Objectives:

  1. Understand division of functions among different state, regional and local government entities (abstract concepts)
  2. Understand census bureau classification of entities (abstract concepts)
  3. Understand basic administrative structures and organization of local and regional government entities (abstract concepts)
  4. Analyze and compare examples of governments from PA, WV, OH, etc. based upon these abstract concepts
  5. Develop hypotheses for analyzing government structures in terms of national preparedness and homeland security (response capabilities, robustness and resilience)—vulnerability, scale of events, etc.

TURNER HYPOTHESIS

Public Land Survey System

Definitions

Special district governments are independent, special-purpose governmental units (other than school district governments), that exist as separate entities with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from general-purpose local governments. As defined for Census Bureau statistics on governments, the term "special district governments" excludes school district governments.

Special district governments provide specific services that are not being supplied by existing general-purpose governments. Most perform a single function, but in some instances their enabling legislation allows them to provide several, usually related, types of services. The services provided by these districts range from such basic social needs as hospitals and fire protection to the less conspicuous tasks of mosquito abatement and upkeep of cemeteries.

The Census Bureau classification of special district governments covers a wide variety of entities, most of which are officially called districts or authorities. Not all public agencies so termed, however, represent separate governments. Many entities that carry the designation "district" or "authority" are, by law, so closely related to county, municipal, town or township, or state governments that they are classified as subordinate agencies of those governments in Census Bureau statistics on governments, and are not counted as separate special district governments. Source:

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FROM:

Criteria for classifying governments

Census Bureau statistics on governments are designed to account for the totality of public sector activity without omission or duplication. Governmental services in the U.S. are provided through a complex structure made up of numerous public bodies and agencies. In addition to the federal government and the 50 state governments, the Census Bureau recognizes five basic types of local governments. Of these five types, three are general-purpose governments:

  • Counties
  • Municipalities
  • Townships

The other two types are special-purpose governments:

  • Special districts
  • School districts

County, municipal, and township governments are readily recognized and generally present no serious problem of classification. However, legislative provisions for school district and special district governments are diverse. Numerous single-function and multiple-function districts, authorities, commissions, boards, and other entities, which have varying degrees of autonomy, exist in the United States. The basic pattern of these entities varies widely from state to state. Moreover, various classes of local governments within a particular state also differ in their characteristics.

Definitions and criteria

A government is an organized entity that, in addition to having governmental character, has sufficient discretion in the management of its own affairs to distinguish it as separate from the administrative structure of any other governmental unit.

To be counted as a government, any entity must possess all three of the attributes reflected in the above definition:

  1. Existence as Organized Entity
  2. Governmental Character
  3. Substantial Autonomy

Existence as an organized entity

Evidence of this attribute is provided by the presence of some form of organization and the possession of some corporate powers, such as perpetual succession, the right to sue and be sued, have a name, make contracts, acquire and dispose of property.

Designation of a class of governments in law such as "municipal corporations," "public corporations," "bodies corporate and politic," indicates that such units are organized entities. On the other hand, some entities not so specifically stated by law to be corporations do have sufficient powers to be counted as governments.

The mere right to exist is not sufficient. Where a former government has ceased to operate – i.e., receives no revenue, conducts no activities, and has no officers at present – it is not counted as an active government.

Governmental character

This characteristic is indicated where officers of the entity are popularly elected or are appointed by public officials. A high degree of responsibility to the public, demonstrated by requirements for public reporting or for accessibility of records to public inspection, is also taken as critical evidence of governmental character.

Governmental character is attributed to any entities having power to levy property taxes, power to issue debt-paying interest exempt from federal taxation, or responsibility for performing a function commonly regarded as governmental in nature. However, a lack of these attributes or of evidence about them does not preclude a class of units from being recognized as having governmental character, if it meets the indicated requirements as to officers or public accountability. Thus, some special district governments that have no taxing powers and provide electric power or other public utility services also widely rendered privately are counted as local governments because of provisions as to their administration and public accountability.

Substantial Autonomy

This requirement is met where, subject to statutory limitations and any supervision of local governments by the state, an entity has considerable fiscal and administrative independence.

Fiscal independence generally derives from power of the entity to determine its budget without review and detailed modification by other local officials or governments, to determine taxes to be levied for its support, to fix and collect charges for its services, or to issue debt without review by another local government.

Administrative independence is closely related to the basis for selection of the governing body of the entity. Accordingly, a public agency is counted as an independent government if it has independent fiscal powers and in addition it has at least one of the following:

  • a popularly elected governing body;
  • a governing body representing two or more state or local governments; or
  • functions that are essentially different from those of, and are not subject to specification by, its creating government, even if its governing body is appointed.

An entity must have both fiscal and administrative independence to be considered a government. Therefore, local government agencies having considerable fiscal autonomy may be classified as dependent agencies of another government, where one or more of the following characteristics is present:

  1. Control of the agency by a board composed wholly or mainly of parent government officials.
  2. Control by the agency over facilities that supplement, serve, or take the place of facilities ordinarily provided by the creating government.
  3. Provision that agency properties and responsibilities revert to the creating government after agency debt has been repaid.
  4. Requirement for approval of agency plans by the creating government.
  5. Legislative or executive specification by the parent government as to the location and type of facilities the agency is to construct and maintain.
  6. Dependence of an agency for all or a substantial part of its revenue on appropriations or allocations made at the discretion of another state, county, municipal, township, school district, or special district government.
  7. Provision for the review and the detailed modification of agency budgets by another local government. However, county review of agency budgets in connection with statutory limitations on tax rates is not, by itself, sufficient to establish lack of fiscal autonomy.

