Town Government & Direct Democracy

Town Government

• In 1654, men in Sudbury, Massachusetts met to discuss dividing land.
• People in Sudbury still meet to discuss issues.

Towns and Townships

• Towns are units in New England states.
• Townships are units in many other states, especially in the Midwest.
• Counties are divided into smaller political units, such as towns and townships.
• Town governments get their authority from the state.

New England Government

• Town governments handle the needs of small communities in New England.
• Counties are mainly judicial districts in New England.
• In other states with townships, county and township governments share authority.
• The relationship between town or township governments and surrounding counties varies.

Direct Democracy

• New England town government is one of the oldest forms of government in the United States.
• Citizens, not elected representatives, made important decisions in early town meetings.
• Residents in New England gather annually to discuss and vote on local ordinances, taxes, and budgets.
• Direct democracy allows everyone to participate, not just representatives.

Limitations

• Town meetings are rare and only useful for broad policy making, not everyday government details.

Selectman

• New England towns elect "selectmen" to run local government.
• Towns can elect executives, such as a clerk and a treasurer.
• "Selectman" now includes women, not just men.

Representative Town Meetings

• Some New England towns replaced traditional town meetings with representative town meetings.
• Direct democracy became impractical as New England towns grew and governments became more complex.
• Elected representatives make decisions in representative town meetings, not the people as a whole.

Town Council

• Some towns eliminated meetings and have a town council that runs the local government.

Township

• New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were organized differently from New England
• Townships are smaller than New England towns but have similar governments.
• Their counties are divided into townships.

Condition of Township

• Congress divided the land into uniform square blocks, usually six miles wide and six miles long.
• As the United States expanded westward, it acquired new land.
• The design was for an hour's buggy ride to the township hall for any resident.

Civil Townships

• Settlers moving west set up local governments known as civil townships.
• Midwestern townships kept the borders established by Congress.
• Civil townships appear perfectly square on a map.

Township Committee

• Most townships elect a small body of officials.
• These officials are known as a township committee, board of supervisors, or board of trustees.
• The committee has legislative responsibilities.
• Regular meetings are held and citizens may attend.

Less Important

• Townships have become less important as cities and counties have taken on more township functions.
• County and township governments sometimes work together to provide local services.

Village Government

• A village is the smallest unit of local government.
• Villages lie within the boundaries of other local governments, such as townships or counties.
• Small communities often don't need their own government and rely on county or township governments.
• Community members might want to set up their own school system.
• They may organize the community as a village and request permission from the state for a village government.

Village Board

• Village government usually consists of a small board of trustees elected by voters.
• Some villages elect an executive, known as the chief burgess, president of the board, or mayor.
• The village board can collect taxes.
• The board spends money on community projects like maintaining streets or sewer and water systems.

Advantaged and Disadvantages

• The biggest drawback of becoming a village is that residents often pay higher taxes.
• Higher taxes support the extra layer of government.
• In exchange residents typically receive better services
• Becoming a village can upgrade a community's status.
• Upgrading status makes it more attractive to visitors, potential new residents and businesses.