Deck 11: Local Government

Question 1

Council-manager government was initiated as part of a reform movement during the

A)New Deal era.
B)Progressive Era.
C)Governor Edmund Davis Era.
D)Reconstruction Era.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following allows registered voters to force a sometimes reluctant city council to place a proposed ordinance on the ballot?

A)Initiative
B)Earmarking
C)Mandate
D)None of these choices is true.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Voters who wish to repel an existing ordinance can petition the council to hold a(n)

A)referendum election.
B)initiative election.
C)partisan election.
D)writ of mandamus.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following statements about recall elections is incorrect?

A)They are used in home-rule cities.
B)Recalled members of a city council must step down once the election results are certified.
C)They permit the people to remove the mayor or a member of the council.
D)They are used in general-rule cities.

Question 5

Cities that limit the sale of beer and wine,freeze property taxes for seniors and people with disabilities,increase minimum wage,and place a cap on property tax rates is an example of a(n)

A)referendum.
B)recall.
C)initiative.
D)mandate.

Question 6

In 2007,Farmers Branch in Dallas,Texas,passed an ordinance that was upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals;this ordinance was a ban on

A)businesses employing illegal immigrants.
B)renting apartments to illegal immigrants.
C)providing health services to illegal immigrants.
D)illegal immigrants living in the city.

Question 7

Which of the following is not a special district in Texas?

A)Hospital district
B)Metropolitan transit authority
C)Municipal utility district
D)Municipal government

Question 8

All of the following are examples of local governments in Texas except

A)county.
B)municipal.
C)town.
D)special district.

Question 9

The two largest Texas cities with a mayor-council form of government are

A)El Paso and Dallas.
B)Houston and Pasadena.
C)Fort Worth and Dallas.
D)Austin and Houston.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about a general-law city is correct?

A)It is an incorporated community with a population of 5,000 or less.
B)It is city with a population of over 5,000.
C)It was established in 1912 by a state constitutional amendment.
D)It can adopt its own charter.

Question 11

In a council-manager form of government,who is responsible for both executing council policies and managing the day-to-day operations of city government?

A)Elected city council members
B)The mayor
C)The city manager
D)The presiding officer of the city council

Question 12

Which of the following is not a form of local government?

A)Council-manager system
B)Mayor-council system
C)Commission system
D)Strong manager-council system

Question 13

All local governments are bound by all of the following except

A)federal laws.
B)state laws.
C)the U.S.Constitution.
D)municipal codes.

Question 14

Anyone who lives in a metropolitan area is likely to be governed by

A)municipal and county governments.
B)school districts.
C)hospital districts.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 15

The powers of the city manager come from

A)a city charter.
B)passage of fundamental law.
C)federal statutes.
D)the state constitution.

Question 16

Texas cities are classified as either

A)incorporated or unincorporated.
B)partisan or nonpartisan.
C)general-law or home-rule.
D)homogenous or heterogeneous.

Question 17

__________ are creatures of the state and have only as much power as the Texas Constitution and Texas legislature grant them.

A)Counties
B)Special districts
C)School districts
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 18

The relationship between states and local governments follows from the fact that states have a _________ system of government.

A)confederacy
B)unitary
C)federal
D)federation

Question 19

To become a home-rule city in Texas,a city must have a population of at least _________ residents.

A)15,000
B)25,000
C)5,000
D)50,000

Question 20

Which of the following is a limit placed on home-rule cities in Texas?

A)State law determines the specific dates for municipal elections.
B)Local government is subject to sunshine laws.
C)All local election law changes must meet federal preclearance requirements.
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 21

In many cities,some or all of the city council members are elected by voters of the entire municipality rather than from neighborhood districts.This is called a(n)

A)pure at-large system.
B)at-large city elections.
C)at-large system.
D)multi-member districts.

Question 22

In a weak-mayor form of government,power is

A)decentralized.
B)diversified.
C)centralized.
D)none of these choices is true.

Question 23

The idea that city hall is best governed by new blood and fresh ideas and that limiting the number of terms for council members in the best way to achieve that goal is known as

A)single-member district.
B)term limits.
C)weak council member system.
D)weak manager council member system.

Question 24

Local governments use public debt (normally bond issues that must be approved by the voters in a referendum)to fund which of the following?

