Types of Localities Flashcards
What is “locality”?
A “municipal corporation”?
The term “locality” means cities, towns, and counties.
The term “municipal corporation” includes cities and towns, but does not include counties.
What is a county and what types of services does it provide?
Counties are unincorporated governmental districts of the Commonwealth created for the convenience of the sovereign. Counties are therefore viewed as units of the state government, and the entire state is divided into counties.
Counties normally provide a broad range of services to residents, from schools to police and fire protection, water supply, and the like, commonly funded by property taxes.
What’s the minimum population for cities? How are they incorporated? Are they independent of counties? What services do they provide?
Cities are communities within a defined boundary, with a population of 5,000 or more, incorporated by a CHARTER approved by the legislature.
Cities are completely independent of counties. For example, the county in which a city is located may not tax property in the city.
Cities provide a full range of services to their residents, and the county where the city is located will not provide common services absent negotiated agreements.
What’s the minimum population for towns? Are they independent of counties? What services do they provide and what powers do they exercise?
Towns are more limited incorporated communities within a defined boundary having a population of 1,000 or more.
Towns are not independent from the county in which they are located, and the residents are subject to county taxes and ordinances.
Typically the county provides services such as a school system for town residents. However, towns may exercise zoning and other powers within their boundaries.
What are “service authorities”?
Service authorities and other quasi-municipal corporations are created for defined purposes, such as publicly controlled sanitary districts; sewer, water, sanitation, and recreational authorities; airport authorities, and toll road authorities. Many of these entities are joint projects of two or more localities, and each entity must be created by the General Assembly.
