Local Governments in NC 553 municipalitiescities, towns, villages - PDF document

3/1/2016 Form of Government in North Carolina Kimberly Nelson Local Governments in NC  553 municipalities—cities, towns, villages  100 counties  115 dependent school districts  320 special districts (relatively low) 1

3/1/2016 Basic Structure in North Carolina School Districts State of North Carolina Counties Municipalities Counties ‐ history & function  Counties created by the state to distribute state services  Creation preceded that of municipalities (cities, towns, villages)  Types of services delivered differs by state 2

3/1/2016 Municipalities ‐ history & function  Created by state authority (NOT subdivisions of counties)  Basically created at the “request” of its inhabitants  Need evolved to address unique needs of population centers Service Distribution County Only Municipal Only • Juvenile detention homes • Cemeteries • Public health • Sidewalks • Public schools • Street lighting Medical examiner/coroner • Cable television • • Register of deeds • Traffic engineering Both County & Municipal • Public housing • Solid waste collection and disposal Sewage collection and disposal • • Libraries 3

3/1/2016 Form of Government Distribution in North Carolina Municipalities Council ‐ Manager 255 Mayor ‐ Council 298 Counties Manager 100 Municipal Governing Structure  Style of corporation – Town (463) – City (70) – Village (20)  Size of board ranges (2 ‐ 11)  Election of governing board – At ‐ large (477) – Combination at ‐ large/district (26) – District (17) 4

3/1/2016 Municipal Council ‐ Manager Form Council ‐ Manager Form of Municipal Government  Council appoints a professional manager  Manager handles day ‐ to ‐ day operations  Appoints/removes employees  Formulates the budget  Mayor’s role is similar to that of other council members 5

3/1/2016 Municipal Mayor ‐ Council Form Mayor ‐ Council Form of Government  Council may choose to hire an administrator  Mayor has few formal powers – Presides – May or may not vote  No veto power (except in Charlotte)  Mayor does have informal power 6

3/1/2016 County Governing Structure  All counties have professional administrators  Relatively small boards: – Most common size is 5 members (62)* – Second most common is 7 members(31) – Largest is 9 members (4)  In all but 3 counties, the chair is selected by the board  Partisan elections *5 is currently the smallest number of commission members. County Manager Form 7

3/1/2016 County Manager Authority  CAO  Appoint & remove, with board approval, employees  Board can grant authority to make hiring/firing choices without prior approval  Board appoints: clerk, county attorney, tax collector, tax assessor Council ‐ Manager Roles and Responsibilities Compared Mayor Council Manager • Presides at council • Governs and oversees • Hires and fires all meetings management of the city employees and supervises all • Calls special meetings • Confers power to the departments mayor and employees • Votes to break a tie • Upholds city and state (usually) • Decides on the laws and regulations organization of municipal • Other powers conferred government • Prepares and submits the by the council annual budget • Council appoints a manager to serve at its • Reports on the finances pleasure and administrative activities • Performs other duties required or authorized by the council 8

3/1/2016 Which form of government is most like the private American corporation Mayor-Council or Council-Manager? The Clerk’s role related to FOG  What is the form of government for your city or county?  How do you think the Clerk’s role differs under the different forms of government?  Do you think the Clerk should be a member of the management team? 9

3/1/2016 Member of Management Team or Clerk of Council?  69% ‐ Clerk is a member of the management team  31% ‐ Clerk is not a member of the management team – Not a management level staff member 46% – Clerk only performs clerical duties 23% – Manager doesn’t want the clerk on the management team 11% Trends Affecting Local Governments: Local governments must collaborate 10

3/1/2016 Trends Affecting Local Governments: Workforce demographics are changing Age of top administrators (cities and counties) NC Population Age Groups, 2010 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 0-17 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+ 1990 2030 11

3/1/2016 Trends Affecting Local Government: Social Media for Citizen Engagement Trends Affecting Local Government: Increasing Distrust of Government 12

3/1/2016 Questions? Contact Information: Email: knelson@sog.unc.edu Phone: 919 ‐ 962 ‐ 0427 13