Chapter 9: Local Government
True/False Questions
1. County government is the oldest form of local government in America.
2. Counties handle many state government functions such as courts, record keeping, and law
enforcement.
3. The legal status of the county is that of administrative sub-division of the state and as such
counties do not have the option of home-rule.
4. County commissioner’s precincts are drawn to make sure that the precincts are equal in
geographical size.
5. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Avery v Midland County resulted in county commissioners
precincts being equal in population.
6. The county commissioners court is the final court of appeals for cases arising in the county’s
judicial system.
7. Other than the county commissioners, all other elected county-wide officials in the county are
elected at-large in partisan elections.
8. County judges for the constitutional county court are required to have legal experience and a law
degree.
9. The only responsibility of the county sheriff is to enforce county ordinances.
10. The emphasis on partisan politics in county government can lead to governance problems.
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11. With the exception of a few larger counties, county government in Texas generally utilizes the
spoils system to hire employees.
12. Most counties in Texas utilize a unit road system which pools equipment and personnel to build
and maintain roads.
13. The lack of ordinance power makes it difficult for county government to protect citizens in
unincorporated areas.
14. Given that most Texans live in urban areas, the prospects for the reform of county government
are good.
15. Significant changes in the structure and function of county government in Texas will require
amendments to the Texas Constitution
16. Cities with a population greater than 5,000 are allowed to have a home-rule charter.
17. The most common form of city government among home-rule cities is a form of the council-
manager system of government.
18. The most common form of city government among the smaller cities of Texas is the aldermanic
form of city government.
19. In cities which use the council-manager system of city government, the city manager is appointed
by the mayor.
20. One of the problems with the city-manager system of city government is that the political
problems of the municipality may not be addressed.
21. The strong-mayor form of city government is most common among the nation’s larger cities.
22. In the commission form of city government, the elected commissioners are responsible for
running a city department and serving on the city’s legislative body called the city commission.
23. According to the authors, really large cities often fare best with either a mayor-council or a
mayor-manager form of city government.
24. Most cities in Texas utilize non-partisan elections for the selection of their city council and
mayor.
25. A special district is a unit of local government created to perform a broad variety of functions.
26. Special districts in Texas are closely supervised by a single state agency located in the Secretary
of State’s office.
27. Texas has more special districts than any other state in the nation.
28. Most special districts, other than school districts, are profoundly undemocratic.
29. County governments depend heavily on local property taxes as their main source of income.
30. Municipal governments have the broadest source of income of any local governments.
31. School districts depend heavily on local property taxes and state assistance.
32. The state of Texas picks up almost three-fourths of the cost of public schools.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. County officials are selected in which manner?
A. County officials are elected by the voters in partisan elections in November of the even year
B. County officials are selected in non-partisan elections in the odd years
C. County officials are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate
D. County officials are selected by the mayors of the cities within the county
2. Which of the following is not a required function of county government?
A. administration of justice
B. custody of land titles and deeds
C. conduct of elections for the state
D. provision of sanitary waste disposal facilities
3. Which of the following officials is responsible for recording wills, deed, and property records?
A. county judge
B. county clerk
C. county tax assessor-collector
D. county attorney
4. The official responsible for conducting elections in most counties is the
A. county attorney
B. county judge
C. tax assessor-collector
D. county clerk
5. Which of the following officials presides over the county commissioners court?
A. county judge
B. county clerk
C. county attorney
D. county sheriff
6. Which of the following officers of the county is responsible for preparing a budget for county
operations and submitting it to the Commissions Court in counties of less than 225,000?
A. County Auditor
B. County Treasurer
C. County Judge
D. County Tax-Assessor Collector
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7. Among the problems not created by the partisanship of county government is which of the
following?
