State and Local Government

The State of Colorado

Colorado Constitution

Organization of state government (branches)

Taxation Voter requirements Legal amount of money the state

can spend and borrow Referendum, recall and initiative

provisions How to amend the constitution

Executive Branch

Governor: John Hickenlooper Lieutenant Governor: Joe Garcia

30 years old Colorado resident for 2 years 4 year term (2 terms max)

Responsibilities of the Governor Appoints and removes office holders Special sessions State of the state address Pardons, stays of execution, and

commutations Extradition Commands the National Guard Party leader Budget Vetoes and approves bills Ceremonial functions

Legislative Branch: General Assembly

SENATE: 35 MEMBERS

25 years old Qualified voter Residency in district 1

year before election 4 year term

HOUSE: 65 MEMBERS

25 years old Qualified voter Residency in district 1

year before election 2 year term

State Senate Districts

State House Districts

Judicial Branch

6 associate justices; 1 chief justice Qualified voter Licensed to practice law 5 years

before governor’s appointment 10 year term; appointed by

governor, approved by Senate Must run on a non-partisan ballot for

another term Mandatory retirement age

Colorado Court Structure

Colorado Supreme

Court

• Colorado also has seven divisions of water court

Colorado Courts of Appeal

District and County Courts (District

Attorneys)

Lower State CourtsMunicipal, Traffic, Juvenile,

Small Claims, Domestic Relations

22 Judicial Districts

Local GovernmentWelcome to Colorado Springs!

Local Government Terms

County: Most states are divided into counties. They are a major unit of local government, created by the state itself

Townships: Some counties are divided into townships. Counties and township share local government responsibilities

Colorado County Map

El Paso County Map

Colorado Springs School Districts

Special District: Created to perform a specific function, like school districts, water districts, fire protection, etc.

Cities and Metropolitan Areas

Incorporation: State establishes a city as a legal body; residents want services; 80% of Americans live in cities or suburbs

Charter: like a “constitution” for a city Boundaries, outlines the form of

government Metropolitan areas: areas that

surround cities (like suburbs)

City of Colorado Springs

Fun Facts about Colorado Springs

Population: 418,076 (2010) Median Age: 33.6 Median Income: $51,227 (household) Unemployment rate: 8.0 (2009),

4.3% (2007) Average price of a home: $267,000 Serious crimes per thousand: 45

(national average is 54 for similar sized cities)

Days of sunshine:300 Inches of rain:17.4

Forms of City Government

Mayor-Council

Oldest and most widely used Elected mayor and elected council Strong Mayor

Mayor has veto power, hires and fires, makes policy decisions

Weak Mayor Duties are shared

Defects: Heavily dependent on the mayor, mayors

and councils could have disputes, complex

Council - Manager

Strong council elected “at large” Weak mayor chosen by voters City manager, appointed by council,

is the chief administrative officer Defects:

Not democratic because the city manger is not elected

No strong policy leadership; worse in larger cities that have competing interests

Commission

3-9 Commissioners are elected They form the council, pass

ordinances, control the budget They head different department of

the city; Police, fire, parks, finance, etc.

Defects: Too many chiefs/lack of one executive Lack of coordination

What about Colorado Springs?

Voters decided to change from a council-manager for to “strong” mayor form.

This began with the mayoral election in April 2011

Council districts were changed as well:

Colorado Springs Leadership Colorado Springs Districts Mayor: Steve Bach 1: Don Knight 2: Joel Miller 3: Keith King (also Council President) 4: Helen Collins 5: Jill Gaebler 6: Andy Pico At large: Merv Bennet At large: Jan Martin At large: Val Snyder

Growing Pains

You are now going to create a city Rule 1: All structure must be uniform in

size Rule 2: All structures must be connected

by roads to the main highway in some way Rule 3: Once you build it, you may not tear

it down There will be ten “rounds.” In each round,

you will be required to build more structures in your city

You may improve your city as you wish

5” from right

6” from bottom

Draw a highway After you draw your

highway, add a natural feature to your land, such as mountains, a river, a lake, etc. The land feature should not take up more than ¼ of your page.

Let the Rounds Begin!

Round One: Build your house and any improvements you would like to have

Round Two: Five Houses One Apartment One Sewage Plant One Shopping center

Rounds Three and Four

Round Three Ten Houses One Church (any

denomination ) One School

Round Four 15 Houses One Factory One Office

Rounds Five and Six

Round Five 20 Houses One Apartment

Building One Shopping

Center One Police and Fire

Station

Round Six 25 Houses One Apartment

Building One School One Hospital

Rounds Seven and Eight

Round Seven 30 Houses One Shopping

Center One School One Office Building

Round Eight 30 Houses One Apartment

Building One Factory One Office Building

Rounds Nine and Ten

Round Nine 40 Houses One Apartment

Building One Sewage Plant One Church

Round Ten 50 Houses One Apartment

Building One Shopping Center One Office

Totals: Houses: 226 Apartments: 6 Sewage: 2 Shops: 4 Churches: 2 Schools: 3 Factories: 2 Offices: 4 Police/Fire: 1 Hospital: 1