State and Local Government

1
State and Local Government
2
Vocabulary

• Unicameral one house legislative branch
• Bicameral two houses legislative branch
• Segregation separation of races. In NC, this
  deals mostly with blacks and whites after the
  Civil War to the 1960s.
• Census official population account to show
  population shifts
• Commute reduce a sentence. A power of the NC
  governor
• Ordinances local laws
• Incorporate to receive a state charter,
  officially recognizing the government of the
  locality.
• Municipality either a city, town, or village in
  NC
• Charter basic rules for a municipality
• Annexation process of bringing unincorporated
  land into a municipality.

3
North Carolina History

• First in Freedom
• First Provincial Congress (August 1774) elected
  people to the Continental Congress
• Mecklenburg Declaration (May 1775) citizens of
  Mecklenburg County stated that the only lawful
  government was the provincial government, not the
  British.
• Halifax Resolves (April 12, 1776) NC was the
  first state to call for complete independence
  from Britain.
• Sent 3 delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress
• Did not ratify Constitution until 1789 when Bill
  of Right added

4
North Carolina History cont.

• Three Constitutions in NCs history
• Very small number compared to other states
• 1st Constitution of 1776
• Very similar to the US Constitution
• 1835 Changes
• Voters now allowed to elect governor, approve or
  reject constitutional amendments
• Took away rights of free men of African and
  Indian decent
• 2nd Constitution of 1868
• All Confederate states had to create new
  Constitution after Civil War
• Slavery abolished, all men over 21 could vote
• 3rd Constitution of 1971
• All elections free, freedom of speech, equal
  protection of laws

5
Suffrage in North Carolina

• After Civil War, next 2 decades African Americans
  got to vote.
• Hiram Revels 1st African American to vote
• By 1900, General Assembly set up discrimination
  test to keep minorities (Blacks and Indians) from
  voting
• Women fought for suffrage (voting) in NC, but to
  no success until the 19th amendment in 1920
• Voting Requirements
• Citizen
• 18 years old by the next General Election
• Lived in voting precinct for 30 days
• Not serving felony sentence
• Registered to vote

6
Legislative Branch

• The Legislative Branch of North Carolinas state
  government is called the General Assembly
• Makes two types of laws
• Statues apply to everyone in the state
• Local or Specific laws just to certain areas in
  the state
• Major power deals with finances. How much to
  spend and how much to tax?
• Legislative Oversight review of government
  operations

7
Organization of General Assembly

• Other PowerPoint

8
Executive Branch of North Carolina State
Government

• 4 year terms, 2 consecutive can come back for
  another 2 after a 4 year
• Must be 30 years old, US citizen for 5 years,
  lived in NC for 2 years
• Lt. Governor elected also. Must meet governor
  qualifications. Head of the NC Senate.
• Council of the State 8 state agencies, people
  elected to these 4 year positions, ulimited
• Offices of the Council -

9
Governor Bev Perdue
Lieutenant Governor Walter H. Dalton
Elected Officials
State Treasurer
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Secretary of State
Comm. Of Agriculture
Commissioner of Insurance
Attorney General
State Auditor
Secretary of Labor
10
Judicial Branch of NC

• Other PowerPoint

11
Iredell County Budget

• 2010-2011 Revenue/Budget 150,307,275
• Schools 66,720,210 (44 )
• Social Services 25,376,215 (17)
• Tax rate 44 cents per 100 value
• Chicago 1.68 per 100 value
• Bridgeport, Conn. 4.55

12
Iredell County Budget
13
Iredell County Budget
14
City of Mooresville

• Tax rate .58 per 100
• Council-Manager type of government
• Voting Districts

15
State Government

• Each state has its own constitution.
• All states have three branches of government.
• Voters ratify amendments in all states except for
  Delaware.
• All states have bicameral legislatures except for
  Nebraska.
• Each state must accept the validity of all other
  state laws and contracts (Full faith and Credit).
• Extradition Governor orders a suspect to be
  returned to the state where the crime was
  committed.

16
Executive Branch

• Led by a governor.
• In most states a person must be 30 years old, US
  citizen, and a resident of the state for five
  years.
• Serve a four year term.
• Recall An election where voters can remove
  state officials.
• Lieutenant Governor Takes over for the governor
  and is head of the state senate.

17
Powers of the Governor

• Chief Executive, Chief Legislator, Judicial
  Leader, Commander in Chief, Party leader,
  Ceremonial leader.
• As judicial leader a governor can
• Commute Reduce a sentence.
• Parole Early release from prison.
• Can offer pardons and reprieves.

18
Executive Officials

• Most officials are elected by voters.
• There are many different departments led by a
  secretary.

19
Legislative Branch

• State is divided into districts.
• Reynolds vs. Sims (1964) All election districts
  must be equal in population. Each person one
  vote.
• Apportionment Distribution of seats according
  to population.
• Legislators must be US citizens, live in the
  district, and meet an age requirement. Fairly
  low pay.
• Legislative process is the same as the national
  level.

20
Judicial Branch

• Misdemeanors Minor crimes handled by lower
  courts.
• Felonies Serious crimes handled by higher
  courts.
• Trial courts Use juries. Judge decides
  punishment.
• Appellate courts Panel of judges. Appellate
  jurisdiction.
• State Supreme Court Highest level.
• Plea Bargain Defendant pleads guilty for a
  reduced sentence.

