Local Governments in Texas

1
Local Governments in Texas
2
(No Transcript)
3
Dillon Rule

• ? prevailing relationship between state and local
  governments in Texas
• ? local governments are creations of the state
• ? powers, functions, and responsibilities that
  they exercise have been delegated or granted them
  by the state government
• ? no local government has sovereign powers
• ? local governments have no guarantees of
  existence under the U.S. Constitution

4
Number of Local Governments, 1942-1997
5
General Law and Home Rule Cities

• Home Rule Cities
• Cities with a population of more than 5,000
• Can adopt any form of government residents choose
• Provided it does not conflict with the state
  constitution or statutes
• General Law Cities
• Cities with a population of fewer than 5,000
• Allowed to exercise only those powers
  specifically granted to it by the legislature

6
Forms of City Government in Texas

• Mayor-Council (San Antonio)
• Legislative function is vested in the city
  council and the executive function in the Mayor.
• Weak Mayor (Dallas)
• Mayor shares authority with the city council and
  other elected officials but has little
  independent control over city policy or
  administration.
• Strong Mayor (Houston)
• Mayor has considerable power including budgetary
  control and appointment and removal authority
  over city department heads.

7
Why Different Forms of City Government?

• Most major Texas cities have functioned under
  more than one form of government
• Changes in city charters follow intense political
  conflict demographic, social, economic, or
  political changes after a long-lasting inertia
  and/or an inability to respond to long-term
  problems
• Proposed changes in governmental structures often
  threaten groups and interests that have a stake
  in the way things currently are
• Charter revisions have a tendency to polarize a
  community

8
City Commission

• I. Similar to the Council-Manager form of
  government, the City Commission reflects
• Reform efforts through the use of
  administrative efficiency
• Diminish partisan conflict
• Trying to adapt a business approach to running
  a city
• II. Origin of City Commission
• Usually traced to Galveston, Texas and the city
  governments inability to deal with aftermath of
  the flood
• More rare than the other forms of city
  government

9
City Commission
10
Potential Remedies to Local Government Problems

• ? Privatization of (provision and/or delivery of
  government) functions
• ? Annexation and extraterritorial jurisdiction
• ? Reform and modernization of county governments
• Economic development plans/policies
• Inter-local contracting
• Metropolitan government and consolidation,
  although there is no guaranty these are an
  improvement to government structure, and the
  public tends to not support them
• Public improvement districts
• Regional arrangements to deal with problems that
  cross political jurisdictions

11
The Future of Texas Local Government

• Dealing with New and Old Demographic and
  Socioeconomic Challenges
• Modernization Efforts of Local Governments
• Maximizing Revenues and Allocating Taxing
  Authority
• Continued, Innovative Local Government Economic
  Development
• Ongoing, Shifting Minority Political Interests
  and Coalitions