Local governments in Texas

Municipalities, Counties, Special Districts, Councils of Government

In a previous section we covered federalism and mentioned, briefly, the

various types of local governments that exist in the nation and the state.

This section is designed to expand on that material and provide more detail on the nature of local government in

the state and in this region.

Special attention will be given to area cities and to Brazoria and

Harris counties.

You might find these sources of information online helpful:

- Texas Local Governments.- Local Governments in Texas.

- Thomas Dye: Local Governments in Texas.- TML: Local Government in Texas.

- Pearson: The Legacy of Local Government.

Here’s a key point, made before, that explains the relationship

between state and local government in Texas.

It is a unitary system. Texas dominates the process, though it can carve out areas

where local governments have discretion over what they can do.

This means that local governments are created by the state, and are

subject to its jurisdiction.

Remember that local governments have no independent authority under the US

Constitution. They are not mentioned in the document. States can create them

under their reserved powers.

The federal rule which establishes this is Dillon’s Rule:

"Municipal corporations owe their origin to, and derive their powers and rights wholly from, the legislature. It breathes into them the breath of life, without which

they cannot exist. As it creates, so may it destroy. If it may destroy, it may abridge and control."

- A (Very) Brief History of Dillon’s Rule.- Dillon’s Rule: Good or Bad for Local Government?

The alternative (but not accepted) conception of local government is contained in the Cooley Doctrine. There is an inherent right to local

self determination: “[L]ocal government is a matter of absolute right; and the state cannot take it

away.”

The conclusion: local governments are not sovereign, autonomous

entities. They have legal authority because states grant it to them.

This is true for cities, counties, and special districts.

The only exception is the capitol.

Washington DC is a federal city. It’s legal authority comes from the US

Constitution and its rule is overseen by Congress.

But local governments fight for the right to rule themselves with

minimal interference from the state as well as the nation.

This is especially true in Texas where local government is

considered to superior to state or national government.

The Texas Constitution establishes counties, special districts, and creates the

conditions whereby additional ones can be created as well.

It also establishes the process by which cities are recognized and granted the

ability to collect taxes and make laws that are binding on its residents.

Despite Dillon’s Rule, the Texas Constitution grants discretion to local governments and delegates many responsibilities to them.

Let’s look at each in turn.

Cities

What is a city?

Or a municipal corporation?

Here’s a definition: An urban entity defined by the following characteristics:

1. Permanence2. Large population size3. High population density4. Social heterogeneity

A city is a larger version of a town or a village.

All of which are areas where groups of people choose to live in close proximity to each other

and receive certain benefits by doing so.

Often people these people choose to live together because economic opportunities exist in these urban settings that are not available in

rural areas.

By the way, conflict between rural and urban areas (the town and the country) has existed

throughout American history.

Smaller towns and villages often retain rural characteristics and

bear little in common with larger cities. Note: Townships and villages

are not recognized in Texas.

For an overview of their concerns you might want to check out the Association of Rural

Communities in Texas.

Additional detail from The Texas Municipal League:

Among all of the different types of local governments, cities perform the greatest number of functions, both governmental and proprietary.

State law specifically defines and lists certain activities as eithergovernmental or proprietary. The law lists 36 functions that are

governmental. Included among them are police and fire protection, health and sanitation services, street construction and design, transportation

systems, establishment and maintenance of jails, and enforcement of land use restrictions under Chapter 229, Local Government Code. Three functions are listed as proprietary: the operation and maintenance of a public utility,

amusements owned and operated by a city, and any activity that is abnormally dangerous or ultra-hazardous. Functions that are listed as

governmental are not included as proprietary functions.

FYI: The Texas Municipal League is a lobbying organization that

represents Texas cities in the Texas Legislature. The National League of

Cities represents cities at the national level.

The legal status of cities (the fact that they are subservient to states) is peculiar if you consider that they

are the oldest entities in the U.S.

