TAMU POLS 207 EXAM 4 DYER WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
Why is it difficult to generalize about local governments? - ANSWER--Diverse
communities with diverse governments
- no mention of local government in Constitution
How do local communities in the United States get their authority to govern themselves?
How does this differ from the legal status of the states? - ANSWER-a. Authority
delegated by their state constitution and/or laws, only have powers granted to them by
the state.
b.State power is not derived from the national government because they are their own
sovereign political entities
How does Dillon's rule restrict the powers of local governments? - ANSWER-Dillon's
Rule construes grants of power to localities very narrowly. Under Dillon's Rule, one
must assume the local government does NOT have the power in question.
What is meant by the 'political function' and 'service function' of local governments?
Give an example of each function. - ANSWER-Political Function: Questions of "Who
gets what?"; Managing conflict over public policy
(ex: infrastructure)
Service Function: Providing services not offered by private sector (ex: market failure,
monopolies, merit goods)
These functions frequently overlap: who gets goods/services vs. who does not
Explain the difference between general-purpose and special-purpose governments.
Which types of governments fall into each category? - ANSWER-General Purpose:
Provide wide range of services (ex: County, City, regional varieties and variations (law
enforcement, infrastructure, sanitation))
Special-Purpose: most common type of government*
Fulfill specific purpose (ex: School districts, special districts (mosquito control, MUD))
What are some of the traditional functions/ characteristics of county governments? What
kinds of changes have characterized the shift from the traditional county commission
structure to other forms? - ANSWER-Traditional:
• Responsible for law enforcement, courts, roads, elections & public records
• Differences exist b/t urban or rural counties
• Commissioners
• Elected governing body (~3-50 members)
, (Other officials w/ countywide jurisdiction: Sheriff, Coroner, County attorney, Clerk, Tax
assessor, Tax collectors, Treasurer, auditor)
-Responsibility for county government is fragmented and dispersed
Changes/variations:
• More centralized/professional
• County mayor (instead of board of commissioners)
• County administrator who answers to elected commissioners
• More autonomy from state & unique organization
• "Home rule" counties w/ unique charter • e.g. Los Angeles County
How are Texas counties structured? What are some of the responsibilities of county
government in Texas? - ANSWER--Traditional county commission structure
-Structure & power defined by state constitution
-Commissioner Court w/ 4 elected commissioners + county judge
-No "home rule" counties
-Responsibilities: Law enforcement, courts, roads, elections, public records, control
unincorporated land
What legal status do cities hold? Based on this, what does it mean to say that an area is
'incorporated'? - ANSWER-Legal status: municipal corporation
-Incorporated: the area resides within the city limits
-Unincorporated: Area belongs to a county instead
Incorporated: Governed by a Charter
What is a charter? What are the various types of municipal charters? - ANSWER-
Charter (mini constitution for a city)
-State grants power of self-gov't to incorporated community
-Determines structure & powers of city gov't
Types of charters:
-Special Act
-General Act/General Law
-Optional
-Home Rule
What is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (or MSA)? How metropolitan is Texas in terms of
how many MSAs it has and where most of its residents live? - ANSWER-- MSA: Core
urban area of 50K people w/ adjacent counties (predominantly urban pop. w/ close ties
to central city)
-Metropolitan Texas:
• 3 of the 10 largest U.S. cities
• 24 MSAs
• 4 of 30 largest MSAs in the U.S.:
CORRECT ANSWERS
Why is it difficult to generalize about local governments? - ANSWER--Diverse
communities with diverse governments
- no mention of local government in Constitution
How do local communities in the United States get their authority to govern themselves?
How does this differ from the legal status of the states? - ANSWER-a. Authority
delegated by their state constitution and/or laws, only have powers granted to them by
the state.
b.State power is not derived from the national government because they are their own
sovereign political entities
How does Dillon's rule restrict the powers of local governments? - ANSWER-Dillon's
Rule construes grants of power to localities very narrowly. Under Dillon's Rule, one
must assume the local government does NOT have the power in question.
What is meant by the 'political function' and 'service function' of local governments?
Give an example of each function. - ANSWER-Political Function: Questions of "Who
gets what?"; Managing conflict over public policy
(ex: infrastructure)
Service Function: Providing services not offered by private sector (ex: market failure,
monopolies, merit goods)
These functions frequently overlap: who gets goods/services vs. who does not
Explain the difference between general-purpose and special-purpose governments.
Which types of governments fall into each category? - ANSWER-General Purpose:
Provide wide range of services (ex: County, City, regional varieties and variations (law
enforcement, infrastructure, sanitation))
Special-Purpose: most common type of government*
Fulfill specific purpose (ex: School districts, special districts (mosquito control, MUD))
What are some of the traditional functions/ characteristics of county governments? What
kinds of changes have characterized the shift from the traditional county commission
structure to other forms? - ANSWER-Traditional:
• Responsible for law enforcement, courts, roads, elections & public records
• Differences exist b/t urban or rural counties
• Commissioners
• Elected governing body (~3-50 members)
, (Other officials w/ countywide jurisdiction: Sheriff, Coroner, County attorney, Clerk, Tax
assessor, Tax collectors, Treasurer, auditor)
-Responsibility for county government is fragmented and dispersed
Changes/variations:
• More centralized/professional
• County mayor (instead of board of commissioners)
• County administrator who answers to elected commissioners
• More autonomy from state & unique organization
• "Home rule" counties w/ unique charter • e.g. Los Angeles County
How are Texas counties structured? What are some of the responsibilities of county
government in Texas? - ANSWER--Traditional county commission structure
-Structure & power defined by state constitution
-Commissioner Court w/ 4 elected commissioners + county judge
-No "home rule" counties
-Responsibilities: Law enforcement, courts, roads, elections, public records, control
unincorporated land
What legal status do cities hold? Based on this, what does it mean to say that an area is
'incorporated'? - ANSWER-Legal status: municipal corporation
-Incorporated: the area resides within the city limits
-Unincorporated: Area belongs to a county instead
Incorporated: Governed by a Charter
What is a charter? What are the various types of municipal charters? - ANSWER-
Charter (mini constitution for a city)
-State grants power of self-gov't to incorporated community
-Determines structure & powers of city gov't
Types of charters:
-Special Act
-General Act/General Law
-Optional
-Home Rule
What is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (or MSA)? How metropolitan is Texas in terms of
how many MSAs it has and where most of its residents live? - ANSWER-- MSA: Core
urban area of 50K people w/ adjacent counties (predominantly urban pop. w/ close ties
to central city)
-Metropolitan Texas:
• 3 of the 10 largest U.S. cities
• 24 MSAs
• 4 of 30 largest MSAs in the U.S.:
