Consolidated city… EN

Introduction
Overview
Balances
List of consolidated city-
Consolidated city-county
Connected to: Hawaii Sitka, Alaska Kansas City, Kansas
counties
Consolidated since their creati…
Merged From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Other
Merged with some independe… In United States local government, a consolidated city-county is This article is part of a series on
formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county Political divisions of the
Potentially consolidated
(parish in Louisiana, borough in Alaska) merge into one uni ed United States
Considered consolidation
jurisdiction. As such it has the governmental powers of both a
Formerly consolidated municipal corporation and an administrative division of a state.[1]
See also
A consolidated city-county is different from an independent city,
References although the latter may result from consolidation of a city and a First level
county and may also have the same powers as a consolidated city- State (Commonwealth)
External links
county. An independent city is a city not deemed by its state to be Federal district · Territory (Commonwealth)
located within the boundary of any county and recognized by its
Indian reservation (list) / Hawaiian home land
state as a legal territorial entity separate from surrounding or
/ Alaska Native tribal entity / Pueblo /
adjoining counties. A consolidated city-county differs from an Off-reservation trust land /
independent city in that the city and county both nominally exist, Tribal Jurisdictional Area
although they have a consolidated government, whereas in an Second level
independent city, the county does not even nominally exist.[1] County / Parish / Borough ·
Unorganized Borough / Census area /
Furthermore, a consolidated city-county may still contain
Villages / District (USVI) / District (AS)
independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers
that did not merge with the rest of the county.[2] Consolidated city-county · Independent city ·
Municipality
Not considering Hawaii, which has no independent municipalities,
Unorganized atoll
the Midwest and Upper South have the highest concentration of
large consolidated city-county governments in the United States, State-recognized tribes

including Indianapolis, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Third level

Township
Kentucky; Kansas City, Kansas; and Lexington, Kentucky. Currently,
the largest consolidated city-county in the United States by Cities, towns, and villages ·
population is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while the largest by land Coterminous municipality
area is Sitka, Alaska. Census-designated place

Barrio · Chapter

Overview Fourth level

Ward
Consolidated city-counties are typically formed to address particular Other areas
government challenges. Among the bene ts of having a uni ed Protected areas (Conservation district,
National monument, National park)
jurisdiction include potential cost savings, more ef ciency, increased
legal powers and revenue sources, and a more streamlined planning Congressional district
system.[1]
Homeowner association

Most consolidated city-counties have a single chief executive that Associated state
acts as both the city mayor and as the head of the county
Military base · Federal enclave
government, and a multi-district elected body that serves as both the
city council and as the county legislative body.[1] Unincorporated area · Ghost town

In many states, consolidated city-counties must be approved by

voters.[1] According to information compiled by former Albuquerque
United States portal
mayor David Rusk, 105 referenda were held in the United States
V·T·E
between 1902 and 2010 to consider proposals to consolidate cities
and counties. Only 27 of these proposals were approved by voters.[3]

Wyandotte County, Kansas, uses the term "uni ed government" to refer to its consolidation with Kansas City,
Kansas, and most of the towns within the county boundaries in which some cities and towns remain separate
jurisdictions within the county. Individual sections of a metropolitan or regional municipality may retain some
autonomous jurisdiction apart from the citywide government.

Often, in place of another level of government, local governments form councils of governments – essentially
governmental organizations which are not empowered with any law-making or law enforcement powers. This is
the case in the Atlanta metropolitan area, where the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) studies and makes
recommendations on the impact of all major construction and development projects on the region, but generally
cannot stop them. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) is a true government agency of the state
of Georgia, and does control some state transportation funding to the cities and counties, but otherwise has very
little authority beyond this small power of the purse.

The case of New York City is unique, in that the city consists of ve boroughs, each of which is co-extensive with a
county. Each has its own district attorney; however, county-level government is essentially non-existent as all
executive and legislative power is exercised by the city government throughout the ve boroughs. The city, as
currently constituted, was created in 1898 when the city of New York (then comprising what would become the
boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx) annexed Kings County, Queens County, and Richmond County as the
boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, respectively.

