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
