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What is the main difference between a home-ruled city and a general-law city?
a. A general-law city does not have a mayor.
b. A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.
c. A general-law city is the name for all cities incorporated after 1901.
d. A general-law city has no power to set the property tax.
e. A general-law city has no city council.
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b. A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.
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The commissioner form of city government was developed as a response to the
a. End of Reconstruction in 1976.
b. Hurricane at Galveston in 1900.
c. Great Depression of 1929.
d. Discovery of oil in 1901.
e. Tornado at Wichita Falls in 1978.
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b. Hurricane at Galveston in 1900.
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Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?
a. County government
b. Municipal government
c. Special districts
d. City government
e. State government
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c. Special districts
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Which problem has been found recently in the system of special districts?
a. State investigations have discovered numerous ‘phantom districts’ that do not provide a service, yet bill the local counties for administrative costs.
b. Real estate developers have moved a few people onto land, rent free, who then vote for huge bond measures that future residents are obliged to pay.
c. The special districts for homeland security throughout Texas were uncoordinated and ill prepared for September 11.
d. There has been widespread corruption among board members receiving bribes from citizens to lower their user fees.
e. Some districts have dealt with people buying property just outside the district boundaries and then demanding services from the district without having to pay for them.
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b. Real estate developers have moved a few people onto land, rent free, who then vote for huge bond measures that future residents are obliged to pay.
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Community college in Texas are allotted their own special districts.
a. True
b. False
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a. True
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A home-rule charter
a. Grants a city a small amount of autonomy.
b. Allows cities to levy unlimited amounts of property taxes.
c. Makes it harder for a city to borrow money for the general-law cities.
d. Makes it so that a city does not have to be consistent with the state constitution.
e. Specifies the number of members serving on the city’s governing body.
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d. Makes it so that a city does not have to be consistent with the state constitution.
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Which of the following statements about counties in Texas is incorrect?
a. Counties are an administrative arm of the state government.
b. There are over 250 counties in Texas.
c. Each county has four county commissioners.
d. All counties have approximately the same number of people.
e. The Texas constitution places many restrictions on the power of county government.
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d. All counties have approximately the same number of people.
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Which of the following is not provided by a special district?
a. Hospitals
b. Schools
c. Flood control
d. City police
e. Utilities
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d. City police
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Special Districts are the most common form of government in Texas.
a. True
b. False
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a. True
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All of the following are functions of county government except
a. Law enforcement
b. Bridge and road construction
c. Flood control
d. Record keeping
e. County tax rates
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c. Flood control
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All county officials in Texas are appointed by the governor and serve two-year terms.
a. True
b. False
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b. False
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What are the main sources of revenue for special districts in Texas?
a. Property taxes and user fees
b. Income taxes and user fees
c. Income taxes and sales taxes
d. Sales taxes and property taxes
e. Property taxes and federal grants
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a. Property taxes and user fees
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Which of the following is not a function of country government in Texas?
a. Supervising road and bridge maintenance
b. Administering water districts
c. Setting a county’s tax rates
d. Maintaining the county jail
e. County law enforcement
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b. Administering water districts
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What was the effect of Dallas’s shifting from an at-large to a single-member district system in 1991?
a. The change was responsible for the election of a significant number of African American and Hispanic council members.
b. The city lost its status as a home-rule city for five years.
c. At-large districts benefitted the local Republican Party.
d. It was challenged in court but found to be constitutional by the Texas Supreme Court.
e. Fewer minorities were elected to citywide offices.
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a. The change was responsible for the election of a significant number of African American and Hispanic council members.
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Which of the following is not a key difference between the mayor-council and the council-manager forms of local government?
a. The council-manager style was meant to reduce the possibility of corruption that the mayor-council system may bring.
b. The council-manager system is the most popular form of government throughout the United States for cities with over 100,000 residents.
c. In the council-manager system, the chief executive is a city manager, not a mayor.
d. In the council-manager system, local politics is viewed as a full-time job, unlike in the mayor-council system.
e. In the council-manager system, local politics is viewed as a part-time job, unlike in the mayor-council system.
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d. In the council-manager system, local politics is viewed as a full-time job, unlike in the mayor-council system.
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Commissioner forms of government were at their height of popularity
a. In 1882, at the height of the Grange movement.
b. In 1918, during the Progressive era.
c. In 1936, during the New Deal.
d. In 1978, as a result of the economic recession.
e. In the 2000s, as hurricanes became more frequent.
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b. In 1918, during the Progressive era.
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A school district is
a. A special district.
b. Administered by the county commissioners’ court.
c. Ruled by the state government in Austin.
d. Established by each incorporated city.
e. Governed by a board of trustees appointed by the city.
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a. A special district.
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What is a key problem with counties in Texas?
a. Many of them are too small and underpopulated to function well.
b. County laws were made in the nineteenth century, making them too old-fashioned.
c. They have not been given adequate lawmaking powers by the legislature.
d. Too often county seats cannot be reached in a day’s drive.
e. Many of them are for too powerful, making city governments seem less important.
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a. Many of them are too small and underpopulated to function well.
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The mayor-council form of government is most common in
a. Smaller general-law cities.
b. Large metropolitan cities.
c. Newer, high-growth "exurbs".
d. North Texas cities
e. South Texas cities
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a. Smaller general-law cities.
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The job of serving legal paper at the precinct level of a county goes to the _______.
a. Constable
b. Sheriff
c. Assistant district attorney
d. District judge
e. County auditor
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a. Constable
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