A. citizens have a difficulty time determining who is responsible for solving a problem
B. commissioners often squabble over petty problems
C. politics may inhibit solving difficult problems because no one wants the blame for problems
D. county government is more bureaucratic than other levels of government
8. Most county governments in Texas utilize a personnel system in which
A. employees are hired on the basis of who they have supported in political races
B. employees are not always treated fairly on salary and job related issues
C. employees are not always required to possess professional qualifications for their jobs
D. all of the above are problems
9. Which of the following have been suggested to improve management practices for counties?
A. adoption of a civil service system
B. adoption of centralized purchasing
C. unit road and bridge systems
D. all of the above have been suggested
10. Counties do not possess one of the powers granted to cities. That power is the power to
A. impose taxes on property
B. spend money on improvements such as airports and libraries
C. pass ordinances which govern such things as building codes and stray animals
D. appoint persons to serve as department heads
11. Prospects for reform of county government are made more difficult by which of the following?
A. opposition from big city mayors
B. opposition from urban legislators
C. opposition from state-wide political figures
D. opposition from county officials from smaller counties
12. Which of the following forms of local government best fits the idea of executive integration?
A. strong mayor form
B. county government
C. weak mayor council form of city government
D. commission form of city government
13. The form of government used by nearly all home-rule cities in Texas is the ________ form of
government.
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A. strong mayor-council.
B. commission
C. weak mayor-council.
D. council-manager.
14. The ability of municipal governments to control areas outside of the city limits is known as
A. annexation
B. city home-rule
C. extraterritorial jurisdiction
D. municipal governance
15. Of the 1,210 municipalities in Texas
A. a majority of the cities are general law cities
B. a majority of the cities are home-rule cities
C. a majority are unincorporated
D. a majority are controlled by the Office of Municipal Government of the State of Texas
16. A city with a population of over _____ in Texas may choose to adopt a home-rule charter.
A. 1,500
B. 5,000
C. 10,000
D. 100,000
17. The form of city government in which the city council acts as the legislative branch and adopts
such items as tax rates, budget, and ordinances and appoints an administrator to run the city is
called a
A. strong-mayor council system
B. council-manager system
C. mayor-manager system
D. commission form
18. A system in which candidates are voted upon by all of the citizens in the municipality is known as
A. non-partisan system
B. at-large election system
C. district election
D. proportional system
19. Critics of nonpartisan elections argue all but the following:
A. nonpartisan elections rob the voter of the most important symbol that they have for making
choices- party labels
B. nonpartisan elections depend on personalities and extraneous matters
C. nonpartisan election undermine the political parties
D. nonpartisan elections make it easier to criticize the administration in power
20. Special Districts do not possess one of the powers granted to cities. That power is the power to
A. impose taxes on property
B. spend money on improvements
C. pass ordinances which govern such things as building codes and stray animals
D. appoint persons to serve as administrative officers
21. Special districts have the advantage of which of the following?
A. they are easy to organize and operate
B. they offer great flexibility to solve problems
C. they are able to remove technical problems from the political arena
D. all of the above
22. Councils of Government (COGs) serve which purpose?
A. they assist in the planning and coordination for local governments
B. they are watchdogs to monitor local government activities for the federal government
C. they are policy-making units for local governments
D. they monitor local governments for the state government
23. Which of the following is not true of school districts in Texas?
A. the decisions of school boards are generally well known
B. there is generally wide-spread interest in the activities of school districts
C. the number of school districts has been steadily increasing in Texas
D. school board members are elected in elections which are often contested
24. The major source of funding for most counties is
A. local property taxes
B. sales taxes
C. state aid
D. federal aid
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Essay Questions
1. What is the role of the county in local government? Which of the functions of the county are
functions which are performed for the state of Texas? To what extend does the state supervise the
operation of county government? What factors limit the ability of the state to supervise the
operations of county government?
2. Name and explain the main duties of each of the elected county-wide officials in county
government.
3. What are the results of the fact that county governments are run on a partisan basis?
4. What recommendations for the improvement of county government have been suggested?
5. What are the two main type of city government allowed by the state of Texas? Which one of
these offers the most flexibility?
6. What is the importance of extraterritorial jurisdiction of cities?
7. What is the most popular form of city governmental organization for the cities which have a
home-rule form of government? Explain how it works?
8. Compare and contrast the at-large and the district election options for city councils?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the nonpartisan election of city officials?
10. What are the main reasons that special districts are created? What are the criticisms of the use of
non-school special districts?
11. Summarize the revenue sources available to local units of government. How do school districts
differ from non-school districts in the area of finance?