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. See:

History of local government in the US.

As opposed to states, cities are economic enterprises. Their

viability rises and falls with their economic vitality.

Case in point: Galveston.

Here are the cities and towns in Brazoria County:

AlvinAngleton

Bailey's PrairieCity of Hillcrest Village

CluteFreeport

Lake JacksonManvel

PearlandRichwood

Surfside VillageSweeny

West Columbia

And here’s economic information about some of Texas’ largest cities:

AustinDallasEl Paso

Fort WorthHouston

San Antonio

Texas is one of the more urban states in the nation.

Surprise.

Currently more than 80% of the people of Texas live in cities.

Six of the 20 largest cities in the United States are in Texas. This includes two of the five largest

metropolitan areas.

But this has been a recent development. In its early history Texas was dominated by farmers – including

tenant farmers – and ranchers. Agriculture was dominant and the

early political landscape reflected that fact. It has only been recently that the

political power of urban areas has matched that of rural areas.

While Texas was primarily an agrarian state for its early history,

populations centers began to develop in Galveston, San Antonio,

Nacogdoches, and elsewhere.

The Greater Houston area contains some of the oldest cities in the state

since this was, from the start, a major commercial center in the state.

Galveston Bay – as well as Galveston island – offered convenient ports.

Commodities produced in the state could be exported easily from these

ports.

But cities were not politically powerful in the 19th Century. Recall that members of

the Texas Grange – farmers – had tremendous clout in the Constitutional

Convention of 1875. Half of the delegates were members of the Grange. Rural affairs dominated the legislature. Few executive agencies dealt with urban matters early

on.

But Texas began a slow process of urbanization in the late 19th Century.

Urban areas are increasingly powerful in the state.

25 out of the 150 House districts in the Texas Legislature are in Harris

County.

The interests of urban and rural areas are reflected in a handful of

committees in the Texas legislature

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Urban Affairs.

The House Committee on Urban Affairs.The House Committee on County Affairs.The House Committee on Agriculture and

Livestock (rural affairs).

“In 1850 only 3.6 percent of the Texas population lived in cities of more than 2,500 people, whereas the national level was 15 percent. In

1900, when Texas moved from seventh to sixth largest state in the nation for population, the urban percentage was 17.1, while for the United States the urban rate was 39.6 percent. The oil discoveries in the early twentieth century uncovered a major resource, scattered small boomtowns across the state, and later supplied a sprawling petrochemical industry along the coast from Corpus Christi to Port Arthur-Orange. In 1950 the census counted 59.8 percent urban for Texas; for the United States it was 58.6 percent. In 1940 Texas had

posted 45.4 percent, but World War II industry and military training camps pushed Texas across the half-way point and close to the

national average. In 1990 in Texas, now the third largest state, the urban population reached 81.6 percent, compared to the 77.5 percent for the United States. Only slightly more than 1 percent of the people, however, actually worked on farms and ranches. The remainder simply

lived outside a defined urban space.” – TSHA “Urbanization.”

Note that by the mid 20th century Texas was more urban than the nation as a whole. Prior to

that it was more rural. This has had a consequence for the political culture of Texas:

“Cities, for better or worse, have been deeply

involved in developing the main characteristics of civilization-literacy, government, high arts,

commerce, technology. Urban places have been focal points for action and ideas, and gateways

for trade and migration.” – TSHA “Urbanization.”

Texas’ largest cities are pretty sophisticated.

The needs of cities are very different from the needs of rural

areas.

As cities grew in strength, they began pushing for more autonomy and political

clout. In the early 1900s a movement swept across the nation to increase the

autonomy of cities: the home rule movement.

Article 11 of the Texas Constitution outlines Municipal Corporations.

As originally written, it did not grant much independence to cities.

Initially, the state legislature was responsible for writing city charters and placed limits on what rules they could

pass, but a nation wide movement sprung up to grant home rule charters to cities to

allow them to do so.

