How Well Do You Know Your
County?
• Reflect – How do your initial answers
compare with your revised answers?
What does this tell you?
• Think & Discuss – How important is it to
be knowledgeable about your city?
County? State? Country? What types of
ramifications might there be if you do not
know about your home?
City Governments & SpecialPurpose Districts
Municipality
• A city with it’s own government
• What was Georgia’s first city &
municipality?
• Savannah – founded by James
Oglethorpe in 1733.
Municipalities
• Must receive a charter from the legislature
• Charter outlines what a city can and can not do
(establish a police department, control their own
school system, etc.)
• In order to receive a charter
– At least 200 residents
– Located at least 3 miles from the boundaries of the
nearest city
– 60% of its land divided into tracts (parcels of land) OR
being used for residential, business, institutional or
government uses
Forms of City Government
Mayor-Council
Council-Manager
Commission
Mayor Council
• Form of city government
• City council
– Elected
– Responsible for making laws
• Mayor
– City’s chief executive officer
– Elected
– Sees that laws are carried out
– Sees that agencies do their jobs
Mayor Council
Weak Mayor System
Mayor is a figurehead
• City council has both
legislative and
executive powers
• Mayor has limited
powers
• Appoints few city
officials
• Has little veto power
Strong Mayor System
• Proposes legislation
• Prepares city budget
• Appoints all
department heads
• Has veto power
Council Manager
• Form of city government
• City Council
– Elected
– Establishes laws & policies
– Mayor elected OR appointed by council
• City Manager
–
–
–
–
Hired by council
Responsible for day-to-day operation of the city
Appoints heads of city governments
Sees that these heads carry out their responsibilities
Commission Form
• Form of city government
• Commissioners
– Elected
– Each is the head of a department within city
government
• Finance
• Streets
• Public safety
– Mayor elected by commissioners
City-County Government
• Cities provide services to residents inside
city limits
• Some counties provide services to
residents living in unincorporated parts of
the county (inside county limits, but not
inside any city limits)
• City-County government – one single
government
Special-Purpose Districts
• Created for a single job or group of tasks
• Most govern themselves
• Control of school is left up to local board of
education
• Look on page 574 and find two examples
of special-purpose districts within Atlanta –
how do they operate?
$ Funding $
• Federal Grants
• Ad valorem Taxes
– Local property taxes
– Paid to local governments
– Based on value of real property AND personal
property
– Look on page 574 – what is the difference between
real and personal property? Provide an example of
each.
$ Funding $
• User Fees
– Paid by citizens
– Garbage collection, sewage, use of libraries, etc.
• Sales Tax
– General Option Sales Tax
• Countywide sales tax
• Added onto and collected at the same time as required sales tax
– SPLOST
•
•
•
•
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
Voters decide
5 year period
Finance special local improvement projects (public facilities, roads,
etc.)
$ Funding $
• Bond Issues
– Approved by voters
– Government asks to raise money for a public
project
• Hospitals
• Parks
• Schools
– Money raised with bond issues must be
repaid with interest
Review
• What are the three major types of city
government?
• Who can charter a city?
• What are ad valorem taxes?
• What is SPLOST?
Maynard Jackson
• Read the special section on Maynard
Jackson on page 571.
• Write a short letter to Mr. Jackson. In your
letter, reference / comment on at least 3
facts from the section, and also include at
least 3 questions you’d ask him today if
you had the chance.
Georgia’s 10 Largest Cities
2000
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Atlanta
Augusta
Columbus
Savannah
Athens
Macon
Roswell
Albany
Marietta
Warner Robbins
• On your own, see if you
can find a more recent
estimate of Georgia’s 10
largest cities (census
information is not yet
updated).
• Are the lists different?
• Include your source.