Similar arrangements also exist in other countries. England has six "metropolitan counties" created in 1974 Greater
Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. From 1986, these
metropolitan counties do not have county councils but rather joint boards for certain functions. Modern unitary
authorities are similar, and are known as county boroughs in Wales. In Scotland, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and
Glasgow are functionally "independent cities", though the term is not used. London is unique however, being a
ceremonial county (of cially known as Greater London) containing the 32 London boroughs. Enclaved within
Greater London, the ancient City of London forms a distinct county, which today forms only a tiny part of what
most consider to be London as a capital city, which takes up 607 square miles.

In the Canadian province of Ontario, there exist several single-tier municipalities which serve the same sort of
functions as American consolidated city-counties. One example of this is the City of Toronto, which was created in
1998 from the amalgamation of the central government and the six constituent municipalities of the Municipality
of Metropolitan Toronto (a type of regional municipality) which was originally created in 1954.

In Germany, Berlin and Hamburg are both cities and states (the state of Bremen consists of the cities of Bremen
and Bremerhaven). Nearly every larger city in Germany is an independent city, like Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich or
Dresden; Austria, where the capital of Vienna is both a city and state; France, where the capital city of Paris has
been coterminous with the département of Paris since 1968; and South Korea, where Seoul is a special city, while
six other cities (Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Incheon, and Ulsan) are metropolitan cities. Additionally, the
Australian Capital Territory government in Australia performs all municipal functions of the city of Canberra, and
thus functions as an integrated city-territory. Similarly, the City of Tokyo merged with the prefecture to form
Tokyo metropolis in 1943.

Balances
In nine consolidated city-county governments in the United States, the formerly independent incorporated places
maintain some governmental powers. In these cities, which the United States Census Bureau calls "consolidated
cities", statistics are recorded both for the entire consolidated government and for the component municipalities.
A part of the consolidated government is called the "balance", which the Census Bureau de nes as "the
consolidated city minus the semi-independent incorporated places located within the consolidated city".[2]

These consolidated cities are:[2]

Athens-Clarke County, Georgia

Augusta–Richmond County, Georgia
Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana
Indianapolis-Marion County, Indiana
Jacksonville-Duval County, Florida
Kansas City-Wyandotte County, Kansas
Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky
Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee
Macon-Bibb County, Georgia

List of consolidated city-counties

Consolidated since their creation
Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska[4] (City and Borough are consolidated forming a uni ed government)
City and County of Broom eld, Colorado[5][6] (Town of Broom eld incorporated June 1, 1961. Consolidated City
and County of Broom eld created November 15, 2001, from the incorporated City of Broom eld in portions of
Boulder, Adams, Jefferson, and Weld Counties.)
City and County of Denver, Colorado[5] (Denver City, Colorado Territory, incorporated November 7, 1861. Denver
served as the Arapahoe County seat until November 15, 1902, when Arapahoe County was split into the new
Adams County and the renamed South Arapahoe County. Denver was split from the two new counties on
December 1, 1902.[7])
City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii[8][9]
City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska
Menominee, Wisconsin, a town coterminous with Menominee County, Wisconsin
Town and County of Nantucket, Massachusetts (one and the same since it was separated from Dukes County,
New York to join the colony of Massachusetts). In New England a town serves the same municipal functions as a
city. Contrary to city–county consolidation, eight of Massachusetts' 14 county governments have been
abolished.
City of New Orleans and Orleans Parish, Louisiana (The City of New Orleans has always served as Orleans
Parish's government, though they initially were not coterminous. The city and parish have also annexed parts of
neighboring Jefferson Parish.)
City and County of San Francisco, California (The City of San Francisco was the seat of San Francisco County
until 1856, when the county was split into the consolidated City and County of San Francisco in the north, with
the remainder of old San Francisco County becoming the new County of San Mateo.)
City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska
City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska
City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska
Municipality and Borough of Skagway, Alaska