A)City services
B)Public assistance
C)Roads,buildings,and public facilities
D)Health care

Question 25

In Texas,political parties do not

A)nominate candidates below the county level.
B)mention party affiliation on the ballot.
C)increase voter turnout in the municipal and special district elections.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 26

Which of the following is considered a restriction on the powers of the mayor in some strong-mayor council systems of government?

A)Nonpartisan elections
B)Ethics
C)Campaign finance laws
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 27

Some Texas cities have taken measures to limit increases in property taxes by

A)issuing a property tax cap of $0.68 per $200 valuation of property.
B)allowing the ability to petition for a rollback election.
C)freezing property taxes for the disabled and the elderly.
D)having flexibility about freezing and unfreezing property taxes.

Question 28

A rollback election does which of the following?

A)Voters in nonschool district jurisdictions limit an increase in the property tax rate to no more than 8 percent.
B)Voters in school district jurisdictions limit an increase in the property tax rate to no more than 8 percent.
C)Voters in nonschool district and school jurisdictions limit an increase in the property tax rate to no more than 8 percent.
D)The Texas constitution does not allow local governments to have roll back elections.

Question 29

Property appraisals in all local governments are done by which of the following?

A)County clerks
B)Tax-assessor collectors
C)Countywide appraisal authority
D)County auditors

Question 30

Which type of election system has served as the primary means of increasing minority representation on city councils?

A)Pure at-large
B)At-large place
C)Multi-member districts
D)Single-member districts

Question 31

Which of the following statements about mandates is correct?

A)There is an increase in the number of mandates imposed by the federal government.
B)There is a decrease in the number of mandates imposed by the state government.
C)There is a decrease in the number of mandates imposed by all governments.
D)There are no mandates in Texas.

Question 32

When it comes to the use of lobbyists to promote the needs of local government,which is an argument not used by critics?

A)Local government advocacy is a responsibility best met by local elected officials.
B)Taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for lobbyists.
C)Money dedicated to lobbyists would be better spent on services and projects,especially when local governments face financial shortfalls.
D)Local governments need additional leverage when it comes to combating unfunded mandates.

Question 33

__________ voting is an at-large system that permits voters to cast one or more votes for a single candidate.

A)Pure at-large
B)At-large place
C)Modified single district
D)Cumulative

Question 34

Which city governments have officials who act as both executives and legislators?

A)Strong-major councils
B)Mayor-councils
C)Commissions
D)Weak-major councils

Question 35

The maximum property tax rate of a general-law city is

A)$1.50 per $100 of the assessed value of a city's property.
B)$1.00 per $100 of the assessed value of a city's property.
C)$2.00 per $100 of the assessed value of a city's property.
D)$2.50 per $100 of the assessed value of a city's property.

Question 36

Home-rule municipalities can set property tax rates as high as

A)$2.00 per $100 of assessed value.
B)$2.50 per $100 of assessed value.
C)$3.50 per $100 of assessed value.
D)$1.50 per $100 of assessed value.

Question 37

A majority of U.S.cities have all of the following except

A)partisan elections.
B)council-manager form of government.
C)at-large elections.
D)powers of initiative and recall.

Question 38

Which factors influence the sources and amount of revenue used to meet a city's budgetary obligations?

A)Size of the city's population
B)The amount and type of taxes a city is allowed to levy
C)The total assessed value of taxable property within the city limits
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 39

Which of the following is not considered a city user fee?

A)Electricity rates
B)Garbage collection fees
C)Ad valorem
D)Ambulance service fees

Question 40

In the strong-mayor system,who is responsible for administration of city policy?

A)The council
B)The mayor
C)The manager
D)The city judge

Question 41

When a county has a population of more than 8,000,which office assumes the county clerk's role as record keeper for the district courts even as the county clerk continues to maintain records for the constitutional county court and any county courts-at-law?

A)County clerk
B)County attorney
C)District clerk
D)County auditor

Question 42

Which is considered a county's most important financial officer?

A)The tax assessor-collector
B)The treasurer
C)The auditor
D)The board of financial adjusters

Question 43

_________ is the merging or joining of responsibilities by county and other local governments.

A)Consolidation
B)Submergence
C)Unit system
D)Accumulation

Question 44

Of the ten largest cities in the United States,Texas is home to how many of the largest cities?

A)One
B)Three
C)Two
D)Five

Question 45

All of the following are criticisms of special-district governments except

A)​they disproportionately benefit low-income citizens.
B)​they are too small to achieve public attention.
C)​they are too numerous to be held accountable.
D)​they are too small to be efficient. 

