is by law severed from any county that

might otherwise have contained it.

[4]

Washington, D.C. has a special status. It is not part of any state; instead, in

accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the city is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.

Cities and counties

In general, cities occupy a smaller area than the county which contains them. However,there are some exceptions to this rule:

A city and its containing county may be merged to form a consolidated city-

county, which is considered both a city and a county under state law. Examplesinclude Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Similarly, some of Alaska's boroughs have merged with their principal cities,creating unified city-boroughs. This has resulted in some of Alaska's citiesranking among the geographically largest cities in the world.

A city may extend across county boundaries. Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, are examples. The city of Dallas, Texas, is in parts of five counties,

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while New York City contains within itself five counties, each of which iscoextensive with one of the five boroughs of the city, and they are Manhattan(New York County), The Bronx (Bronx County), Queens (Queens County), Brooklyn (Kings County) and Staten Island (Richmond County).

Other Forms of Local Government

Subcounty general purpose governments

This category includes municipal and township governments. Municipal and townshipgovernments are distinguished primarily by the historical circumstances surrounding theirformation.

Municipal governments

Municipal governments are organized local governments authorized in state constitutionsand statutes and established to provide general government for a defined area, generallycorresponding to a population center rather than one of a set of areas into which a countyis divided. The category includes those governments designated as cities, boroughs(except in Alaska), towns (except in Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin), and villages.This concept corresponds roughly to the "incorporated places" that are recognized inCensus Bureau reporting of population and housing statistics, although the CensusBureau excludes New England towns from their statistics for this category, and the countof municipal governments excludes places that are currently governmentally inactive.

Municipalities range in size from the very small (e.g., the Village of Lazy Lake, Florida,

with 38 residents), to the very large (e.g., New York City, with about 8 million people),and this is reflected in the range of types of municipal governments that exist in differentareas.

In most states, county and municipal governments exist side-by-side. There areexceptions to this, however. In some states, a city can, either by separating from itscounty or counties or by merging with one or more counties, become independent of anyseparately functioning county government and function both as a county and as a city.Depending on the state, such a city is known as either an independent city or aconsolidated city-county. Such a jurisdiction constitutes a county-equivalent and isanalogous to a unitary authority in other countries. In Connecticut, Rhode Island, and

parts of Massachusetts, counties exist only to designate boundaries for such state-levelfunctions as park districts or judicial offices (Massachusetts).

School district governments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borough_(New_York_City)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bronxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Lake,_Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_city-countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_authorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_authorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_city-countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Lake,_Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Townshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bronxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borough_(New_York_City)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City


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School districts are organized local entities providing public elementary, secondary,and/or higher education which, under state law, have sufficient administrative and fiscalautonomy to qualify as separate governments. The category excludes dependent publicschool systems of county, municipal, township, or state governments (e.g., schooldivisions).

Special district governments

Special districts are all organized local entities other than the four categories listed above,authorized by state law to provide only one or a limited number of designated functions,and with sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separategovernments; known by a variety of titles, including districts, authorities, boards,commissions, etc., as specified in the enabling state legislation. A special district mayserve areas of multiple states if established by an interstate compact.

Dillon's Rule

Unlike the relationship of federalism that exists between the U.S. government and thestates (in which power is shared), municipal governments have no power except what isgranted to them by their states. This legal doctrine was established by Judge John ForrestDillon in 1872 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1907. In effect, state governmentscan place whatever restrictions they choose on their municipalities (including mergingmunicipalities, controlling them directly, or abolishing them outright), as long as suchrules don't violate the state's constitution.

Institutions

The nature of both county and municipal government varies not only between states, butalso between different counties and municipalities within them. Local voters aregenerally free to choose the basic framework of government from a selection established by state law.

In most cases both counties and municipalities have a governing council, governing inconjunction with a mayor or president. Alternatively, the government may be run by acity manager under direction of the city council. In the past the municipal commission

was also common.

In addition to elections for a council or mayor, elections are often also held for positionssuch as local judges, the sheriff (head of the county's police department), and otheroffices.

Indian reservations

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While their territory nominally falls within the boundaries of individual states, Indianreservations actually function outside of their control. The reservation is usuallycontrolled by an elected tribal council which provides local services.