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FROM:

  • Special district governments – Organized local entities other than county, municipal, township or school district governments. Special districts are authorized by state law to provide only one or a limited number of designated functions, and with sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments; includes a variety of titles; such as, districts, authorities, boards, commissions, etc., as specified in the enabling state legislation.
  • Air transportation function of special districts – Construction, maintenance, operation, and support of airport facilities
  • Cemetery function of special districts – Development, maintenance, operation, and support of public cemeteries.
  • Education function of special districts – Composed almost entirely of entities that issue debt for school construction--existing only in Indiana and Pennsylvania--that finance and construct educational facilities for leasing to public school systems. This category also includes the Chicago School Finance Authority which assists the Chicago Board of Education in financing school operations. These entities do not operate schools.
  • Electric power function of special districts – Operation and maintenance of electric power system including production or acquisition and distribution of electric power.
  • Fire protection function of special districts – Fire fighting organizations and auxiliary services; fire inspection and investigation; support of volunteer fire forces; and other fire prevention activities. Special district governments that provide ambulance services exclusively are classified under health.
  • Gas supply function of special districts – Operation and maintenance of gas supply systems including acquisition and distribution of natural gas.
  • Health function of special districts – Outpatient health services, other than hospital care, including: public health administration; research and education; categorical health programs; treatment and immunization clinics; nursing; environmental health activities such as air and water pollution control; ambulance service if provided separately from fire protection services; and other general public health activities such as mosquito abatement. Also includes financing, construction, and operation of nursing homes. Special districts engaged in sewage treatment operations are classified under sewerage.
  • Highway function of special districts – Construction, maintenance, and operation of highways, streets, and related structures, including toll highways, bridges, tunnels, ferries, street lighting, and snow and ice removal.
  • Hospital function of special districts – Financing, construction, acquisition, maintenance, or operation of hospital facilities, provision of hospital care, and support of public or private hospitals.
  • Housing and community development function of special districts – Construction and operation of housing and redevelopment projects, and other activities to promote or aid housing and community development.
  • Library function of special districts – Establishment and operation of public libraries and support of privately operated libraries
  • Natural resources function of special districts – Conservation, promotion, and development of natural resources such as soil, water, forests, minerals, and wildlife. Includes irrigation, drainage, flood control, forestry and forest fire protection, soil reclamation, soil and water conservation, and fish and game programs.
  • Parking facilities function of special districts – Construction, purchase, maintenance, and operation of public-use parking lots, garages, parking meters, and other distinctive parking facilities on a commercial basis.
  • Parks and recreation function of special districts – Provision and support of recreational and cultural-scientific facilities and activities including: Golf courses, playfields, playgrounds, public beaches, swimming pools, tennis courts, parks, auditoriums, stadiums, auto camps, recreation piers, marinas, botanical gardens, galleries, museums, and zoos. Also includes building and operation of convention centers and exhibition halls.
  • Sewerage function of special districts – Provisions of sanitary and storm sewers and sewage disposal facilities and services.
  • Solid waste management function of special districts – Street cleaning, solid waste collection and disposal, and provision of sanitary landfills.
  • Transit function of special districts - Construction, maintenance, operation and support of public mass transit systems--bus, commuter rail, light rail, or subway systems. Excluded are systems established solely to transport elementary and secondary school pupils. Ferry systems are classified under highways.
  • Water supply function of special districts – Operation and maintenance of water supply systems including acquisition and distribution of water to the general public or to other local governments for domestic or industrial use. Acquisition and distribution of water for irrigation of agricultural lands are classified under natural resources.
  • Water transport and terminals function of special districts – Provision, construction, operation, maintenance, and support of public waterways, harbors, docks, wharves, and related marine terminal facilities.
  • School district governments – Organized local entities providing public elementary, secondary, and/or higher education which, under state law, have sufficient administrative and fiscal autonomy to qualify as separate governments; excludes school systems run by county, municipal, township, or state governments
  • Township governments – Organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government for a defined area; includes those governments designated as towns in Connecticut, Maine (including organized plantations), Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire (including organized locations), New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, and townships in other states. Township governments are distinguished from municipal governments primarily by the historical circumstances surrounding their incorporation.
  • Municipal governments – Organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government for a defined area; includes those governments designated as cities, boroughs (except in Alaska), towns (except in the six New England states, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin), and villages. Municipal governments are distinguished from township governments primarily by the historical circumstances surrounding their incorporation.
  • County governments – Organized local governments authorized in state constitutions and statutes and established to provide general government; includes those governments designated as boroughs in Alaska, as parishes in Louisiana, and as counties in other states.

County examples:

www.county.allegheny.pa.us/chart

City examples:

Township examples:

Borough examples:

(Home rule charter example)