Deck 10: Local Government in Texas

Question 1

In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget.

A) sheriff
B) constable
C) auditor
D) clerk
E) tax assessor-collector

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the case Avery v. Midland County, the U.S. Supreme Court held that

A) special districts had to be approved by the voters.
B) educational spending levels had to be roughly the same throughout the state.
C) the principle of "one person, one vote" applied to county commissioners' courts.
D) the practice of hanging was in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
E) some county governments in Texas were far too big, making them extremely powerful.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is a source of often unanticipated costs faced by county governments?

A) the expense of city police salaries
B) the financial burden of capital murder trials
C) the spiraling costs of public education
D) the growing number of constables being employed at the county level
E) unexpected road and bridge maintenance

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is a key problem with counties in Texas?

A) Many of them are too small and underpopulated to function well.
B) County laws were made in the nineteenth century, making them too old-fashioned.
C) They have not been given adequate lawmaking powers by the legislature.
D) Too often the county seats cannot be reached in a day's drive.
E) Many of them are far too powerful, making city governments seem less important.

Question 5

Home-rule charters provide for all of the following EXCEPT

A) forming government that operates in the city.
B) specifying the number of members serving on the city's governing body.
C) granting the governing body the power to annex land adjacent to the city.
D) establishing property tax rates.
E) consisting of a population less than 5,000.

Question 6

In Texas, what is the name of the officer who presides over the county commissioners' court?

A) county judge
B) executive commissioner
C) justice of the peace
D) sheriff
E) constable

Question 7

Which of the following statements about counties in Texas is INCORRECT?

A) Counties are an administrative arm of the state government.
B) There are over 250 counties in Texas.
C) Each county has four county commissioners.
D) All counties have approximately the same number of people.
E) The Texas Constitution places many restrictions on the power of county government.

Question 8

Why are Texas counties important?

A) They create and regulate cities.
B) They act as legislative bodies, making most of the local laws.
C) They provide the main form of government in rural areas.
D) They have very broad governmental powers.
E) There are generally more county governments in Texas than any other form of government.

Question 9

As the number of urban areas grew in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the management of local affairs became such a growing burden on the state legislature that it passed the ________.

A) general law city
B) city charter
C) home-rule charter
D) county charter
E) major council form of government

Question 10

What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city?

A) A general-law city does not have a mayor.
B) A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.
C) A general-law city is the name for all cities incorporated after 1901.
D) A general-law city has no power to set the property tax.
E) A general-law city has no city council.

Question 11

The law enforcement budget at the county level is approved by the ________.

A) constable
B) sheriff
C) county judge
D) county commissioners' court
E) city council

Question 12

Texas counties have their origins

A) in the Texas Constitution.
B) in municipalities.
C) in the federal government.
D) with Texas legislators.
E) in the county charter.

Question 13

The job of serving legal papers at the precinct level of a county goes to the ________.

A) constable
B) sheriff
C) assistant district attorney
D) district judge
E) county auditor

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a function of county government in Texas?

A) supervising road and bridge maintenance
B) administering water districts
C) setting a county's tax rates
D) maintaining the county jail
E) county law enforcement

Question 15

The chief law-enforcement officer in county governments is the

A) sheriff.
B) constable.
C) justice of the peace.
D) city police chief.
E) county attorney.

Question 16

A ________ form of government is one in which public policies are developed by the city council and executive and administrative functions are assigned to a professional city manager.

A) commissioner
B) council manager
C) council mayor
D) mayor-city manager
E) county judge-mayor

Question 17

The ________ is a public official who is the main record keeper of court documents.

A) district clerk
B) county clerk
C) county auditor
D) county tax assessor-collector
E) county judge

Question 18

All of the following are functions of county government EXCEPT

A) law enforcement.
B) bridge and road construction.
C) flood control.
D) record keeping.
E) county tax rates.

Question 19

What is the most important expenditure of most county commissioners' courts?

A) roads and bridges
B) building and maintaining county jails
C) water
D) law enforcement
E) utilities

Question 20

The most important social service provided by counties is

A) the distribution of food stamps.
B) the provision of emergency welfare assistance.
C) animal control.
D) education.
E) sanitation.

Question 21

Which of the following cities currently has a city government with a strong mayor-council form of government?

A) Dallas
B) San Antonio
C) Austin
D) Houston
E) Galveston

Question 22

________ is a unit of local government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area.

A) A special district
B) The county government
C) The local government
D) A single-member district
E) The state government

Question 23

What is the level of popularity of the commissioner system of city government in Texas today?

