Lesson 39: Local Governments

4 pages (850 words)

SS8CG5 The student will analyze the role of local governments in the state of

Georgia.

When Georgia was still a British colony, it was divided up into parts called parishes. After the American Revolution, Georgia’s parishes became counties. Counties served as ways for people to be represented in state government. Also, through the sheriff, counties acted to protect the people who lived in them. Additional county functions include keeping track of land ownership, marriage and automobile licenses, and elections at both the county and state levels. Today, there are 159 counties in Georgia.

[http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/countyhistory.htm]

Municipal Governments

In addition to its159 counties, Georgia has some 535 cities and towns. Cities and towns are also called municipalities. Municipalities have charters. Charters are similar to constitutions. They outline the form and structure of the municipality’s government. They also define the municipality’s boundaries and powers. The powers include the kinds of services the municipality gives to its citizens.

Citizens living in a particular area can form a municipality by asking the state legislature to grant them a charter. The legislature will grant the charter if:

[Art: INSERT bullet list]

200 or more people live in the area,

The area is more than three miles from another municipality,

And at least 2/3 of the land is split into properties for either living or business purposes.

[Art: END bullet list]

To remain as a city or town, the municipality must then do all of the following:

[Art: INSERT bullet list]

Hold regular elections,

Have at least six official meetings per year,

And provide three or more services from an official list.

[Art: END bullet list]

[Georgia's City Governments: Municipal Charters: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-586]

The official list of municipal services is in Georgia’s constitution. Here is the list:

[Art: INSERT bullet list]

Police and fire protection

Garbage collection and disposal services

Public health facilities and services

Street and road construction and maintenance

Parks, recreational areas, programs, and facilities

Storm-water and sewage collection and disposal systems

Development, storage, treatment, purification, and distribution of water

Public housing

Public transportation

Libraries, archives, and arts and sciences programs and facilities

Terminal and dock facilities and parking facilities

Codes, including building, housing, plumbing, and electrical

Air-quality control

Creation, modification, and maintenance of retirement or pension systems for local government employees

Planning, zoning, and community redevelopment

Electric or gas utility services

Street lighting

[Art: END bullet list]

[Municipal Services: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2865]

County Governments

Similar services may also be provided by Georgia’s 159 counties. Georgia’s counties were originally a way for people to be represented in state government. Now, however, the state is broken up into districts. These districts overlap county boundaries so that all counties are represented in the General Assembly. In addition, every county has a probate court, a magistrate court, and a juvenile court. While municipalities may have their own courts, they do not fill the same functions that the county level courts do. Furthermore, counties build and maintain roads. They also control licenses for cars and trucks, and run Georgia’s welfare programs. And though Georgia residents vote at all levels of government, they register to vote in their counties.

At the county level of government, Georgians vote for the following officers:

[Art: INSERT bullet list]

County commissioner and/or a board of commissioners

Clerk of superior court

Judge of probate court

Sheriff

Tax receiver

Tax collector

(And in some counties a tax commissioner instead of the tax receiver and tax collector)

[Art: END bullet list]

[Georgia's County Governments: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-589]

[http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/countyhistory.htm]

Forms of Municipal Government

The forms of government of Georgia’s counties are standard across the state. In towns and cities, though, there are three main forms of government. In all forms of municipal government, residents elect members to city council. The city council is the city’s legislative branch. It makes the city’s laws. The forms of city government differ according to the make-up of the executive branch.

In the council-manager form of city government, the city council hires a city manager. The city manager is the head executive of the city. The city manager decides who is in charge of city services. The city manager also runs the city’s budget. Council-manager cities do have mayors, however. Some council-manager cities elect their mayors, while in others, the city council chooses the mayor. In this form of city government, though, the mayor is a member of the legislative branch like the rest of the members of city council.

The strong mayor–council form of city government also has a powerful executive officer. This powerful executive officer is the mayor, who is elected by the voters in the city. In this form of government, the mayor can veto legislation passed by city council. The mayor can also choose people to run the city’s various service departments. Like the city manager, the strong mayor also has the power to run the city’s budget. In addition, strong mayors often influence the make-up of city council committees where the major decisions are made.

In the weak mayor–council form of city government, the mayor has no such power. Though elected by the city’s voters, the weak mayor’s office is more for show than for function. The weak mayor has no special executive powers. No power to veto, no power to choose committee members, no overriding say in the budget.

[Georgia's City Governments: Forms of Municipal Government: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/GovernmentPolitics/Government/LocalGovernment&id=h-586]

Special-Purpose Districts

The Georgia constitution allows special-purpose districts to be created. [http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/conart9.htm] Special-purpose districts are also called special-purpose governments or local government authorities. City and county governments create special-purpose governments in order to meet specific needs of the people. They are administrative units which aim to accomplish a specific task. They are different from city and county governments, which have a wide range of functions.

The following are some special-purpose governments in Georgia:

[Art: INSERT bullet list]

Development Authorities: Create jobs and increase business in specific counties. [http://www.cherokeega.org/]

Downtown Development Authorities: Maintain and rebuild the downtowns of cities. [http://www.fortvalley-mainstreet.org/]

Recreation and Parks Authorities: Maintain and develop land for parks and recreation areas in counties. [http://rfpra.com/images/docs/rfpra%20_ervices_overview.pdf]

Housing Authorities: Manage housing options in counties.

[Art: END bullet list]

[Municipal Services: Special-Purpose Districts: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2865]

[http://www.dca.state.ga.us/development/research/programs/lga.asp#ProgramDescription]