LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Chapter 24

Local Government

• Local government is the level of government closest to the people

• Types of local government include the

a.)county, b.)the city, c.)town or village, and d.)special district.

• The United States has approximately 86,000 local forms of government

Section 1: Structure of Local Government

• Municipality• (def) an urban unit of government

• Municipal governments are formed by consent of the state

• 3 types of municipal government include:

•Mayor-Council form • Commission form

• Council-Manager form

Section 1 (cont’d)

• Mayor Council Form• This is Hornell !

• ½ the cities in the US use this form

• Voters elect both mayor and council

• Each has duties and powers regarding hiring/firing, budget, city departments

Section 1: (cont’d)

• City of Hornell (www.cityofhornell.com) • SAVE OUR HOSPITAL

• Our community is in danger of losing inpatient care at St. James Mercy Hospital. Community leaders and doctors have formed a committee to keep inpatient and maternity services at St. James. If you would like to help with this effort, you can click on this petition and gather the support of your friends, family and neighbors. Completed petitions should be returned to City Hall December 12. If you would like to get your organization involved, you can present this Resolution to your governing body for their support and then forward it to the Dept. of Health and your  elected officials

City of Hornell

• Budget 2011-2012• 11,142,562.00 is appropriated

• 8,315,988.00 is expected in revenue

• A 1% tax levy is expected to bridge the gap

• The largest parts of the budget are public safety (approx 2.8 million) and general government (approx 2.7 million)

• General Gov’t includes contracts, retirement, insurance, social security, the library, ….

2010 Census Data

Population

Total Population 8,563

Population by Ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 175

Non Hispanic or Latino

8,388

Population by Race

White 8,036

African American 195

Asian 57

American Indian and Alaska Native

21

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander

10

Other 41

Identified by two or more

203

2010 Census Data

Section 2: Serving Localities

• Local governments provide basic services

• Education

• Fire and police protection

• Water, sewage, and sanitation

• Trash collection

• Libraries

• Recreation

• Zoning

Section 2 (cont’d)

• Property taxes are the most important source of revenue for local governments

• Property taxes account for approximately 2/3 of all local tax revenues

• Property taxes are generally collected on land and buildings requiring local government to assess market values of said property

Steuben County Government

• www.steubencony.org

• Steuben County Government3 East Pulteney Square, Bath, New York  14810     (607) 776-9631

• Steuben County is a non-charter County. The organization structure of County government has the County Electorate at the top. Voters elect eight constitutional officers, including three Judges, a District Attorney, a County Clerk, a County Treasurer, a Sheriff, and four Coroners. The voters also elect a seventeen-member County Legislature, representing thirteen Legislative Districts within the County. The County Legislature instituted the office of County Administrator in 1984 to aid in the day-to-day administration of County government, something which is no longer feasible for part-time legislators in a County of almost 100,000 people and a $183 million budget.

City of Hornell /Steuben County

• Hornell is District 1 in Steuben County

• Hornell has 2 legislators elected to Steuben County government

• The 2010 population of Hornell was 8,563

• Hornell’s Steuben County legislators are:

• Gary Swackhamer (R)

• Randy Weaver (D)

Section 3: Challenges to Local Governments

• Housing & Urban Development

• Decisions on homes, industry, stores or offices

• Localities try to provide for growth• Hornell Lowe’s, Adsit House

• Renovation & revitalization concerns

Section 3: Challenges (cont’d)

• Infrastructure

• Bridges over 41% of bridges nationwide need repair; many are deteriorating faster than they can be repaired

• Airports, highways, transit

• Snow removal

Section 3: Challenges (cont’d)

• Social Problems

• Drug abuse

• Poverty

• Unemployment

• * Local governments must be more than aware of these problems; they must try to alleviate them!

Steuben County Budget

• http://www.eveningtribune.com/

Steuben County spent over $900,000 on salt in 2012 for county and state roads.

Conclusion

• Local Government is that which is closest to the people

• It provides those services which are most vital to citizens

• It is most responsive to the needs of citizens