21
County Government

• Local governments are established by state
  governments.
• Charter Plan that explains the power of a local
  government.
• All counties provide services for their citizens.
• County board has legislative powers.
• Ordinance Law passed by a county board.
• Provide law enforcement, set up hospitals,
  improve transportation, and set up public
  libraries.
• Collect revenue through property tax and sales
  tax.
• Have executive power to enforce laws
  (Inspectors).

22
County Officials

• Sheriff Law enforcement. Keeps peace and
  manages the jail.
• District attorney Investigates crime and
  prosecutes in court.
• Coroner Establishes the cause of death.
• County clerk Keeps official records.
• Assessor Determines the value of property for
  tax purposes.

23
Town Governments

• Some counties are divided into towns.
• In the northeast, town government is more
  important than county.
• Town govt. began in New England as a form of
  direct democracy.
• Other northern states divided into smaller units
  called townships.
• In the Midwest, townships were established during
  expansion by Congress.

24
Village Government

• Smallest unit of local government.
• A group must get permission from the state.
• Villages have a board and an executive elected by
  the voters.

25
Special Districts

• Provides a solution for a single issue or provide
  a service.
• An elected board runs the district.
• User fees Rates paid for services.

26
City Government

• Must get a charter from the state government.
• Home rule Allows cities to write their own
  charters.
• Crime, medical problems, drug abuse, and
  homelessness are problems.
• Ward Voting district in a city.

27
Mayor-Council Government

• Separate legislative (city council) and executive
  (mayor) branches.
• There are strong and weak mayor plans.

28
City Council City Manager

• Voters elect a city council.
• City manager runs the city. Appointed by the
  city council.

29
Commission Government

• Began in Galveston, Texas in 1901 after a natural
  disaster.
• Separate departments led by a commissioner. The
  commission has executive and legislative powers.

30
Community Problems

• Public Policy Decision that effect people.
  They can come from lawmakers, citizens, interest
  groups, and the media.
• Must plan for the future. Involves educated
  guessing.
• Short term Decisions effecting the next few
  years.
• Long term Decisions effecting the next fifty
  years.
• Must have priorities and evaluate resources.
• Communities develop a master plan of goals.

31
Zoning

• A zoning board decides what land will be used
  for.
• Different zones for residential, business, and
  public land.
• Provides a map for the community.

32
Financing

• Taxes Sales, property and income.
• User fees Fares paid for the use of services.
• Bond Borrow the money and pay it back later.

33
Education and Housing

• Education is the most expensive service provided
  by state and local governments.
• Magnet school Students focus on a particular
  field of study.
• Vouchers Help parents send children to private
  schools.
• Urban renewal Re-building old neighborhoods.
• The government provides low income housing.

34
Shortages and Pollution

• Many places have shortages on power and water.
• Conservation Using less of our resources.
• Disposing of garbage is a problem (landfills).
• Recycling Using old materials to produce new
  ones.

35
Federalism

• National government shares power with the states.
• This gives Americans freedom to provide for their
  own needs.
• The main reason is sectional differences.
• Types of Power
• Enumerated Powers given to the national
  government. Can be expressed or implied (Elastic
  clause).
• Reserved Powers given to the state governments.
• Concurrent Powers shared between national and
  state.

36
Federal Aid to the States

• Spending is roughly related to population of the
  state (from census numbers)
• Additional demographic questions to find out
  where children are located (education),
  minorities (grants for minorities), and
  population density (highways)

37
New Federalism

• Recently shift of some programs/authority for
  decision-making on the implementation of the
  programs back to the state and local governments.
  
• Started with President Nixon and continued with
  President Reagan

38
Types of Aid

• Categorical Grants funds for some specific
  closely defined purpose.
• Like money for school lunches
• Usually have strings attached
• Block Grants funds for much more broadly
  defined purposes
• Fewer strings attached, more freedom for
  state/local to decide how to spend money
• Project Grants funds for specific organizations
  or governmental bodies
• For research, job training programs, etc.

39
Fiscal Federalism

• Most interactions between national and state
  government involve monetary considerations
• Fiscal Federalism
• Carrot and Stick Approach
• Unfunded Mandates
• Coercive Federalism
• South Dakota v. Dole

40
Understanding Federalism

• Disadvantages for Democracy
• States have different levels of service
• Local interest can counteract national interests
• Too many levels of government and too much money

• Advantages for Democracy
• Increases access to government
• Local problems can be solved locally
• Hard for political parties or interest groups to
  dominate all politics

41
Understanding Federalism cont.

• Federalism and the Scope of Government
• What should the scope of national government be
  relative to the states?
• National power increased with industrialization,
  expansion of individual rights, and social
  services
• Most problems require resources afforded to the
  national, not state governments

42
Summary of Federalism

• Federalism is a governmental system in which
  power is shared between central government and
  the 50 state governments.
• The US has moved from dual to cooperative
  federalism fiscal federalism to new federalism.
• Federalism leads to both advantages and
  disadvantages to democracy.
• Most interactions today have a monetary
  component.
• There are still struggles and conflicts over
  power sharing in this relationship.

43
Rate Each Local Agency

• With 1 being the highest and 9 the lowest

• Communications and Public Affairs
• Finance
• Public Safety
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Library
• Parks and Recreation
• Public Works
• Transportation