Deck 12: Local Government

Question 1

A ruling that established that state governments can place restrictions on municipalities as long as these rules do not violate the state's constitution is called

A) the 10^th Amendment.
B) local ordinances.
C) preemption.
D) Dillon's Rule.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

City governments "legislate" by using _______, the local law of a municipal area, passed by a city council.

A) the 10^th Amendment
B) ordinances
C) preemption
D) Dillon's Rule

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A region that is not a part of a city is referred to as

A) a special district.
B) an unincorporated area.
C) city land.
D) wildlands.

Answer 3

B, D

Question 4

The chief executive of each county is referred to as the

A) county mayor.
B) county judge.
C) county commissioner.
D) county administrator.

Question 5

Each county commissioner district must be about equal in terms of

A) land area.
B) population.
C) number of cities.
D) number of schools.

Question 6

Suppose a disaster strikes a county. Which county level official oversees the county's response?

A) The mayor of the largest city
B) The sheriff
C) The district judge
D) The county judge

Question 7

What are the largest expenditures for county governments?

A) Roads, bridges, and the county jail
B) Tourism ads
C) Schools
D) Community centers

Question 8

The county sheriff is chosen by

A) all of the sheriff's deputies.
B) the county judge.
C) all of the police chiefs in the county.
D) voters.

Question 9

Which official oversees elections at the county level?

A) The sheriff
B) The vice judge
C) The election's chief
D) The county clerk

Question 10

At the top of county government is the county judge and the

A) Council of Cities.
B) Sheriff's Assembly.
C) County Council.
D) Commissioner's Court.

Question 11

The county's chief prosecutor in district court is the

A) district attorney.
B) solicitor general.
C) county prosecutor.
D) first attorney.

Question 12

Over time, the number of local governments in Texas has increased because of _______ and population growth.

A) contaction
B) ruralization
C) urbanization
D) diffusion

Question 13

County government structure is set by

A) the governor.
B) the largest city in the county.
C) the state legislature.
D) the Council of County Judges.

Question 14

A city that is only allowed to operate under the laws that the state provides is a

A) general law city.
B) home rule city.
C) municipality.
D) county-run institution.

Question 15

A city that is allowed self-governance independent of state law is a

A) general law city.
B) home rule city.
C) municipality.
D) county-run institution.

Question 16

A city's governing document is its

A) charter.
B) ordinance.
C) constitution.
D) reformatory.

Question 17

Most cities with more than _______ residents are home rule cities.

A) 500
B) 5,000
C) 1 million
D) 5 million

Question 18

_______ is a process whereby local voters can directly propose ordinances to city charters.

A) An initiative
B) An ordinance
C) A constitutional amendment
D) A reform

Question 19

A procedure through which local voters can repeal existing ordinances that the city council will not is called

A) an initiative.
B) a referendum.
C) a recall.
D) a reform.

Question 20

_______ is a process through which voters can oust sitting members of the city government before their terms are up.

A) An initiative
B) A referendum
C) A recall
D) A reform

Question 21

The joining of unincorporated land into the boundary of an existing city is known as

A) an initiative.
B) a referendum.
C) a recall.
D) annexation.

Question 22

A system of local government headed by an elected mayor and a city council, is a _______ system.

A) mayor-council
B) commission
C) council-manager
D) city manager

Question 23

In what type of system of city government do mayors have the most influence?

A) A mayor-council system
B) A commission government
C) A council-manager system
D) A city manager government

Question 24

A commission government is sometimes called the

A) "Galveston Plan."
B) "Harris County Plan."
C) "San Antonio Plan."
D) "College Station Plan."

Question 25

A _______ is a system of local government in which the city council appoints a city manager to run city business.

A) mayor-council system
B) commission government
C) council-manager system
D) city manager government

Question 26

An administrator hired to run the day-to-day operations in a city is called a

A) mayor-council.
B) commission government.
C) council-manager.
D) city manager.

Question 27

Currently, no city in Texas uses the _______ form of government.

A) commission
B) strong-mayor
C) weak-mayor
D) council-manager

Question 28

Compared to other states, Texas has _______ special districts.