Merged
Anaconda and Deer Lodge County, Montana[10]
Butte and Silver Bow County, Montana
Columbus and Muscogee County, Georgia
Cusseta and Chattahoochee County, Georgia
Georgetown and Quitman County, Georgia
Hartsville and Trousdale County, Tennessee (Despite the consolidated city-county government, Hartsville is not
coterminous with Trousdale County; Hartsville remains a geographically distinct municipality within the
county.[11])
Houma and Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana[12] (Despite the consolidated city-county government, Houma is not
coterminous with Terrebonne Parish; Houma remains a geographically distinct municipality within the parish.
[11]
)
Lexington and Fayette County, Kentucky[13]
Los Alamos and Los Alamos County, New Mexico Town of Los Alamos consolidated with county of the same
name in 1969 [14]
Lynchburg and Moore County, Tennessee
Macon (and Payne) with Bibb County, Georgia[15][16][17][18][19]
Philadelphia and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — Their borders have been conterminous since 1854 Act of
Consolidation, and the government structures were consolidated in 1952. The county still exists as a separate
entity within Pennsylvania, but the functions of the county are generally administered by the city.
Preston and Webster County, Georgia[16]
Statenville and Echols County, Georgia[16]
Haines and Haines Borough, Alaska

Other
New York City[20] is coextensive with an amalgamation of ve counties. Each county is coextensive with a
borough of New York City:
New York County (Borough of Manhattan)
Bronx County (Borough of the Bronx)
Kings County (Borough of Brooklyn)
Richmond County (Borough of Staten Island)
Queens County (Borough of Queens)

Washington, D.C. – While the District of Columbia is a federal district and not a county, the city has had a
consolidated municipal government since 1871. Prior to then, Washington, Georgetown, and the unincorporated
County of Washington were separate jurisdictions within the District of Columbia. Prior to 1846, when it was
retroceded to Virginia, the south bank of the District of Columbia was the County of Alexandria (now the
independent City of Alexandria and the County of Arlington).

Merged with some independent municipalities

Athens and Clarke County, Georgia (the cities of Winterville, which is entirely within Clarke County, and Bogart,
which is partially within the county, retain separate governments)
Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia (two communities within Richmond County retain separate
governments)
Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (three communities within East Baton Rouge Parish –
Baker, Central and Zachary – retain separate governments. In addition, the City of Baton Rouge retains separate
city limits, and its of cial census population only includes this area)
Camden County, North Carolina (county with no incorporated municipalities, apart from a small portion of
Elizabeth City, re-organizing into a single uni ed government)[21]
Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana[22] (four communities within Marion County retain separate
governments: see Unigov)
Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida (four incorporated places within Duval County - the cities of Jacksonville
Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach and the town of Baldwin - retain separate governments; all other
rural land is incorporated by Jacksonville and so the entire county is incorporated)
Kansas City and Wyandotte County, Kansas (this "Uni ed Government" contains Kansas City, Edwardsville, most
of Bonner Springs, and roughly half of Lake Quivira; a county relationship is maintained with the rest of the
communities within the county) as of 1997.
Lafayette, Louisiana and Lafayette Parish (In December 2018 voters amended the city-parish charter to split
what was a single consolidated city-parish council into two councils — one to represent only the city of
Lafayette and the other to represent the parish. The impetus for the change was the desire of city voters to take
more control of city-related matters and general unease with the consequences of consolidation).
Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky[23] (all cities in pre-merger Jefferson County, other than Louisville,
retain separate identities and some governmental functions, but all participate fully in the county-wide
governing body, Louisville Metro Council)
Miami and Dade County, Florida merged in 1957, and since then operate under a federated two-tier government
similar to consolidated city-county relationship where the county government operates as a superseding entity
of county affairs and lower-tier incorporated municipalities operate civil and community services. The city-
county changed its name to Miami-Dade County in 1997.
Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee (six communities within Davidson County retain separate
governments, although all participate in the metropolitan government in a two-tier system)
Petersburg Borough, Alaska (When the borough was created in 2013, the city of Petersburg was dissolved.
However, the city of Kupreanof remains a separate entity within the borough.)
Tribune, Kansas and Greeley County, Kansas (Horace retaining a separate government)[24]