This allowed cities to write their own charters, subject to approval by the state.

From the original document:

SEC. 4. Cities and towns having a population of ten thousand inhabitants or less, may be chartered alone by general law. They may levy, assess and collect an

annual tax to defray the current expenses of their local government, but such tax shall never exceed, for any

one year, one-fourth of one per cent. and shall be collectable only in current money. And all license and

occupation tax levied, and all fines, forfeitures, penalties and other dues accruing to cities and towns

shall be collectable only in current money.

SEC. 5. Cities having more than ten thousand inhabitants may have their charters granted or

amended by special act of the Legislature, and may levy, assess and collect such taxes as may be authorized by law, but no tax for any purpose shall ever be lawful for any one year, which shall exceed two and one-half per cent. of the taxable property of such city, and no debt shall ever be created by any city, unless at the same time provision be made to assess and collect

annually a sufficient sum to pay the interest thereon and create a sinking fund of at least two per cent.

thereon.

Note: Just because the state wanted to place limits on cities it did not necessarily

follow that they could enforce those limits.

State law enforcement was somewhat limited. More on this in a later section. For

a great story regarding a renegade city read up on the Free State of Galveston.

Texas cities were granted home rule authority in 1912. They have broad

discretion regarding why policies they can establish within their borders.

Part of the rationale in doing so was so that the Texas Legislature could

reduce its work load. It wanted to not have to deal with local matters.

The passage of an amendment allowing for home rule charters allowed cities to pass their own

laws.

The changes modified language in Article 11 of the Texas Constitution.

Section 4 was modified to read as follows:

Sec. 4. CITIES AND TOWNS WITH POPULATION OF 5,000 OR LESS; CHARTERED BY GENERAL LAW; TAXES;

FINES, FORFEITURES, AND PENALTIES.

Cities and towns having a population of five thousand or less may be chartered alone by general law. They

may levy, assess and collect such taxes as may be authorized by law, but no tax for any purpose shall ever be lawful for any one year which shall exceed one and one-half per cent of the taxable property of such city;

and all taxes shall be collectible only in current money, and all licenses and occupation taxes levied, and all

fines, forfeitures and penalties accruing to said cities and towns shall be collectible only in current money.

Section 5 was modified to read as follows:

Sec. 5. CITIES OF MORE THAN 5,000 POPULATION; ADOPTION OR AMENDMENT OF CHARTERS; TAXES; DEBT RESTRICTIONS.

(a) Cities having more than five thousand (5000) inhabitants may, by a majority vote of the qualified voters of said city, at an election held for that purpose, adopt or amend their charters. If

the number of inhabitants of cities that have adopted or amended their charters under this section is reduced to five

thousand (5000) or fewer, the cities still may amend their charters by a majority vote of the qualified voters of said city at an election held for that purpose. The adoption or amendment

of charters is subject to such limitations as may be prescribed by the Legislature, and no charter or any ordinance passed under said charter shall contain any provision inconsistent with the

Constitution of the State, or of the general laws enacted by the Legislature of this State. . . .

. . . Said cities may levy, assess and collect such taxes as may be authorized by law or by their charters; but no tax for any

purpose shall ever be lawful for any one year, which shall exceed two and one-half per cent. of the taxable property of such city,

and no debt shall ever be created by any city, unless at the same time provision be made to assess and collect annually a

sufficient sum to pay the interest thereon and creating a sinking fund of at least two per cent. thereon, except as provided by Subsection (b). Furthermore, no city charter shall be altered,

amended or repealed oftener than every two years.(b) To increase efficiency and effectiveness to the greatest

extent possible, the legislature may by general law authorize cities to enter into interlocal contracts with other cities or counties without meeting the assessment and sinking fund

requirements under Subsection (a).

Section 4 establishes the concept of a general law city.

Section 5 establishes the concept of a home rule city.