Census of local government

A census of all local governments in the country is performed every 5 years by the UnitedStates Census Bureau, in accordance with 13 USC 161.

Governments in the United States[2]

(not including insular areas)

Type Number

Federal 1

State 50

County 3,034

Municipal (city, town, village...) * 19,429

Township (in some states called Town) ** 16,504

School district 13,506

Special purpose(utility, fire, police, library, etc.)

35,052

Total 87,576

)* note: Municipalities are any incorporated places, such as cities, towns, villages, boroughs, etc.)** note: New England towns and towns in New York and Wisconsin are classified ascivil townships for census purposes.

Examples of local government in individual states

The following sections provide details of the operation of local government in a selectionof states, by way of example of the variety that exists across the country.

Alaska

Alaska calls its county equivalents "boroughs," functioning similar to counties in theLower 48; however, unlike any other state, not all of Alaska is subdivided into county-equivalent boroughs. Owing to the state's low population density, most of the land iscontained in what the state terms the Unorganized Borough which, as the name implies,has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the

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state government. Many of Alaska's boroughs are consolidated city-boroughgovernments; other cities exist both within organized boroughs and the UnorganizedBorough.

California

California has several different and overlapping forms of local government. Cities,counties, and the one city and county can make ordinances (local laws), including theestablishment and enforcement of civil and criminal penalties.

The entire state is subdivided into 58 counties (e.g. Santa Clara County). The mostimportant municipal entity is the city (e.g. Los Angeles). California cities are granted broad plenary powers under the California Constitution to assert jurisdiction over justabout anything, and they cannot be abolished or merged without the consent of a majorityof their inhabitants. For example, Los Angeles runs its own water and power utilities andits own elevator inspection department, while practically all other cities rely upon private

utilities and the state elevator inspectors. San Francisco is unique in that it is the onlyconsolidated city-county in the state.

The city of Lakewood, California pioneered the Lakewood Plan, a contract under which acity reimburses a county for performing services which are more efficiently performed ona countywide basis. Such contracts have become very popular throughout California andmany other states, as they enable city governments to concentrate on particular localconcerns like zoning. A city which contracts out most of its services, particularly lawenforcement, is known as a contract city.

There are also thousands of "special districts", which are areas with a defined territory in

which a specific service is provided, such as schools or fire stations. These entities lack plenary power to enact laws, but do have the power to promulgate administrativeregulations that often carry the force of law within land directly controlled by suchdistricts. Many special districts, particularly those created to provide public transportationor education, have their own police departments (e.g. Bay Area Rapid TransitDistrict/BART Police and University of California/UC Police Department).

Revenue is raised through local property and sales taxes, and the issue of public bonds.Counties also receive revenue from the state Vehicle Licensing Fee (VLF). Unlike otherstates which allow counties and cities to levy separate taxes upon the ownership of motorvehicles, California has consolidated taxation of vehicle ownership into a single tax at the

state level. This simplifies administration but also regularly leads to a flurry of fiscalemergencies in lean years when the state government withholds VLF revenue from localentities in order to balance the state budget.

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia is unique within the United States in that it is under the directauthority of the U.S. Congress, rather than forming part of any state. Actual government

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has been delegated under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to a city council whicheffectively also has the powers given to county or state governments in other areas.

Georgia

The state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties (the largest number of any state otherthan Texas), each of which has had home rule since at least 1980. This means thatGeorgia's counties not only act as units of state government, but also in much the sameway as municipalities.

All municipalities are classed as a "city", regardless of population size. For an area to beincorporated as a city special legislation has to be passed by the General Assembly (statelegislature); typically the legislation requires a referendum amongst local voters toapprove incorporation, to be passed by a simple majority. This most recently happened in2005 and 2006 in several communities near Atlanta. Sandy Springs, a city of 85,000 bordering Atlanta to the north, incorporated in December 2005. One year later, Johns

Creek (62,000) and Milton (20,000) incorporated, which meant that the entirety of northFulton County was now municipalized. The General Assembly also approved a plan thatwould potentially establish two new cities in the remaining unincorporated portions ofFulton County south of Atlanta, namely South Fulton and Chattahoochee Hill Country. Chattahoochee Hill County voted to incorporate in December 2007; South Fulton votedagainst incorporation, and is thus the only unincorporated portion of Fulton County.