Question 46

All of the following statements about county government are true except

A)Texas has 254 counties.
B)county government is far less flexible than municipal government in its organization and functions.
C)Texas counties,like cities,have home-rule provisions.
D)counties cannot pass ordinances unless specifically authorized by the state.

Question 47

Elected county officials hire county employees using

A)the spoils system.
B)the merit system.
C)appointive powers.
D)civil service.

Question 48

The commissioners court acts as a legislature

A)with limited authority to approve the budget for all county operations.
B)to set the tax rate.
C)to pass ordinances on a narrow range of policies.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 49

The unit road system does which of the following?

A)Requires each county to spend the same amount on roads and bridges
B)Allows each commissioner to have the same number of road crew in a given district
C)Takes the day-to-day responsibility for roads away from individual county commissioners and places it in the hands of a professional engineer
D)It can only be created by a petition from the voters.

Question 50

Big cities in Texas have suffered less than many other U.S.cities from "white flight," urban decay,the evacuation of industry,and declining tax bases;one reason they have escaped some of the worst of these problems is

A)the state's board of annexation laws.
B)extraterritorial jurisdiction.
C)mandates.
D)changing demographics.

Question 51

Which of the following statements about colonia is incorrect?

A)Most colonias are along the U.S.-Mexico border.
B)A colonia that is eligible for state aid cannot continue to receive such aid after annexation by a city.
C)A colonia is a severely impoverished unincorporated area.
D)There are about 1,800 colonias in Texas.

Question 52

The county sheriff has all of the following functions except

A)law enforcement in the county.
B)hiring deputies.
C)operating the city jail.
D)delivering and executing court papers.

Question 53

Which public official is not a member of the Unfunded Mandates Interagency Work Group?

A)The state auditor
B)The comptroller
C)The lieutenant governor
D)A state senator

Question 54

Which of the following is not a power of a county judge?

A)Performing marriage ceremonies
B)Serving as the head of civil defense
C)Exercising judicial authority over felony cases
D)Conducting hearings for beer and wine permits

Question 55

Which county official presides over the commissioners' court?

A)The county sheriff
B)The county auditor
C)The county clerk
D)The county judge

Question 56

Who is the county law enforcement official elected to serve as the process officer of justice of the peace courts and also has general law enforcement powers?

A)Sheriff
B)County judge
C)Constable
D)Precinct judge

Question 57

Contrast the powers of home-rule cities with general-law cities.What are the limits and benefits of both systems?​

Question 58

Texas cities can keep from being boxed in by suburban "bedroom" cities using their power of

A)eminent domain.
B)extraterritorial jurisdiction.
C)injunction.
D)mandate.

Question 59

Which is not a reason why reformers recommend a short ballot with fewer elected county officials?

A)They argue it would simplify structure with a single-county executive,which would allow voter to hold one high-profile officer accountable.
B)They contend that a chief county executive could coordinate county programs.
C)They would be able to engage in long-range planning and eliminate duplication among various county offices.
D)They fear that concentrating too much power in a single chief executive invites abuse and threatens personal liberty.

Question 60

Which of the following is a dependent agency and not a special district?

A)Crime control and prevention districts
B)Navigation districts
C)Weed control districts
D)Airport authorities

Question 61

Would it be appropriate to describe home-rule cities as a type of direct democracy? Why or why not?​

Question 62

A mayor in a strong-mayor city system wishes to promote walking and bicycling in the city to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.The mayor wants to see a set of ordinances to create bicycle lanes and provide tax incentives for walking and biking to work.What strategies are available to this mayor to achieve his or her legislative goal?​

Question 63

A mayor in a weak-mayor city system wishes to promote an equal rights ordinance in his or her city.The ordinance,designed to guarantee rights of service to citizens regardless of sex,gender,race,disability,or sexual-orientation,is controversial in the city.What strategies are available to this mayor to achieve his or her legislative goal?

Question 64

What are user fees,and why have they become increasingly popular?​

Question 65

Why have Texas cities generally resisted incorporating colonias? How should local governments be structured to tackle the problems faced by these communities?

Question 66

Describe the major forms of municipal government.List the characteristics of each different type.​

Question 67

Run away population growth is increasing service demands on your city government.What forms of taxation are available to your city to raise revenue to meet service demands?​

Question 68

Contrast the at-large and single-member district electoral systems.What are the benefits and limits of each system?​

Question 69

Do cities with lobbyists have an advantage in the state legislature? Why or why not?