Understand the structure and function of local government.

There are nearly 100,000 separate state and local governments in the United States of America. These range from state governments (complete with governors, legislatures, and courts), to city and county governments, school boards, as well as other special districts, boards, and commissions. These various governments exist to create and enforce laws, facilitate cooperation, and to provide and regulate public services.

While state governments are fundamental political units in the American federal system, substate governments are not officially recognized constitutional entities. That is, cities, counties, and all other governments within a state are created and exist at the will of the state government. State governments can create, alter, or abolish political units within their boundaries. The general guiding principle in these affairs is “constitutional home rule,” that is, states are free to govern their internal affairs and establish their own political systems and governments, so long as they adhere to constitutional and federally established guidelines.

Within every state there are county and city governments (except in Connecticut and Rhode Island where counties play no significant governmental role). Counties are generally agents of state governments, existing largely to enforce and implement state laws and policies. In fact, most counties have little or no independent law-making authority. County commissions, boards, attorneys, sheriffs, auditors, and others are charged with conducting the affairs of the state at a county level. They are responsible for budgets, tax collection, law enforcement, and a variety of other functions.

Unlike counties, city governments are much more independent and autonomous. They are responsible for establishing laws, ordinances, and regulations that govern the economic, political, and social interactions of their residents. While national and state government and politics generally get more attention than city politics, cities are at the heart of democratic participation and governance in America. There are approximately 20,000 city governments in the United States, each with defined boundaries that establish their legal and political jurisdictions. Within these boundaries, cities have varying degrees of responsibility for law enforcement, economic development, transportation, public utilities, and a host of other functions.

Each city is established by a “charter” from the state in which it exists. These charters frequently establish both the structure and the permitted functions of city governments. The general guiding principle in city charters is “legislative home rule.” That is, much like states are permitted to regulate their own internal affairs in a manner consistent with national guidelines, cities are generally permitted to regulate their own affairs in a manner consistent with state guidelines and principles. This is especially true of larger cities across the nation. (Smaller cities are often given less authority and latitude and are, consequently, more dependent on state and county governments for policy making and implementation.)

Within cities, there are several different kinds of governmental structures. In most cities, there is an elected mayor and city council that work together to establish and implement city policies. Some city governments give more power to the city council while others give more power to the mayor. In many cities, the city council appoints a city manager who is responsible for much of the day-to-day city business. In city-manager systems, the mayor is often weaker, but mayors often continue to exert significant political and even managerial influence.