CG6 Study Guide - Local Government

- For purposes of local government, states are subdivided into smaller units called “counties.”
- The Georgia Constitution of 1777 established only 8 counties.
- Now, Georgia has 159 counties.
- County government is headquartered in the county seat, usually the most populated city.
- Counties are governed by either an elected board of commissioners or a single elected commissioner.
- The following are other elected officials in county governments:
- Sheriff: responsible for enforcing local laws, maintaining the peace, and serving as the jailer for the
county government
- Superior Court Clerk: Primary record keeper (of criminal and civil documents) for the county
- Probate Court Judge: Oversees property deeds, marriage licenses, and wills, and supervises elections in
a county government
- Tax Commissioner: Responsible for receiving tax returns, maintaining tax records, and paying taxes for a
county government
- County Commissioner/Board of Commissioners: Oversees the daily operations of a county’s government;
has the power to adopt ordinances
- The original purpose of Georgia’s counties was to determine what areas state legislators represented.
- A Georgia county government may collect property taxes, run local elections, build/repair roads, provide car
license plates, and administer welfare programs.
- Walker County helps Georgia by administering some state programs, such as running courts, voter
registration/elections, keeping records of property ownership, and running public assistance programs.
- Cities are smaller than county; the cities in Walker County are: Rossville, LaFayette, Chickamauga, Chattanooga
Valley, and Lookout Mountain.
- The General Assembly grant a charter, which states the boundaries and forms the government of a new city.
- The purpose of city government is to provide local service not handled by the county government, such as:
police/fire services, garbage collection, and drinking water.
- There are three main difference between city and county government:
- Origin (cities are created by charters, counties created by state constitution)
- Services provided
- Form of government
- A special-purpose government is created to meet a specific purpose, such as operating public schools, MARTA,
airport, and water/sewer systems.
- Special purpose government can also be established in a city to advance economic development, such as
revitalizing an old downtown district.
- Special-purpose governments are funded by loans or user fees.
- Georgia is growing every year, but about ⅔ of Georgians do not live within city limits--they are resident of
counties.
- Our 1983 Constitution added powers to county governments for extra services, which strengthens state
programs.
- We get state revenue (money) through four forms of taxes:
- Sale Taxes: paid on things that people buy consume; state government imposes a 4% sales tax, local
government add another 3%-4%.
- Federal Grants: local governments can apply to fund education, repair roads, or develop areas for
businesses in the communities.
- Property Taxes: taxes on the value of the buildings and land for a homeowner or business--BIGGEST
SOURCE OF REVENUE.
- Special Taxes/Fees: an example of another tax is a tax on the value of a car or truck; an example of a fee
is the registration and tag for a car or truck.
- Local citizens have input on how much revenue is collected and how it is spent.
- County and city officials hold public meetings where citizens can listen to proposals of how funds are used, given
their opinions, and watch the final vote.
- The purpose of a budget it that it details how much revenue should be available, how much the government plans
to spend, and how the government plans to spend it.
- Yes, the budget is available for review by local citizens!