A) It is the most popular form of city government in Texas.
B) No city in Texas today has a pure commissioner system, but a handful claim a variation of the system.
C) While less popular than the mayor-council system, over 100 cities in Texas today use the commissioner style.
D) Commissioner systems have never been used in Texas.
E) About half the cities in Texas use a pure commissioner form of government.

Question 24

San Antonio operates under which style of city government?

A) mayor-council
B) council-manager
C) commissioner
D) council-mayor
E) at-large

Question 25

Which of the following statements about the commissioner form of government is FALSE?

A) Commissioners are generally elected on an at-large basis.
B) The commissioner form of government does not have separately elected mayors.
C) The commissioner form of government was designed to bring good business practices into local government.
D) The commissioner form of government is currently popular among the largest cities in Texas.
E) In the commissioner form of government, the commission acts in both legislative and executive capacities.

Question 26

Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?

A) county government
B) municipal government
C) special districts
D) city government
E) state government

Question 27

What is an at-large election?

A) an election for offices that receive no official salary
B) an election in which voters elect officials from the entire geographical area, rather than from a smaller district within the area
C) an election held under the commission system of city government
D) an election in which one or more candidates are under criminal indictment
E) an election in which anyone can vote, even those not previously registered

Question 28

Commissioner forms of government were at their height of popularity

A) in 1882, at the height of the Grange movement.
B) in 1918, during the Progressive era.
C) in 1936, during the New Deal.
D) in 1978, as a result of the economic recession.
E) in the 2000s, as hurricanes became more frequent.

Question 29

Dallas operates under which style of city government?

A) mayor-council
B) council-manager
C) commissioner
D) council-mayor
E) at-large

Question 30

A school board can do all of the following EXCEPT

A) adopt a budget for the district.
B) draft standardized evaluation exams.
C) select textbooks for classroom use.
D) hire principals and faculty.
E) set overall policy for the school district.

Question 31

What was the effect of Dallas's shifting from an at-large to a single-member district system in 1991?

A) The change was responsible for the election of a significant number of African American and Hispanic council members.
B) The city lost its status as a home-rule city for five years.
C) At-large districts benefited the local Republican Party.
D) It was challenged in court but found to be constitutional by the Texas Supreme Court.
E) Fewer minorities were elected to citywide offices.

Question 32

The mayor and city council members are subject to recall if ________ percent of the qualified voters in a district sign a petition of recall and a recall election is successful.

A) 15
B) 20
C) 10
D) 5
E) 25

Question 33

A school district is

A) a special district.
B) administered by the county commissioners' court.
C) ruled by the state government in Austin.
D) established by each incorporated city.
E) governed by a board of trustees appointed by the city.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a key difference between the mayor-council and the council-manager forms of local government?

A) The council-manager style was meant to reduce the possibility of corruption that the mayor-council system may bring.
B) The council-manager system is the most popular form of government throughout the United States for cities with over 10,000 residents.
C) In the council-manager system, the chief executive is a city manager, not a mayor.
D) In the council-manager system, local politics is viewed as a full-time job, unlike in the mayor-council system.
E) In the council-manager system, local politics is viewed as a part-time job, unlike in the mayor-council system.

Question 35

A nonschool special district includes everything EXCEPT

A) utility districts.
B) economic development corporations.
C) school districts.
D) hospital districts.
E) fire prevention districts.

Question 36

The chief financial officer for a city is called the

A) city controller.
B) sheriff.
C) mayor.
D) city manager.
E) city auditor.

Question 37

What is the main difference between a special district and a county?

A) A special district provides only one specific service within a geographic region.
B) A county is formed in terms of population density, while a special district is created geographically.
C) Special districts are controlled by incorporated cities, unlike county government.
D) Special districts are created by municipalities, while counties are created by the state.
E) There are no major differences.

Question 38

Across the United States, which form of government for cities with over 10,000 residents has been the most popular?

A) commissioner
B) county judge-mayor
C) council mayor
D) county judge
E) council manager

Question 39

The mayor-council form of government is most common in

A) smaller general-law cities.
B) large metropolitan cities.
C) newer, high-growth "exurbs."
D) northern Texas cities.
E) southern Texas cities.

Question 40

The commissioner form of city government was developed as a response to the

A) end of Reconstruction in 1876.
B) hurricane at Galveston in 1900.
C) Great Depression of 1929.
D) discovery of oil in 1901.
E) tornado at Wichita Falls in 1978.

Question 41

Which problem has been found recently in the system of special districts?

