Book: Ch. 10 Flashcards
Define: county commissioners’ court
the main governing body of each county; has the authority to set the county tax rate and budget
Define: county judge
the person in each of Texas’s 254 counties who presides over the constitutional county court and county commissioners’ court, with responsibility for the administration of county government; some county judges carry out judicial responsibilities
Define: county commissioner
government official (four per county) on the county commissioners’ court whose main duty is the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges
Define: constable
precinct-level county official involved with serving legal papers and, in some counties, enforcing the law
Define: county attorney
county official who prosecutes lesser criminal cases in the county court
Define: district attorney
public official who prosecutes the more serious criminal cases in the district court
Define: county clerk
public official who is the main record-keeper of the county
Define: district clerk
public official who is the main record-keeper of district court documents
Define: county tax assessor-collector
public official who maintains the county tax records and collects the taxes owed to the county
Define: county auditor
public official, appointed by the district judges, who receives and disburses county funds; in large counties, this official also prepares the county budget
Define: home-rule charter
the rules under which a city operates; local governments have considerable independent governing power under these charters
Define: mayor-council form of government
a form of city government in which the mayor is the chief executive and the city council is the legislative body; in the strong mayor council variation, the mayor’s powers enable him or her to control executive departments and the agenda of the city council; in the weak mayor–council variation, the mayor’s power is more limited
Define: at-large election
an election in which officials are selected by voters of the entire geographical area, rather than from smaller districts within that area
Define: single-member district
an electorate that elects only one representative for each district
Define: commissioner form of government
a form of city government in which the city is run by a small group of elected commissioners who act in both legislative and executive capacities
Define: council-manager form of government
a form of city government in which public policies are developed by the city council and executive and administrative functions are assigned to a professional city manager
Define: special district
a unit of local government that performs a single service, such as education or sanitation, within a limited geographic area
Define: school district
a specific type of special district that provides public education in a designated area
Define: nonschool special district
any special district other than a school district; examples include municipal utility districts (MUDs) and hospital districts
Define: municipal utility district (MUD)
a special district that offers services such as electricity, water, sewage, and sanitation outside the city limits
Define: property tax
a tax based on an assessment of the value of one’s property, which is used to fund the services provided by local governments, such as education
Define: user fee
a fee paid for public goods and services, such as water or sewage service
Define: hidden government
a term that refers to special districts of which many citizens are unaware
Define: council of government (COG)
a regional planning board composed of local elected officials and some private citizens from the same area
Define: capital appreciation bond (CAB)
a long-term, high-interest-paying bond that pays off both principal and interest in one lump sum when the bond reaches maturity
Define: deferred retirement option plan (DROP)
retirement plan in which local government employees who are eligible to retire have their retirement benefits deposited in an account in which the benefits draw interest until actual retirement. Some of these plans pay high interest and cost-of-living adjustments and may be coupled with very early retirement ages