A) far less
B) no
C) more
D) slightly less

Question 29

Community colleges are typically operated by

A) school districts.
B) cities.
C) nearby universities.
D) junior or community college districts.

Question 30

Someone buys a home in a development. They may fall under the jurisdiction of a

A) home owner's association.
B) new home covenant.
C) property management collective.
D) neighborhood corporation.

Question 31

If someone lives in the jurisdiction of a home owner's association, membership is

A) optional.
B) by invite only.
C) optional, but strongly encouraged.
D) mandatory.

Question 32

A single-purpose government that performs a specialized function is called a

A) special district.
B) school district.
C) special improvement district.
D) junior/community college district.

Question 33

A special district which sets standards for K-12 education is known as

A) a future district.
B) a school district.
C) an economic improvement.
D) a junior/community college district.

Question 34

A city is facing a major expense, but it is short on money. It might _______ in order to pay for the expense.

A) issue a bond
B) apply for a loan from the Bank of Texas
C) ask the legislature to let it go into debt
D) ask the federal government to print more money

Question 35

A _______ provides water, sewage, drainage, and other services within a fixed boundary. These districts deal primarily with the supply of water, including protection, conservation, and storage.

A) hospital district
B) school district
C) municipal utility district (MUD)
D) special district

Question 36

_______ provide for the creation, maintenance, and operation of hospitals. Districts have considerable financial power, including the ability to issue bonds and impose taxes.

A) Hospital districts
B) School districts
C) Municipal utility districts (MUDs)
D) Special districts

Question 37

What is true of local elections?

A) They are for five year terms.
B) They generally have high turnout.
C) They are partisan.
D) They are non-partisan.

Question 38

Elections for the county judge and county sheriff are

A) partisan elections.
B) non-partisan elections.
C) only held when a new governor is elected.
D) open only to those who live in cities.

Question 39

Voter turnout for city and county elections is typically

A) very high.
B) high.
C) about the same as presidential elections.
D) low.

Question 40

The county judge and commissioners are elected to

A) two-year terms in partisan elections.
B) four-year terms in partisan elections.
C) two-year terms in nonpartisan elections.
D) four-year terms in nonpartisan elections.

Question 41

An electoral system in which voters elect council members from a citywide area, but that specifies separate seats carved into districts, is called

A) a place system.
B) a multimember system.
C) a single-member district system.
D) an at-large system.

Question 42

A voting system in which voters cast multiple votes (usually equal to the positions in an election) is called

A) a place system.
B) cumulative voting.
C) single-member voting.
D) an at-large system.

Question 43

As the city of Austin has grown it has spread into the undeveloped land surrounding it. As a result, traffic is bad and wildlife turns up in residential neighborhoods. Austin is suffering from

A) a lack of planning.
B) urbanism.
C) sprawl.
D) wildlife takeover.

Question 44

Suppose a city would like to redevelop a part of its downtown. It might attract businesses by creating a

A) media campaign.
B) city ambassador program.
C) neighborhood corporation.
D) tax increment reinvestment zone.

Question 45

Given the number of overlapping local government units, it is common for _______ to occur

A) regular meetings
B) efficient coordination
C) extensive cooperation
D) duplication of efforts

Question 46

_______ aim to coordinate local governments across a geographic area.

A) State senators
B) Regional districts
C) Councils of government
D) Central committees

Question 47

A given piece of property can only be used for single-family residential homes. This property has been _______ by the city

A) dedicated
B) zoned
C) tyrannized
D) specified

Question 48

One of the biggest expenses facing local governments is

A) school bus maintenance.
B) litter pickup.
C) pensions.
D) election administration.

Question 49

A city takes out a loan to pay for a project and agrees to pay the funds back with interest. This is called a

A) local bond.
B) municipal bond.
C) contemporary bond.
D) helping bond.

Question 50

What is Dillon's Rule?

Question 51

What is an "unincorporated area?

Question 52

Describe the structure of county and government, and the role of the leadership.

Question 53

Explain the differences between "general law" and "home rule" cities.

Question 54

Describe the three ways cities may govern themselves.