Read chapter 10: "Local Government" in your "Governing Texas" book.

Familiarize yourself with the following concepts and answer the questions below.

County Government in Texas

Texas has more than 4,800 general-purpose governments spread out over 254 counties; this is the most in the nation, and local government institutions play a major role.

• What Are the Functions of County Government?
  • The main functions of Texas county government are construction and maintenance of county roads and bridges, law enforcement, dispute resolution, record-keeping, and administration of social services.
  • County offices such as county attorneys, district attorneys, county clerks, district clerks, county tax assessor, and county auditor carry out these duties.
• Numerous County Offices: Checks and Balances or Built-In Problems?
  • Some argue that the large number of elected officials in county government create better accountability to voters; others say there are problems of coordination of government activity when authority is spread so widely.
  • The county judge presides over the commissioners' court, which consists of four county commissioners. These officeholders can administer much of county government.
• The Challenges of County Government
  • There is wide variation in county size and population in Texas; some counties have few people but cover huge territories; other counties have literally millions more residents than other counties.
  • Sparsely populated counties often are short of funds, especially for law enforcement.
  • County officials are mostly accountable only through elections; if not on the ballot, it can be difficult to remove a county official who has committed misdeeds or cannot perform the duties of the office.

City Government in Texas

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,221 municipalities in Texas, ranging in size from 27 residents in Corral City to nearly 2.1 million in Houston. Home-rule charters essentially lay down the rules under which a city will operate, giving cities a fair degree of autonomy from state control—within limits.

• Forms of Government in Texas Cities
  • Texas home-rule cities have had three major forms of city government: the mayor-council form, the commissioner form, and the council-manager form.
• A Tale of Five Cities
  • Houston: Houston is the largest city in Texas, with over 2.2 million people. It has a strong mayor-council form of government.
  • San Antonio: San Antonio has overtaken Dallas as the second-largest city in Texas. San Antonio has a council-manager form of government.
  • Dallas: Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas. It operates under a council-manager form of government.
  • Austin: Austin is the fourth-largest city in Texas and is the state capital. In 2012, it adopted a new form of city government with mayors elected citywide and 10 city council members elected from single-member districts.
  • El Paso: El Paso, home to over 679,000 people, is located in the far western part of the state and has a council-manager form of local government.

Special Districts

A special district is a unit of local government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area. By the year 2002, there were more special districts than any other form of local government.

• Types of Special Districts
  There are two types of special districts in Texas:
  • School districts, which provide public education in a designated area
  • Nonschool special districts, which consist of any other special district other than a school district, such municipal utility districts and hospital districts
  • Property taxes are the primary source of revenue for special districts, with user fees the second largest.
• Problems with Special Districts
  • Special districts are often referred to as "hidden governments" since many citizens are unaware of the special districts they live in.
  • The obscurity of special districts makes them easy to abuse, especially since they often have the ability to issue public debt that is the obligation of residents who live in the special district.
• Councils of Government (COGs)
  • Regional councils of government promote coordination and planning across all local governments of a particular region.

Financial Issues Facing Local Government

Two major liabilities face many local Texas governments:

• Capital Appreciation Bonds
  • A capital appreciation bond is a long-term, high-interest-paying bond that pays off both principal and interest in one lump sum when the bond reaches maturity
• Local Government Pensions
  • Texas has 81 different local governmental pension plans that cover nearly 184,000 persons and that have net assets of over $28 billion. Unfortunately, not all these pension plans have sufficient funds to meet their obligations to pay retirees.

1. Do you think there are too many local elected officials? Why or why not? Can this have an effect on voter turnout during local elections? How might Texas increase voter interest in and information about local elections?
2. How do you think local special school districts can be made more accountable? Explain.
3. Why is home rule limited to cities of 5,000 or more citizens? Why would we want more state control of smaller communities? What are the drawbacks of home rule?