Warmup – 3/23/12

Warmup – 3/23/121. What do the top two pictures show?2. Where is this place located?3. What is the bottom a map of?

Counties and Municipalities

What is a county?

The largest territorial and political subdivision in North Carolina

Why do states form counties?To set local public policy and

carry out state guidelines

How many counties has the NC General Assembly divided NC into?

100

What is the structure of county government in NC?

County Legislature – Board of County Commissioners

Elected by – citizens of the county Responsible for:

set county tax rateapprove county budgetestablish county policy

County Government Cont.

County Executive – County Manager

Hired by – Board of Commissioners

Responsible for:draft county budgetcarry out policies of the

Boardappoints people to lead

some county departments

State Mandated (Required by State) Boards

ABC Board – monitors alcohol sales

Board of Elections – looks over election procedures

Board of Education:sets and adopts a school

budgetfollows policies of state

department of educationsets the local school

curriculum

County Law Enforcement

The Sheriff

Register of Deeds

Elected by the votersRecord legal documents: land

ownership, marriages, births, and deaths

Clerk of Court

Elected by the voters in countyGuides the county court system

but is a state employee because all courts are controlled by the state

What is a municipality?

Cities, towns or villages

How are municipalities created? Incorporated means that the state

has declared that the area is a city, town or village

Charter – outlines the basic rules for a municipality

How can a city expand its boundaries?

Through Annexation: process of bringing unincorporated land into an existing municipality

How is a municipality governed? Run by an elected governing board

called a city council or city board An elected mayor usually presides

over the council.

What is the Mayor-Council Plan?Mayor has real power and serves

as the chief Executive (carries out policy)

What is the Council-Manager Plan?

Governing council hires a professional Manager to carry out policies (most of NC)

What enforces laws in most municipalities?

City police force – not elected but hired

Local Legislation

Ordinance: Local laws Referendum:Allowing voters to accept or reject

a local law

What services are provided by county and municipal governments?

Turn to page 408 in your book to complete the chart.