POLS 207 1st Edition Lecture 17 Outline of Last Lecture I The First Active Government Outline of Current Lecture II City Government a Machine Politics b Reform III Districts a School Districts b Special Districts Current Lecture The Council Manager Form Texas cities favor this form of city government and in fact Dallas and San Antonio are two of the largest cities in the country using it An elected city council of five to fifteen members appoints a city manager who is responsible for hiring and firing department heads and for preparing the budget A mayor is elected at large or by the council but except for presiding over the council has the same powers as the other council members Proponents of the council manager form have argued that it is the most efficient form of city government and that it allows for some separation of politics and administration but in reality politics and administration cannot be separated completely Organization of City Government The Commission Form A Historical Footnote o This form of city government is said to have originated in Galveston to meet its emergency needs following the city s devastation in 1900 o Elected commissioners administer various departments and collectively comprise the policy making board of the city o The commission form has lost favor because many believe that individual commissioners tend to become advocates for their departments rather than public interest advocates o Today Texas home rule cities no longer use commission government although some general law cities still have this form Town meeting Particularly used in New England states Historically had this because they were governing by consensus Voters would go to these town meetings and make decisions Cities are now too complicated for this and people are too busy What Form is Preferable Council manager government seems to work best in middle sized cities from 25 000 to 250 000 in population o These largely suburban cities prefer the emphasis on business like efficiency and political neutrality of the city manager plan Most smaller cities use a mayor council form of government Larger cities which need the political focus provided by an elected mayor use either a mayor council or mayor manager form Add table to study guide City Services Police Fire Streets Sewage These services began in the municipal government period due to the influx of immigrants crowding American cities City Revenue 35 of revenue from utilities 27 local taxes property taxes and sales tax Inter governmental revenue City Expenditure 35 utilities traffic lights etc 21 parks and housing 18 public safety Median family income is positively related to city taxes The higher the median family income the higher the city taxes per capita R 40 More African Americans on City Council if the African American Population is high Machine Politics Partisan machine organization in major urban areas between 1860 and 1920 Rapid urbanization fueled by industrialization and immigration Lot of newcomers to cities domestic and foreign Machine panders to poor newcomers Decentralized o Large city council Neighborhood council Responsive o Extreme local control ethnic and national neighborhoods everything geared toward lower class Employment welfare entertainment Corrupt o Everything is for sale Votes bought from illiterate through bribes and friendship Law enforcement and city contracts through bribes Reform Movement Goals City as a whole o Change city policies that were corrupt o Overhaul of the system Policy vs Administration Experts Reform Institutions Election reform o Non partisan elections Australian Ballot Printed by City Fewer City Council Positions at large seats Separate from state and federal elections Civil Service o Manage city by expertise rather than patronage Treat people equally rather than by friendship Managers Why is turnout so low in municipal elections Reform movement meant that people had less incentive to vote The machine would pay for votes and this was a huge advantage for the poor to vote Now there is often more cost to voting than benefit School Districts Voters vote for a school board and they hire a superintendent School board members are often parents School districts are different from other special districts for several reasons School board members are publicly elected usually in an at large by place system School board decisions are generally well publicized There is considerable public interest in and knowledge about school district politics The number of school districts has been steadily declining for fifty years The state is the ultimate authority for basic school policies and partially funds public schools Special Districts Voters decide on the governing board and they make the decisions In Texas many of the governing boards are appointed Why Special Districts Inadequacy of Established Governments o Certain problems for example flood control can seldom be solved within a single city or county o Cities and counties may find it difficult to finance needed projects o Poor organization lack of personnel and other problems make local governments incapable of dealing with some problems Ease of Organization and Operation Local political leaders may promote a special district as a solution to a problem they do not want to become their own and the legislature is willing to go along Creating a special district may spread the costs over several cities or counties included in the special district Special Districts by Distribution 29 other community colleges etc 20 Natural Resources 16 Fire protection