Texas History
Fort Burrows
20.5 - Local Government
READ pgs 503 - 505
The Main Idea:
Local Governments do most of the day-to-day business of running the state.
Vocabulary –
precinct - a district within a county, town, or city
franchise tax - tax on certain kinds of businesses that have special privileges in
the town/city

Texas has 254 counties. The
Government of these counties does some
important and basic things. They keep
records such as births, marriages,
deaths, and land sales. They also manage
elections.

Five people serve on the
Commissioners’ Court in each county.
They head the government of the county.
Each one serves for four years. One of
them is called the County Judge. That
person is the most powerful local official.
Despite the names, the Commissioners’
Court and county judge are not part of
the state’s judicial branch. Each county
has a Sheriff. He or she is the chief law
enforcer in the county. The County
Attorney prosecutes people who break
the law. The Clerk keeps public records.
 Counties have 3 main sources of
revenue (money). One is a tax on all
property in the county. Some counties
also have a sales tax, ours is 0.825%
that is paid when people buy goods The
other source is the State & Federal
Government.
 Texas has about 300 cities that have
their government. City Government can
take different forms.
The graphic
organizer below compares them.
Property tax is a source of income for
cities. Most cities also charge a sales tax
and a tax on certain kinds of businesses
that operate within the city. This tax is
called a franchise tax. Cities also provide
police and fire protection. They also
care for street repair, sidewalks, parks,
etc.

The State Legislature had made
some special districts. These are local
Governments created to do certain
specific things.
The most common
special district is the Independent School
District. Texas has more than 1000 of
these. They run the public schools
within a certain area.
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Texas History
Fort Burrows
County Government

Commissioners Court ( not part of the judicial system )

County Judge and 4 Commissioners oversees - county budget, sets the
tax rate, builds roads, etc

This Judge is the most powerful local official in most counties

The Sheriff is the top law enforcer

Sheriff appoints deputies and jailers

County Attorney - prosecutes people who break the law

County Clerk - keeps records of all legal documents

County governments keep state records

collect taxes

issue licenses, ex. marriage, food handler, roofers

run elections

Most major county officials are elected

Tax Assessor-Collector - collects property taxes

The Treasurer controls the inflow and outflow of tax dollars

Paying for County Government - 3 ways




Property Taxes
Federal and State Funds
Sales Tax ( tax on purchases )
voter-approved bonds
City Government

Home-Rule Cities

A city must have more than 5,000 population, to start it’s own government

Texas has about 300 such cities

General-Law Cities

Less than 5,000 population and Texas organizes the local government

Property Tax is the main source of revenue, then sales taxes, and they also get
money from federal & state governments

Some Cities have franchise tax

Others collect assorted FEES for permits and licenses to operate some
businesses or make changes to your home
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Fort Burrows

Mayor-Council style - a Government led by an elected mayor and a group of
lawmakers called a city council ( El Paso, Houston ) - Strong Mayor system

Council-Manager style - a City Government in which the mayor has limited
power and the City Council hires a City Manager to take care of the city’s
business ( Dallas, San Antonio, Austin ) - weak mayor system
Mayor-Council Form
Council-Manager Form
Elected Council members act as
lawmaking power.
Elected council members act as
lawmaking power and hire a
City Manager.
Forms
of
Elected Mayor acts as
Executive Power.
City
Mayor may be powerful, as in Houston Government
and El Paso.
May have limited power, as in smaller
cities, Gainesville, Denton.
City Manager acts as
Executive Power.
Council has more power than the
manager does. They hire and fire him.
Used in Dallas, San Antonio, & Austin
Special Districts


Created by the State, this is a local government that perform certain functions
Examples

Community College districts

water districts

rural fire prevention district

The best known - Independent School Districts

More than 1,000 Independent School Districts in Texas

Voters elect a school board to oversee the public schools business

Their goal is to ensure that all Texas students receive a quality education

Hires teachers and sets their pay scale

Robin-Hood

Law that requires wealthy districts to share their funds with less wealthy
districts to ensure ALL TEXAS CHILDREN receive the same quality
education
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Fort Burrows
1.
Sources of funding for city government include
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.
sales taxes, private donations, and bonds
sales taxes and bonds
property taxes, sales taxes, federal & state governments
federal taxes, sales taxes, and fees
The most common type of special district is
A.
B.
C.
D.
the hospital district
the independent school district
the rural fire prevention district
the transit authority district
3.
What are the functions of the commissioner’s court ?
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4.
What powers does a strong mayor have in a mayor-council form of Government ?
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5.
What is the function of the most common type of special district ?
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