Town Government

Town Government

• In 1654, men in Sudbury, Massachusetts gathered to discuss how to divide land.
• People in Sudbury still meet to discuss town issues.

Towns and Townships

• In New England, smaller political units are called towns.
• In the Midwest and other states, these units are called townships.
• Counties are divided into smaller political units.
• Town governments get their power from the state.

New England Town Government

• Town governments handle the needs of small communities in New England.
• Counties are mainly judicial distrcits in New England.
• County and township governments share authority in other states with townships.
• Relationships between town/township and county governments vary.

Direct Democracy

• New England town government is one of the oldest forms of government in the US.
• Citizens, rather than elected representatives, made the decisions in early town meetings.
• Residents in New England meet yearly to discuss and vote on ordinances, taxes, and budgets.

Limitations of Town Meetings

• New England town meetings occur rarely.
• They are useful for broad policy making.
• They are not as useful for everyday government details.

Selectmen

• New England towns elect a group of officials called "selectmen" to run local government.
• Towns can also elect executives like a clerk and treasurer.
• The title "selectman" applies to both women and men now.

Representative Town Meetings

• Some New England towns have replaced traditional town meetings.
• Direct democracy became impractical as New England towns grew.
• Direct democracy became impractical as the government became more complex.
• Elected representatives make decisions instead of the people as a whole in meetings.

Town Council

• Some towns eliminated meetings altogether.
• They have a town council that runs their local government.

Township

• New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania's counties are divided into townships.
• Townships are smaller than New England towns.
• Townships have similar governments to towns.

Condition of Township

• Congress divided land into uniform square blocks when the United States expanded westward.
• The square blocks were usually six miles wide and six miles long.
• They were originally designed to be an hour’s buggy ride to the township hall for any resident.

Civil Townships

• Settlers moving west set up local governments called civil townships.
• Midwestern townships kept borders established by Congress.
• Many 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.
• They have legislative responsibilities.
• They usually hold regular meetings citizens can attend.

Less Important

• Townships have declined in importance.
• 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 usually lie within the boundaries of other local governments, like townships or counties.
• Communities with small populations may not need their own government.
• County or township governments provide for most of those communities' needs.

Village Government cont.

• Community members may be dissatisfied with county services.
• Community members may want to set up their own school system.
• Communities may organize as a village and request permission from the state to set up a village government.

Village Board

• The government of most villages has a small board of trustees elected by voters.
• Some villages elect an executive, called the chief burgess, president of the board, or mayor.
• Village boards have the power to collect taxes.
• Village boards can spend money on projects that benefit the community.
• Examples of projects include maintaining streets or sewer and water systems.

Advantages and Disadvantages

• The main drawback of becoming a village is higher taxes for residents.
• Higher taxes help support the extra layer of government.
• Becoming a village upgrades the community's status.
• It makes it more attractive to visitors, residents, and businesses.
• In return for higher taxes, residents get better services.