Chapter 13.1
City Government
Created by the State
• Local gov’ts are created by and then dependent
upon, the state. The state may take control and
even do away with them.
• Most states define a municipality as an
incorporated place – a locality with an officially
organized gov’t that provides services to the
residents. A city is a municipal gov’t.
continued
• Urban communities can create a city by incorporating.
To do this, they apply to the state legislature for a city
charter that grants power to a local gov’t.
• To obtain a charter, the community must include a
population of certain minimum size and submit
petitions signed by the residents supporting a charter.
• The charter describes the type of gov’t, its structure
and its powers.
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• Recently state legislatures have begun to grant
home rule, allowing cities to write their own
charters, choose their own type of gov’t and
manage their own affairs, within state laws.
• An urban community may be called a city, town
or village, depending on local preferences or
charter specifications. Regardless of size, most
city gov’ts provide the same basic services.
The Mayor-Council Form
• In a mayor-council form of gov’t, power is divided
between legislative and executive branches. Voters elect
a mayor and the members of the city council.
• The mayor is the chief executive and often appoints the
heads of departments.
• The council acts as the city’s legislature. It approves the
budget and passes city laws called ordinances.
Councils usually consist of fewer than 10 members
who serve four-year terms.
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• Some cities are divided into voting districts
called wards. Each ward elects a council
member. Other councils consist of membersat-large elected by the entire city.
• Large cities usually have a strong-mayor
system, in which the mayor has strong powers
such as the power to veto ordinances, appoint
and remove officials and prepare the budget.
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• Even in large cities, council membership is
usually a part-time job. A strong mayor usually
work full time.
• Smaller towns and a few big cities have a weakmayor system in which the mayor’s power is
limited. The council appoints department heads
and makes most decisions. The mayor presides
over council meetings but votes only in case of a
tie.
The Council-Manager Form
• The council-manager form is common in
medium-sized cities and suburbs. The chief
executive is a professionally trained city manager
who is not connected to any political party or
interest group.
• The council appoints and can remove the
manager. The manager reports to the council.
• Council members are usually elected in citywide
at-large elections.
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• City managers are not elected and are therefore free
from political pressures that could interfere with getting
the job done. They often have more expert knowledge
than the part-timers in council and thus may play a
major role in policymaking.
• Critics point out that because citizens do not elect the
manager, the manager may not provide the strong
unifying leadership needed in a large, diverse city.
The Commission Form
• A few cities use a commission form of gov’t.
They elect usually five commissioners in
citywide elections. Each commission heads a
department.
• Commissioners perform executive duties for
their departments and meet as a commission to
pass ordinances and make policy decisions.
There is no separation of powerscommissioners are both legislators and
executives.
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• The commissioners pick one member to act as
mayor, whose role is largely ceremonial.
• The commission system has drawbacks. No one
person is in charge, making responsibility hard
to pinpoint. New commissioners may know
little about their departments. When
commissioners disagree, it may be difficult to
make decisions.
Special Districts
• A special district is a unit of gov’t that deals
with a specific function, such as education, water
supply or transportation. Special districts may
overlap cities.
• A board or commission runs the special district.
It has the power to collect taxes or charge user
fees for the service.
Metropolitan Areas
• A metropolitan area is a central city and its
surrounding suburbs. If it includes 50,000 or more
people, it is a Metropolitan Statistical Area. One that
includes more than one central city is a Consolidated
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
• Growth of population and expansion of industry in
metropolitan areas have created many problems in
transportation, pollution control and law enforcement.
Uncontrolled urban sprawl has created problems in
land-use management.