Forms of Local Government

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the various forms of government below the state level now in use in the United States of America. It sorts through the traditional commission, mayor-council, strong mayor, and council-manager models for counties, cities, townships and school districts. The book also treats those entities that transcend the traditional boundaries of cities and counties, including the evolving residential community associations and regional government structures. Further examination is given to sub-metropolitan districts such as municipalities and boroughs. A clear basis for assessing the productivity and effectiveness of the various forms of government is provided by 38 contributors in 45 essays, considering such issues as revenue, privatization, strategic planning, suburbanization, city-county consolidation, and other urban and rural topics. The proper roles for elected and appointed officials in all models are explored.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Edited by Roger L. Kemp

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 398
Bibliographic Info: diagrams, tables, index
Copyright Date: 2007 [1999]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3100-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

PART I : INTRODUCTION
1 Overview of Local Governments      5
2 The Structure of Local Governments      11
3 Evolution of National Civic League Policies      27
4 Sharing the Load of Governance      35
5 The Responsible Public Executive      41

PART II : CITIES
6 Forms of Local Government in American History      47
7 Contemporary Choices for Citizens      63
8 The Council-Manager Form of Government      69
9 Understanding the Role of the Mayor’s Office      75
10 Theory v. Reality with the Council-Manager Plan      82
11 An Assessment of the Council-Manager Plan      89

PART III : COUNTIES
12 Overview of County Governments      95
13 Organization of County Governments      101
14 The Suburban County      117
15 The Rural County      122
16 County Leadership Models      126

PART IV : REGIONS
17 Regional Governance and the Post-Industrial Economy      135
18 Regional Cooperation: Global Competitiveness and Urban Reform      144
19 From Metropolitan Cooperation to Governance      151
20 The Evolution of Regional Planning      159
21 Models of Regional Governance      172
22 Regional Governance and Regional Councils      186

PART V : CITY STUDIES AND TRENDS
23 Contemporary Trends in Municipal Government Structures      195
24 Form and Adaptation of Municipal Government Structures      207
25 Fractured Cities: When Power Becomes Fragmented      220
26 What to Do When Reformed Government Doesn’t Work      226
27 Writing Home-Rule Charters      231
28 The Benefits of the Council-Manager Plan      236

PART VI : COUNTY STUDIES AND TRENDS
29 County Government: A Century of Change      245
30 Counties in Transition: Issues and Challenges      255
31 City-County Consolidation: A Matter of Efficiency?      260
32 City-County Consolidation: Learning from Failure      267
33 The Evolutionary Consolidation Model      272
34 A Report to the Charter Review Board      280

PART VII : REGIONAL STUDIES AND TRENDS
35 The Case for Regional Cooperation      297
36 Regions in Action: Regional Governance and Global Competitiveness      309
37 Regionalism: The New Geography of Opportunity      319
38 The Metropolitan Council: Integrating Planning and Operations      333
39 Revenue Sharing and Urban Growth      339

PART VIII : THE FUTURE
40 The Lure of the Strong Mayor      347
41 Beware of the Lure of the Strong Mayor      353
42 Good Government, Bad Government      358
43 County Government in the 21st Century      365
44 Regional Excellence in the 21st Century      373
45 Hope for “Suburbanitis”      377

About the Contributors      381
Index      383

• “highly recommended”The Midwest Book Review
• “thorough overview of the various forms of local government”—Booklist
• “a good resource”—ARBA
• “valuable…an excellent reference source…non-technical and does not require any prior knowledge of the subject matter”—Government Finance Review
• “offers an overview of the various forms of government below the state level…considers urban and rural issues such as revenue, privatization, strategic planning, suburbanization, and city-county consolidation”—Reference & Research Book News