Five cities in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia were formed by the consolidation of a city with a county:
Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach (from Norfolk, Elizabeth City, Warwick,
Nansemond, and Princess Anne counties, respectively). However, in each case an independent city was created and
as such they are not consolidated city-counties. Instead, the Code of Virginia uses the term "consolidated city."[1][25]
Similarly, Carson City was consolidated with Ormsby County, Nevada in 1969, but the county was simultaneously
dissolved. The city is now a municipality independent of any county.[1]

Potentially consolidated
Aurora, Colorado, split between three counties, explored the creation of a new consolidated city-county in
1996; the effort subsequently failed in a referendum. However, ve years later nearby Broom eld was successful
in creating a new city-county from portions of the four counties it had been a part of. Encouraged by
Broom eld's experience, an Aurora city councilman has proposed consolidation again in 2006.[26] This was not
accomplished in 2006 or 2007, and no bills to accomplish consolidation were introduced in the 2008 session of
the Colorado legislature.
A proposal has been made to merge Johnson County, Kansas and Wyandotte County, Kansas and the cities
located in those two into a single consolidated city-county, name to be determined.[27]
In 2005, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio published a series of articles exploring the possibility of the city's
merging with Cuyahoga County.[28]
Miami-Dade County, Florida provides city-level [clari cation needed] police, re-rescue, sanitation, and other services to
many of the municipalities within its borders.
A report was released in April 2008 recommending the merger of the governments of the City of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and that of Allegheny County. This plan has been endorsed by the mayor of Pittsburgh and the
Chief Executive of Allegheny County, but needs approval by the City and County councils and from the state
legislature before a referendum can be put forth for the voters to approve such a merger.
The independent City of St. Louis, Missouri and that of St. Louis County. The city of St. Louis seceded from St.
Louis County in the 1870s and is not part of any county in the state of Missouri. Regional leaders have since
proposed several plans to reunify the City and County, each one rejected by voters.[29]

Considered consolidation
Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, New Mexico (1959, 2003)[16][30][unreliable source?]
Aurora and Arapahoe County, Colorado[citation needed]
Baltimore and Baltimore County, Maryland: Baltimore is established in the Constitution of Maryland as an
independent city. A proposed constitutional amendment to dissolve the city and merge it into Baltimore County
was introduced in 1999 but was withdrawn less than a month after the rst reading.[31]
Birmingham and Jefferson County, Alabama (1948)[16]
Brunswick and Glynn County, Georgia (1969, 1987)[16]
Buffalo and Erie County, New York[32]
Charleston/North Charleston/Mount Pleasant and Charleston County, South Carolina (1974)[16]
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (1971)[16]
Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa (1994, 2004)[33]
Durham and Durham County, North Carolina (1961, 1974)[16][34]
El Paso and El Paso County, Texas[35]
Evansville and Vanderburgh County, Indiana
Voted four times on consolidation—in 1959, 1974, 2002, and 2012.[36] The most recent vote saw consolidation
defeated by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.[37]

Fairbanks and Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska (2001)[16][38]

Fayetteville and Lincoln County, Tennessee (2008)[39]
Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana[40]
Frankfort and Franklin County, Kentucky[41]
Gainesville and Alachua County, Florida (1990)[16][42]
Knoxville and Knox County, Tennessee (1959, 1978, 1996)[16]
Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada[citation needed]
Little Rock and Pulaski County, Arkansas[43]
Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee (1962, 1971, 2010)[16][44][45]
Montgomery and Montgomery County, Alabama[citation needed]
Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana[46]
Oakland and Alameda County, California (1921)[16]
Omaha and Douglas County, Nebraska (2006, 2011)
Movements to consolidate these two jurisdictions has been popping up since the decade of the 1900s.[47] The
2006 proposal was approved by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, but unanimously rejected by
the Omaha City Council.[48] The 2011 proposal was introduced by a state legislator in The Unicameral, as
LB344;[49] it was tabled in committee.[50]

