Local Government in United States

Local Government Definition

Government confined to a certain locality. The autonomous government of a minor subdivision of a state or country, as opposed to the general government.

Introduction to Local Government

In order to meet various public needs more efficiently, special districts have been created throughout the U.S., each often concerned with a single service such as sewerage, parks and recreation, fire protection, soil and water conservation, hospitals, or libraries. Often their boundaries are not coterminous with other local jurisdictions, thereby creating questions of jurisdictional overlapping. Most districts are administered by a board with members called commissioners, trustees, or supervisors; board members may be either appointed or elected. With the establishment of new and more extensive suburban areas near large cities, the number of special districts continues to increase.” (1)

Local governments generally include two tiers: counties, also known as boroughs in Alaska and parishes in Louisiana, and municipalities, or cities/towns. In some states, counties are divided into townships. Municipalities can be structured in many ways, as defined by state constitutions, and are called, variously, townships, villages, boroughs, cities, or towns. Various kinds of districts also provide functions in local government outside county or municipal boundaries, such as school districts or fire protection districts.

Municipal governments — those defined as cities, towns, boroughs (except in Alaska), villages, and townships — are generally organized around a population center and in most cases correspond to the geographical designations used by the United States Census Bureau for reporting of housing and population statistics. Municipalities vary greatly in size, from the millions of residents of New York City and Los Angeles to the 287 people who live in Jenkins, Minnesota.

Municipalities generally take responsibility for parks and recreation services, police and fire departments, housing services, emergency medical services, municipal courts, transportation services (including public transportation), and public works (streets, sewers, snow removal, signage, and so forth).

Whereas the federal government and state governments share power in countless ways, a local government must be granted power by the state. In general, mayors, city councils, and other governing bodies are directly elected by the people.

According to the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, the Constitution does not mention local governments, but because of their ubiquity and importance questions have inevitably arisen about how they are to be fitted into the conceptual world it creates.

Local Government: Special Districts

Local Government in Foreign Legal Encyclopedias

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Local Government, Sexual Behaviour and the Law

State and Local Government, Sexual Behaviour and the Law

State and Local Government

Topics related to U.S. state and local government covered by this section: The Study of State and Local Politics and PolicySub-National Politics: A Methodological PerspectiveSub-National Politics: A National Political PerspectiveSub-National Politics: A Comparative Perspective

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Local Government in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Local Government

Further Reading

• Local Government in the Encyclopedia of Sexual Behavior and the Law
• State and Local Government in the Encyclopedia of Sexual Behavior and the Law