Warm up

• Who is Anthony Foxx?• Who is our county commissioner for

Mecklenburg County?• What are some tax-payer supported

services that are provided for Charlotte residents?

Unit 4

Local Government

I. CountiesI. CountiesA. Gov’t Structure

1. Largest subdivision in NC (100 counties in NC)

2.County seat- center of gov’t

3. County commissioners- governing legislaturea. Elected by votersb. Pass ordinances- laws passed by

local gov’tc. Support public schools

4. School board- determine educational policya. Superintendent- executive of

school system

B. Other county elected officials1.Sheriff- runs jail, county law enforcement2.Clerk- registers documents3.Treasurer- keeps and manages county

funds4.District attorney- prosecutes criminal cases5.Assessor- sets property values, taxes6.Coroner- (Medical Examiner) investigates

suspicious deaths

II. MunicipalitiesII. MunicipalitiesA. Creating municipalities

1.Municipalities- smaller units of gov’t (cities, towns, villages)

2. Each city, town, village incorporated into statea. Have a charter- basic rules of

gov’tb. Rights given by state

3. Cities expand borders through annexation- adding to city limits

4. Zoning- divide a city into zones (residential, commercial, industrial)

5. Metropolitan areas- cities and the areas around them (ex: Charlotte, Matthews, Concord, etc)

B. Government structure1.City council- local legislature2.Mayor- elected chief executive3.Council-Manager form of city

gov’ta. Strong city councilb. Mayor is chairman of council,

mostly ceremonial dutiesc. City manager hired by council for

day-to-day gov’t operationsd. City council makes laws

4.Mayor-Council form of city gov’ta. Mayor is strong, not a

member of council, runs gov’t

b. City council makes lawsc. Model for large citiesd. Cities like Chicago & NYC,

not Charlotte

C. Local Revenue Sourcesa. Municipal Bonds- loans issued by state and

local gov’ts to build highways, libraries, parks, schools, etc1. may raise taxes to pay back2. voters vote on bonds

b. Sales Tax- primary state tax (4.5% in NC) + 2.75% in Mecklenburg County1. easy to collect, dependable 2. regressive- people pay same amount

c. Federal Grants-in-Aid –federal money for local projects; ex: light rail

Civics 3.08-9Civics 3.08-9“Revenues, Taxes, and

Expenditures” (ch. 13.3)

I. Revenue Sources A. Federal Grants-in-Aid- federal money

goes to state and local governments (usually for specific projects)

B. Intergovernmental Revenue- money from one level of gov’t to another (federal-state, state-county or city)

C. Municipal Bonds- loans issued by state and local gov’ts to build highways, libraries, parks, schools, etc1. may raise taxes to pay back2. voters vote on bonds

D. Other sources1. Fees- developers to use local

service, use of utilities2. Fines- punishment for violations3. Licenses- grant permission (hunt,

marriage, etc)4. Permits- grant permission

(construction project)5. Tolls- roads, bridges6. Lotteries- most states allow

II. TaxesA. Sales Tax- primary state tax (4.5% in

NC) + 2.75% in Mecklenburg County1. easy to collect, dependable 2. regressive- people pay same amount

B. State Income Tax- income of individuals and corporations1. progressive- more income, higher

percentage

C. Property Tax- biggest source of local money1. real property- land, buildings, etc2. personal property- cars, boats, jewelry

D. Excise TaxesE. Estate Tax

III. ExpendituresA. NC is legally required

to have a balanced budget

B. Education- most expensive expenditure1. local taxes provide

much funding2. states set

curricula, graduation req., pay for teachers

B. Public Safety- law enforcement and corrections system

C. Highways and Roads- speed limits, licenses, inspections

D. Other- Gov’t buildings, hospitals, libraries, parks