A) State investigations have discovered numerous "phantom districts" that do not provide a service, yet bill the local counties for administrative costs.
B) Real estate developers have moved a few people onto land, rent free, who then vote for huge bond measures that future residents are obliged to pay.
C) The special districts for homeland security throughout Texas were uncoordinated and ill- prepared for September 11, 2001.
D) There has been widespread corruption among board members receiving bribes from citizens to lower their user fees.
E) Some districts have dealt with people buying property just outside the district boundaries and then demanding services from the district without having to pay for them.

Question 42

Flood control is managed through special districts because

A) flooding is seldom contained in a single city or county.
B) the Texas Constitution forbids both cities and the state from spending money on flood prevention.
C) the Galveston hurricane of 1900 revealed the inefficiency and slowness of state government in responding to local disasters.
D) most cities do not have the infrastructure to handle large flooding.
E) most waterways in Texas are managed by special districts.

Question 43

General-law cities have more autonomy from the state than home-rule charter cities.

Question 44

A 1947 law allows counties to place the road system under the authority of a county engineer.

Question 45

Since 1954, there have been no home-rule chartered cities in Texas.

Question 46

Commissioner governments are designed to run school districts and other special districts throughout the state.

Question 47

Special districts in Texas are

A) democratic in theory, but often not in practice.
B) created and administered by county clerks.
C) the best example of participatory democracy in Texas.
D) a less common form of government than 50 years ago.
E) among the most studied areas of Texas politics.

Question 48

In home-rule cities the constitution sets a maximum property tax rate of $1.50 per $100 valuation.

Question 49

Texas has 254 county governments.

Question 50

All county officials in Texas are appointed by the governor and serve two-year terms.

Question 51

In Texas, ________ create(s) special districts.

A) the Texas legislature
B) the governor
C) Texas voters in the areas that will be covered
D) the county commissioners' court, with local voter approval
E) city councils

Question 52

What is the function of the 24 councils of government in Texas today?

A) They are a board that establishes new special districts when needed.
B) They are a regional board meant to coordinate local planning and economic development.
C) They are a tax board meant to establish local property tax rates.
D) They are an administrative board that runs utility districts in rural areas.
E) They are a regional board meant to establish user fees for regional waterways and recreational areas.

Question 53

Each county in Texas is required by the state constitution to have approximately the same number of residents.

Question 54

What are the main sources of revenue for special districts in Texas?

A) property taxes and user fees
B) income taxes and user fees
C) income taxes and sales taxes
D) sales taxes and property taxes
E) property taxes and federal grants

Question 55

San Antonio and Dallas both have council-manager forms of government.

Question 56

County governments are most important for administering rural areas throughout Texas.

Question 57

How are most special districts in Texas administered?

A) County judges administer all special districts within their jurisdiction.
B) They are run by a board elected by residents within the district.
C) For each special district, the governor appoints members to a review board.
D) They are run by special district administrators who answer directly to the state legislature.
E) The county commissioners' court administers all special districts within its jurisdiction.

Question 58

The chief executive officer of each county in Texas is the sheriff.

Question 59

What type of government is called hidden government because people often do NOT know it exists?

A) county government
B) special districts
C) city government
D) state government
E) councils of government

Question 60

The commissioners' court is similar to a judicial court.

Question 61

The strong mayor form of government was created as a response to the 1900 Galveston hurricane disaster.

Question 62

In Texas, special districts are run by a board of trustees appointed by the governor.

Question 63

Special districts are funded through sales taxes.

Question 64

There is no single way to run a city in Texas. What are the differences between a home-rule charter and a general-law city? What are the different forms of city government used in Texas? How do they differ from each other?

Question 65

One of the problems with Texas government is that there are no regional councils that promote coordinated planning across local governments.

Question 66

Community colleges in Texas are allotted their own special districts.

Question 67

Special districts have often been called the hidden government. What are special districts? What are some of the services they provide? How are special districts created, governed, and funded?

Question 68

Different types of city government create different political opportunities and problems. Using the different city government types, describe the particular political environments of Texas's three largest cities.

Question 69

How do counties in Texas differ from cities in their powers, duties, and responsibilities, and which do you think has more advantages?

Question 70

Analyze the importance of county government in Texas. What are the main governmental tasks of counties? How are counties organized, and how is authority distributed?

Question 71

One problem with special districts is that sometimes local government officials work in relative obscurity, avoiding media and public scrutiny.

Question 72

All large cities in Texas have structures of government that give strong executive powers to the mayor.

Question 73

Many people have argued that Texas counties need to be more efficiently designed. What are the criticisms surrounding the size of counties? What are some particular examples of these problems with size?