City charters may be revoked either by the legislature or by a simple majority referendumof the city's residents; the latter last happened in 2004, in Lithia Springs. Revocation bythe legislature last occurred in 1995, when dozens of cities were eliminated en masse fornot having active governments, or even for not offering at least three municipal services

required of all cities.

New cities may not incorporate land less than 3 miles (4.8km) from an existing citywithout approval from the General Assembly. The body approved all of the recent andupcoming creations of new cities in Fulton County.

Three areas have a "consolidated city-county" government: Columbus, since 1971;Athens, since 1991; and Augusta, since 1996.

Hawaii

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has no incorporated municipalities at all. Instead it hasfour counties plus the "consolidated city-county" of Honolulu. All communities areconsidered to be census-designated places, with the exact boundaries being decided upon by co-operative agreement between the Governor's office and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Kalawao County is the second smallest county in the United States, and is oftenconsidered part of Maui County.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Home_Rule_Acthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_rulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_legislationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_General_Assemblyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_legislature_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_legislature_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Springs,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Creek,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Creek,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_County,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattahoochee_Hill_Country,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revokehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithia_Springs,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoluluhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census-designated_placehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui_Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui_Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalawao_Countyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census-designated_placehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoluluhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithia_Springs,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revokehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattahoochee_Hill_Country,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_County,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Creek,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Creek,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Springs,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_legislature_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_legislature_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_General_Assemblyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_legislationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_rulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Home_Rule_Act


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Louisiana

In Louisiana, counties are called parishes; likewise, the county seat is known as the parishseat. The difference in nomenclature does not reflect a fundamental difference in thenature of government, but is rather a reflection of the state's unique status as a former

French colony (although a small number of other states once had parishes too).

New York

Administrative divisions of New York refers to the various units of government of NewYork that provide local government services. The state has four multi-purpose municipalcorporations that provide most local government services, namely: counties, cities, towns,and villages. (Villages are a third layer of government, which are usually overlaid insidea town, and co-administer with the town, county, and state.) New York also has variouscorporate entities that serve single purposes that are also local governments, such asschool and fire districts.[1] Whether a municipality is defined as a city, town, or village is

not dependent on population or land area, but rather by the form of government selected by the residents and approved by the state legislature.[2][3][4] Each such government isgranted varying home rule powers as provided by the Federal and State Constitutions.[1]

New York has 62 counties,[5][6] which are subdivided into 932 towns,[4] 62 cities,[3] and 9Indian reservations.[7] In total, the state has over 4200 local governments.[8] The county isthe primary administrative division of New York. There are sixty-two counties in thestate. Five of the counties are boroughs of the city of New York and do not havefunctioning county governments.[6] While originally created as subdivisions of the statemeant to carry out state functions, counties are now considered municipal corporationswith the power and fiscal capacity to provide an array of local government services.[5]

Such services generally include law enforcement and public safety, social and healthservices (such as Medicaid), and education (special needs and community colleges).[9]

Every county has a county seat,[10] which is the location of county government.[11] Onecounty, Seneca, has two county seats, namely the villages of Waterloo and Ovid.[12][10]

According to the State of New York Local Government Handbook , "The county is now amunicipal corporation with geographical jurisdiction, homerule powers and fiscalcapacity to provide a wide range of services to its residents. To some extent, countieshave evolved into a form of 'regional' government that performs specified functions andwhich encompasses, but does not necessarily supersede, the jurisdiction of the cities,

towns and villages within its borders."[citation needed ]

Twenty-seven counties of the State operate under the general provisions of the CountyLaw. Twenty counties have County Charters. Although all counties have a certainlatitude to govern themselves, "charter counties" are afforded greater home rule powers.The charter counties as of 2006[13] are Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Chemung, Dutchess, Erie, Herkimer, Monroe, Nassau, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, and Westchester.

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ons_of_New_York#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10#cite_note-countyseatdefinition-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_County,_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo,_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid,_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York#cite_note-11#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York#cite

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