Local Government In Texas

In the State of Texas, the Council-Manager form of government is preferred by all of the major cities, except for Houston who prefer the Mayor-Council form of government. Under the Council-Manager form of government, the voters are at the top of the hierarchical structure. In this capacity, the voters elect a small City Council, including a mayor, who is the presiding officer over the City Council. Although the Mayor is symbolically the “Head of State”, he or she is not the head of government. The Mayor and City Council have the authority to appoint four of the city’s government officials: the City Manager, the City Attorney, the City Clerk and the Municipal Judge (some cities elect this position). Moreover, although weak in this form of government, the Mayor has a vote on many issues impacting the city; however, lacks any type of veto authority (except in a few cities), which means that laws are passed by on a majority-rule voting system of the total City Council Members, meaning all City Council Members must vote in order to pass a law. Most importantly, the Mayor and City Council primary role lies in the establishment of a strategic vision for the city. Once this is accomplished, the Mayor and the City Council are responsible for generating a strong mission statement that aligns with a set of clear goals, resulting in effective government policy guidance for execution by the City Manager to run the city. Collectively, the Mayor and City Council hire the City Manager who has full management authority, to execute the Mayor’s and City Council’s vision for the city. However, a City

The Texas Government must remain in the confines of the Texas Constitution which ultimately means to follow the four major functions. These four major functions define a constitution and its meaning therefore leaving the Texas Government with the same predicament and views, due to the same principles they both share within each other. Regardless of the sudden changes in current laws and policies the Texas Constitution must remain with its natural basics that a constitution settles in.

In my analysis of the Texas Constitution I will assess the three branches of our State Government, the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch and finally the Judicial Branch. Our State Government resembles our National Government in various ways but also in very different ways which we will review in this essay. I will identify a handful of criticisms and problems associated with the provisions in each of these branches of our State Government and identify suggested reforms that many feel are needed.

Branches of Texas Government In order for a government to make important decisions successfully for its citizens, there needs to be different branches with specific tasks. Texas uses the three branches, legislative, executive and judicial, within its government to create a balance of power. Each branch has the ability to monitor the powers of the other branches, so that one branch does not become overly powerful. The system of checks and balances was created and is an important part of the constitution because it resolves many fears of an overbearing government.

According to 2002 Census of Government figures, Texas has 1,196 cities, 254 counties, 1,089 school districts, and 2,245 special districts. During the past 20 years, the num- ber of special districts has steadily increased, due mainly to the rapid creation of water districts in unincorporated areas. Conversely, the number of school districts has steadily de- clined, as smaller systems have consolidated with larger ones. The number of counties has remained constant for 100 years, while the number of cities is increasing at an av- erage of about 10 per year.

Traditionalistic political cultures, according to Daniel Elazar, are typically found in the Selected Answer: d.

This paper will discuss about the three branches of government of Texas. The government of Texas has its operations under the constitution of Texas (Maxwell, Crain, & Santos, 2013). It consists of a unitary democratic state of government that applies the Dillon Rule as the County and municipal levels. The branches of the Texas government consist of the executive branch, which consist of the governor, Lieutenant governor and many others in that docket.

The state bureaucracy administers/implements the laws of Texas. It is run by executives whose job is to see that the laws of the state are implemented according to the will and intent of the Legislature. Ideally, these executive branch officials or bureaucrats are to administer their duties and implement the laws in a neutral manner, uninfluenced by politics. In reality, state bureaucrats are important players in not just implementation, but also policy making. In Texas, there is no overall central governing or controlling authority. Government authority in Texas is very decentralized, and rests within many independent state agencies.

The executive branch of Texas is like the federal government meaning that the governor is like the president because he is also the commander in chief of the military forces which is the police officers, the National Guard units, and the department of public safety. They also have the power to elect judges to fill in spots until the next election. The governor is paid one

Maria Macias #1883712 2017SP GOVT 2306-73434 Local Control in Texas May 2, 2017 Local Control in Texas Do you know the difference in power between state legislature and local control? Let me begin by giving you some background information. 1 According to Konni Burton, “Counties, cities, and all manner of special purpose districts (which include our independent school districts) are creations of the state government. They exist at the sole discretion of the state; receive their responsibilities, powers, and restrictions from the state; and are subject to the direction of the state.” (Burton) In Texas, there are many municipalities which are known as “home-rule” cities which have a “population of more than 5,000 that has, in accordance

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control. This is a very effective example of a good trustworthy system.

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control.

In Texas, each county is governed by a five-member Commissioners Court, which consists of a County Judge (elected at-large) and four Commissioners (elected from single-member precincts). The County Judge has no veto authority over the decisions of the Court; they have one vote along with the other Commissioners. In smaller counties, the County Judge also performs judicial functions, while in larger counties their role is limited to the Court. Elections are based on the political parties, Democrat, Republican, Independent and sometimes Libertarian. Counties do not have home rule authority because their authority is strictly limited by the State. Texas counties, merely exist to deliver specific types of services at the local level as prescribed by state law, but cannot enact or enforce local ordinances.

This article relates to our class discussion from Chapter 4 when it discussed net income in the accounting system. Net income is the excess of revenues over expenses for a specific time period. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan net income quickly rose last year because the health insurance is gaining more members, they are making cost containment efforts, they are rising prices for the Medigap policies, and they are improving some of its subsidiaries. Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance company net income rose to 800 percent to approximately $1.19 billion for consolidated revenue if $26.9 billion for a 4.4 percent total margin. When the health care company adds their tax credits of $533 million, and this was removed from their income the total

The state and the local government do have shared powers between them. They are both responsible for paying and funding public services, including paying for most roads, public school systems, clean water sources, organizing fire and police services, and arranging elections for their citizens. They are also responsible for providing welfare and transportation for its citizens (The USA Online, n.d.). State and local governments also have the power to set education policies for schools. Although local governments such as cities, counties, towns and townships regulate and control the schools to set new policies, the states are the dominant policy makers and are the ones who make decisions on important issues (Bowman and Kearney,