In addition to the language in the Constitution, local governments in the state are impacted by the Local

Government Code. This can be best thought of as an organized

compilation of the various statutes passed by the Texas legislature dealing with local governments

over Texas’ history.

What is a General Law City?

“A general law city is a municipality that is limited to governmental structures and powers specifically granted by state law. General Law

cities are bound by Dillon’s rule which is a doctrine that says that a unit of local

government may exercise only those powers that the state expressly grants to it. A city with more than 5,000 people can choose to become

a home rule city.” – Source.

The state of Texas dictates the form of government in general law

cities.

“Most general-law cities have a mayor-council form of government, as mandated by the state’s Local

Government Code. In the mayor-council form, the mayor is elected at large. Council members or

aldermen may be elected at large, but are usually chosen from wards or aldermanic districts. The mayor serves as chief executive officer, presiding at council meetings, heading the police force, and acting as the

budgetary officer of the city. The council serves as the legislative body and has some approval powers over

actions of the mayor.” – Source.

What is a Home Rule City?

“Home rule cities are those cities which have adopted a home rule charter for their local self governance. The citizens of a home rule city are

free to choose their own form of municipal government, choose between a large or small city council, fix the terms of office of council

members, decide on the method of election of the Mayor, provide for creation of more boards and commissions which they feel is essential for

proper city functioning, etc. . . .

. . . In Texas, a city with more than 5,000 people can choose to become a home rule city. The

home rule city can take any actions which are not prohibited by the state or federal laws and

the constitution of US and Texas.

Home rule cities are not burdened by the limitations of Dillon’s rule which is a doctrine that says that a unit of local government may

exercise only those powers that the state expressly grants to it.” – Source.

From the Texas Municipal League:

“ . . . the concept of home rule, the principle is simple: home rule is the right of citizens at the

grassroots level to manage their own affairs with minimum interference from the state.

Home rule assumes that governmental problems should be solved at the lowest

possible level, closest to the people.”

Think of the difference between general law and home rule cities this way. The former can only do those things authorized by the

state, the latter can do anything as long as it is not forbidden by the

state.

Home Rule Cities can pass and amend their own city charters

without interference by the state.

Think of it as a city’s constitution.

The people of a city have more control over its government when they have control over its charter.

Here’s a fun read: An Analysis of Texas Home Rule Charters.

City Charters are available online. Here are links to a few:

AlvinGalveston

ManvelHouston

About 300 of the more than 1,200 cities in Texas are home rule cities.

While general law cities are restricted in terms of what types of governing systems they can have,

home rule cities can decide this for themselves.

There are four types:

Mayor – Council, which can be either:

1 - weak-mayor, or 2 - strong-mayor.

3 - Council-Manager4 - City Commission

Council - Manager

Most home rule cities have chosen the council-manager form of government.

“In Texas this form is even more dominant: 251 of the 290 home-rule cities in Texas operate with a city council as a policy body and a city

manager as the chief executive-administrative officer of city government.” – TSHA.

“The basic structure of the council-manager form of government is similar to

that of a private corporation where the stockholders elect a board of directors which then hires a president to run the company. Under the council-manager

plan, the voters elect a city council which, in turn, hires a city manager to administer

the city’s day-to-day affairs.” – Source.

The effectiveness of this system depends on the hiring of a

qualified city manager who has been educated and trained to

manage cities. He is hired to do so, not voted in to do so.

In Texas, city managers are represented by the Texas City

Management Association.

Area cities with the council manager form of government:

AlvinManvel

Pearland

Some time back League City had to decide whether it wanted to adopt

the council-manager form of government and a presentation

was made about the pros and cons of such a move.

Click here for the power points for the presentation.

The disadvantage was that the people have less direct control

over how the city is run.

The advantage is that the city can be run more professionally, and

city politics tends to be less partisan.

Here is a newspaper editorial arguing in favor of League City’s proposed change to a council – manager form of government.