Owensboro, Kentucky and Daviess County, Kentucky (1990)

Orlando and Orange County, Florida[51]
Paducah and McCracken County, Kentucky
Rejected a proposed consolidation in 2012 by a more than 2-to-1 margin.[52]

Pensacola and Escambia County, Florida (1970)[16][18][30]

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
passed referendums in 1925, 1929 and 1939[53] that were blocked by technicalities by the state assembly. A
partial consolidation of area school districts in 1956.[54] Currently has a task-force researching consolidation
since 2005.[55]

Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon (1927, 1974)[16][30]

Richmond (independent city) with Henrico County, Virginia (1961),[16] although the result would be an expanded
independent city of Richmond rather than a consolidated city-county.
Roanoke County, Virginia and the City of Roanoke, although the result would be an expanded independent city
of Roanoke rather than a consolidated city-county
held referendums in 1969 and 1990 to consolidate the two governments.[30] Both times, city voters approved
consolidation while county voters were opposed. The independent city of Salem, Virginia, which would have
been surrounded by the consolidated entity, did not participate in the referendums. Vinton, Virginia would
have retained its status as a town in the 1990 referendum. The consolidation issue has been dormant since
1990.[citation needed]

Sacramento and Sacramento County, California (1974, 1990)[16]

Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia[56][57]
Prior consolidation referendum held in 1973 failed. The Georgia General Assembly is conducting a feasibility
study towards consolidating the city of Savannah with Chatham County.[56]

St. Louis (independent city) with St. Louis County, Missouri (1926, 1962, In consideration in 2017[58])[16][18]
Sioux Falls and Minnehaha/Lincoln counties, South Dakota (2005)[59]
Spokane and Spokane County, Washington (1995)[16][18]
Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida (1971, 1973, 1976, 1992)[16][30]
Tampa and Hillsborough County, Florida (1967, 1970, 1972)[16][18][30]
Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio[60]
Topeka and Shawnee County, Kansas (2005)[16][61]
Wilmington and New Hanover County, North Carolina (1933)[16][34]

Formerly consolidated
The City of Boston and Suffolk County, Massachusetts operated with a consolidated government for most of the
twentieth century with Boston providing of ce space, auditors, budget, personnel and nancial oversight for
Suffolk County. This was not a true consolidation because three municipalities – Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop
– were never annexed into Boston and remained separate jurisdictions within Suffolk County; however, the City
of Boston held complete control of the county by law. The special relationship between Boston and Suffolk
County ended in 1999 as part of the gradual abolition of county governments through much of the state with all
county employees and powers transferred to Commonwealth of Massachusetts control. The only remaining
powers and duties for the City of Boston in regards to the county is ceremonial in which the Suffolk County
Register of Deeds is issued the oath of of ce at the start of a term as well as calls for a meeting to hold a special
election to ll the of ce should there be a failure to elect someone to the of ce or should a vacancy occur.
From the 17th century to 1898, New York City was coterminous with New York County and was often referred to
as the "City and County of New York". Both were coterminous with Manhattan until 1874 when the City and
County annexed parts of Westchester County that would later become the West Bronx, later annexing the
remainder of the future Bronx. Upon consolidation in 1898, New York County was coterminous and consolidated
with the boroughs of the Bronx and Manhattan while the other boroughs were consolidated with their own
respective counties. The Bronx was separated from New York County in 1914 to form its own Bronx County, and
since then all ve boroughs of New York City are coterminous and consolidated with a county of New York
state.

See also

References

External links

Designations for types of administrative division

Categories

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