County and City Government in Georgia

County and City Government in Georgia

March 17, 2014

Local Governments

• ________ governments are the most numerous in the U.S.

• Georgia’s local governments get their powers from the Georgia _______________

• Georgia has ______ counties and each county has a government

• In addition to the counties, there almost 600 _______ in Georgia, each with their own government

• These governments are important because they are ___________ to the people and most likely to affect us ____________

County Government

• Counties are _______________ of the state• The state constitution sets out the powers of the

county government– These include the power to _____ to cover the cost of

_________ systems, ______ maintenance, public health, and parks and libraries

• The constitution requires that all county governments be organized the _______ way

• Most county governments are headed by __________________________________

County Boards of Commissioners

• A board of commissioners is elected in each county to serve ____-year, ___________ terms

• They have the authority to establish county policies, adopt county ____________ (laws), establish a _________ and tax rates, a provide services to the citizens of a county

• A county _______________, appointed by the board, serves as chief administrative officer

County Officials

• Each county has a different _________ of officials, depending on its _______________

• Each county has at least these _________ officials: commissioners, ___________ court clerk, probate court ________, tax commissioner, _________, and coroner

• Other county officials are ___________, rather than elected. Appointed county officials include clerks, attorneys, ______________, roads supervisors, and surveyors

To become a city…• A city with its own government is called a _______________• A city becomes a political unit when it receives a ____________

from the state legislature– A charter is a document that outlines the conditions under which

a city is organized and defines its rights and privileges• To be chartered, a city must meet these ____ requirements:

– It must have at least _______ residents– It must be located at least 3 miles from the boundaries of the

nearest city– It must have 60% of its land divided into tracts or being used for

homes, business, industry, or government purposes

City Government

• A city government can only do what its ___________ authorizes it to do

• Most city charters allow cities to provide ________ protection, license businesses, maintain ___________________, control _________, and provide _______ and sewage services

• Other services may only be provided if they are in the city charter

Forms of City Government

• There are ___ most common forms of city government– _____________________ Form– _____________________ Form– _____________________ Form

Mayor-Council Form

• The elected ________________ is responsible for making _______

• An elected _________ is the city’s chief executive officer

• The mayor also makes sure laws are carried out and city agencies do their jobs

• There are ____ types of mayor-council government: _________ mayor and ______ mayor

Strong-Mayor System

• In this system, the ________ is a strong leader who proposes ______________, prepares the __________, appoints department heads, and has _______ power

• The cities of Atlanta and Stockbridge are examples of strong-mayor cities

Weak-Mayor System

• In this system, the ______________ has legislative and executive powers

• The __________ has ___________ powers, appoints a few city officials, and has little veto power

• The mayor is basically a ____________ (a person who is the head of an organization but has ____ powers)

• The mayor usually only presides over council meetings and performs ________________ duties

Council-Manager Form

• The voters elect a _______________ that establishes _______ and policies

• There is a mayor who is either elected or appointed by the council

• The council hires a ________________ who is responsible for the day-to-day _______________ of the city

• Savannah has a council-manager form of government

Commission Form

• The voters elect the ________________• Each commissioner is the head of a

________________ within the city government, such as finance, streets, public safety, etc.

• The ________ is elected by the commissioners from among themselves

• Decatur has a commission form of government

Special-Purpose Governments

• There are a number of __________________ districts in Georgia

• These are created for a ________ job or group of tasks

• Most of these govern ______________• An example of a special-purpose government is

a ________________• While the state requires children to go to school,

the control of each system is left up to the school board office– The system establishes rules, dress codes,

schedules, etc.

Other Special-Purpose Districts

• ________ is another special-purpose district– They run the system, set the cost of fares, set the

routes, and schedule times

• The ________________________ is another– They determine location of public housing, construct

and maintain the buildings, rent the housing, and determine rules and regulations

• Community _____ departments, __________, and the port authorities are other examples

Consolidated Government

• Some __________ provide services outside of cities, such as ________, sewage, ____________, and fire protection.

• As cities and counties grow, these can __________

• To avoid ____________, a city and county government can ____________ (merge) into a single government

Questions:• 1) Where do Georgia’s local governments get their power?• 2) How many counties does Georgia have?• 3) Why are local governments important?• 4) What is a county?• 5) What types of powers do county governments have?• 6) Who heads most county governments?• 7) How long is a term of a member of a board of commissioners?• 8) What authorities do county boards of commissioners have?• 9) Who serves as the chief administrative officer of a board of

commissioners?

• 10) How is the number of county officials determined in each county?• 11) Which county officials are elected?• 12) Which county officials are appointed?• 13) What is a municipality?• 14) How does a city become a political unit?• 15) What is a charter?• 16) What 3 requirements are necessary for a city to be chartered?• 17) What powers are granted to a city by its charter?• 18) What are the 3 common forms of city government?

Questions…• 19) Who makes laws in the mayor-council form?• 20) Who is the chief executive officer in the mayor-council form?• 21) What are the duties of the mayor in them mayor-council form?• 22) What are the 2 types of mayor-council form?• 23) What does the mayor do in the strong-mayor system?• 24) Who has legislative and executive powers in the weak-mayor system?• 25) Describe the role of the mayor in the weak-mayor system?• 26) What does the city council do in the council-manager form?• 27) What does the city manager do in the council-manager form?

• 28) What do commissioners do in the commission form?• 29) How is the mayor chosen in the commission form? • 30) Why are special-purpose governments created?• 31) Who governs special-purpose governments?• 32) List 3 examples of special-purpose governments, and what they

do• 33) What is a consolidated government?• 34) Why are consolidated governments created?


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Documents

County and City Government in Georgia