LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

GEORGIA

County government

Terms to knowCountyCounty seatBoard of commissioners

Counties

County- a subdivision set up by the state to carry out certain governmental functionsWhy?

Board of commissioners- elected officials who run a county government

County Seat- city where the county government is located

Counties and county seats

Examples of county government services

Why have county governments instead of the state do these?

City governments

Municipality Types of government

Mayor-council formCouncil-manager form

Special purpose districts

City government origins

Savannah (1733) was the first city in Georgia

Municipality- a city with its own government

A municipality (city) must get a charter from the state government to have authority to perform jobs

Forms of city governments Mayor-council form- A city council is

responsible for passing laws and the mayor acts as the chief executive

2 kinds of mayor-council forms of governmentWeak- the mayor has little power and the

council has legislative and executive powerStrong- the mayor has lots of power to carry

out laws

Mayor-council form

Review

What is the difference between a weak and strong mayor-council form of government?

Forms of city governments

Council-manager form- city council is elected to pass and carry out laws and they hire a manager to perform day to day dutiesDifferent from a weak

mayor-council because the manager is NOT elected

Forms of city governments Commissioner form-

citizens elect commissioners who are in charge of different departments of the government. The mayor is elected by these commissioners.

Local government

Why do we need city and county governments?

What services do they provide?

Special Purpose Districts Special-purpose districts- created for a single

purpose or group of tasksExample- school districts have the sole purpose

of providing education to studentsOther examples- MARTA, Airport districts

It would be too time consuming for the state to make all educational decisions for all schools. So local school boards are elected to do this job.

Special-purpose districts always exist for public welfare.

Review

What are the three types of city government?

Who can create a city government?