Civics_Ch7_homework-2

=**Civics Chapter 7 Homework #2**= Answer the following questions on notebook paper.

1. What level of government is closest to you? As a student, you are most affected by the government of the city or town in which you live, and by the school district in which you are a student. In other words, you are most affected by local government. In the United States, the states have the right to establish local governments. States use their own constitutions to legalize and define their local governments. Local government is made up of municipalities. A municipality is a unit of local government that is incorporated by the state that has a large degree of self-government. Municipalities can include a state's cities, towns, villages, and boroughs. Our local governments provide the conveniences and services that we have come to expect to make our daily lives easier. For example, we expect the roads to be in good repair and to allow us to get to and from work or school safely. Street cleaning and trash collection help keep our neighborhoods neat and disease-free. Electricity, running water, and sewage systems keep our homes, schools, and workplaces comfortable, efficient, and safe. These services are often provided to us by local governments, such as city governments. A city is the largest type of municipality. Police and fire protection, water-conservation efforts, and snow removal are also provided by local governments. Local governments also provide education and keep records. Some governments supply their citizens with public transportation and recreation areas. **What are some of the services local governments provide?**

2. The highest level of local government is the county, which is a division of state government formed to carry out state laws, collect taxes, and supervise elections. Around the nation, county employees in various states provide services such as health care, police protection, welfare, corrections/jails, recreation areas, and libraries. Pennsylvania counties are headed by three commissioners that are in charge of the county. Other county employees include the district attorney who prosecutes criminals, the public defender who is a court appointed attorney for those who can't afford one, the recorder of deeds, register of wills, county treasurer, county auditor, the coroner, and the county sheriff are a few other positions. 911 is a county function in PA. **What is the basic structure of county government?**

3. The duties of local government officials are usually outlined in state-approved charters. A charter is a basic plan for a local government unit that defines its powers, responsibilities, and organization. Of course, a charter cannot violate state or federal laws. It is the job of local government to make communities better places to live. To accomplish this, local lawmaking bodies have the power to pass ordinances, or regulations that govern a community. Ordinances cannot conflict with state or federal laws. Local law enforcement, the police, are responsible for enforcing both local and state ordinances. Local governments help the state by making sure election procedures follow state guidelines. Local officials both supervise the voting process and provide citizens with polling places - that is, places where people can cast their ballots. Without local assistance, state and federal elections could not happen. **Why must states and local governments cooperate?**

4. Towns first developed as New England colonies built homes and churches. A town is a unit of local government, usually larger than a village and smaller than a city. The colonial town included both the homes, churches, and other buildings and surrounding farmlands. The people who lived in early New England towns created the town meeting, a simple yet powerful form of local government. In a town meeting, all citizens meet regularly to discuss town issues. After all opinions regarding an issue have been voiced, the people at the meeting vote on that issue. This means that each person has a direct voice in the government. These types of meetings can work well in smaller areas with smaller population since it would be easier for all of the voters to be in one place at one time. **Where do town meetings work best? Why?**

5. Around the nation, counties are often divided into two subdivisions. A township is the form of local government in Pennsylvania that counties are broken into, led by township supervisors who administer the roads and have a police force. The other type is a special district, which is a unit of government formed to meet many different needs, including fire protection, libraries, parks, and recreation centers, public transportation, and sewage disposal. School districts are often considered special districts since they are created by the state to provide funds for local schools with each district having its own governing body, a school board. **Why do school districts qualify as special districts?**

6. When rural communities grow to a population of a couple hundred, their residents often encounter problems that require them to work together. The residents may decide to establish a village or a borough and create their own local government. A request to establish a village or borough must be approved by the state legislature. Once approved, the local unit can collect taxes, set up fire and police departments, and provide services that larger communities offer their residents. A village or borough is often governed by a small council. If a village or borough becomes big enough, it could ask the state to be chartered as a city, which allows a different structure of local government (such as having a mayor or city manager). **Why does an increase in population require the formation of a local government?**

7. A city is generally the largest kind of municipality. Cities vary greatly, however, in size. Some cities have millions of residents while others are in the hundreds. Traditionally, cities received their charters and their authority from the state legislature. Increasingly, however, states have been granting to cities an authority called home rule. Under home rule, a city can write and amend its own municipal charter. This charter, usually written by a commission, must be approved by the voters. **Do you think home rule strengthens or weakens local government? Explain your thoughts.**

8. There are various forms of city government. The oldest and most common form is the mayor-council form in which a city council is the legislative body and the mayor is the city's chief executive. Big cities have more of a strong-mayor plan in which the mayor has the primary responsibility of running the city as opposed to a weak-mayor system in which the council has that primary responsibility. A second type is the commission plan for a city in which a city is governed by commissioners. The third type is the council-manager form in which an elected legislative city council hires a city manager to be the executive. **What are the three types of city government?**

9. The three levels of government often work together. One area is with roads. Though each level has its defined roles, many issues call for cooperation among the three levels and roads are a good example. In the 1950s, President Eisenhower set up the Interstate Highway System recognizing the importance of linking the nation together with a system of interstate highways. Today, the federal government funds, or sets aside money, to the states for the states to help administer and care for the roads. **How are roads an example of how the federal and state levels cooperate?**

10. There are other areas of cooperation as well. This doesn't mean that the federal government has the constitutional authority to involve itself - remember the federal government was ONLY to be involved in areas in which the states weren't competent, but the federal government has grown over time. Some areas where the federal government sets up regulations and also gives money is in education - the federal government says that each state must create exams to test students and the state gives those tests (PA using the Keystone Exams). The federal government often gives grants to the states, which is money for particular projects or to help in certain government run programs. **What is another way the federal and state governments cooperate?**

11. The states and federal government do conflict from time to time especially in the area of taxes versus tax breaks (one level might want higher taxes for bigger government while another wants lower taxes to encourage the growth of a business in that state). **How do the levels compete?**

Back to the Chapter 7 main page