Under the mayor-council form, city services were inefficiently provided and

favoritism was rampant. Managerial control over city services would be less

likely to engage in favoritism.

Mayor Council

A mayor-council form of government contains an elected mayor and an elected city council each with significant powers. The city council can be elected either at-large, by district or by some combination

of the two.

The balance between the two is based on whether the mayor is strong or weak.

“Under the strong-mayor system, most key administrativeand appointive powers are concentrated in the hands of a

full-time mayor who also presides over meetings of the city council. The mayor usually has: (1) the power to appoint and remove department heads and the members of most major

boards and commissions; (2) the prerogative to prepare the city budget and, following its adoption by the council, to execute the

budget; (3) a high enough salary to enable the officeholder to devote full time to being mayor, as well as an office budget

sufficient to hire an adequate staff; and (4) the power to veto actions by the city council. In a strong-mayor city,

councilmembers have no administrative duties. Their role is to enact ordinances, adopt policies governing the operations of the city, and otherwise function as the legislative branch of the city

government.” – Source.

“Under the weak-mayor system, the powers of the mayor are limited. First, the mayor may be selected by

the council rather than being directly elected by the people, which dilutes his or her political influence.

Secondly, the mayor’s pay usually is minimal and few, if any, funds are provided for staff. Third, department heads often are appointed and removed by majority vote of the city council, which diffuses administrative

authority. And finally, few weak mayors have either the authority to veto actions of the council or the exclusive power to develop and execute the budget, since these

powers are collectively exercised by the council.” – Source.

As of 1991, only 31 out of 286 home rule cities have mayor –

council forms of government. No large city has a weak mayor.

Houston has a strong mayor government.

Click here for a flowchart of Houston’s city government.

The Mayor’s OfficeCity Council

According to one study, Houston is the 38th most powerful city in the

world.

This article suggests why Houston has been growing faster than New York City. This one discusses why

Houston pulled ahead of New Orleans decades ago.

Pasadena and Texas City also have mayor council forms.

Here is a list from strongmayoucouncil.org of the

largest cities in the United States and what forms of government they have. 17 out of 25 have a strong mayor, the rest have a council manager. None have a

weak mayor – council form.

Click here for an editorial against a past proposal to turn Galveston’s

city government into a strong mayor form.

Cities sometimes change their structures. Here is a recent list.

City Commissions

The city commission form has an interesting, and Texas centered, history. It is also known as the Galveston Plan because it was

developed for Galveston in order to expedite recovery following the

1900 storm.

“Under the commission plan voters elect a small governing commission, typically five or seven members,

on an at-large basis. As a group the commissioners constitute the legislative body of the city responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other

general functions. Individually, each commissioner is in charge of a specific aspect of municipal affairs, e.g., public works, finance, or public safety. One of the

commissioners is designated chairman or mayor, but his function is principally one of presiding at meetings

and serving in ceremonial capacities. Thus the commission plan blends legislative and executive

functions in the same body.” – TSHA.

It briefly became a popular plan, especially among reformers and Progressives. The voting scheme made it subject to minority vote

dilution since all votes are at-large and can minimize the

competitiveness of the minority vote.

Many cities, including Galveston, substituted the commission form

for the council manager form.

Very few cities have a commission plan now.

City Courts

In addition to having mayors or city managers (an executive branch)

and city councils (n legislative branch) cities also have local courts

that adjudicate disputes over violations of city ordinances. These

can be criminal cases and civil cases.

Nuisance Laws

Extra territorial jurisdiction

Counties

A county is a political subdivision within a state that is assigned some government functions.

They are sometimes referred to as the administrative arm of the

states. Their functions are numerous.

Click here for an online description of Texas Counties: Framework and

Function of County Government

Texas has 254 counties that range greatly in size and population.

- US Census info.- Texas Association of Counties.

- Texas State Data Center.

“Counties are known as "general purpose" governments due to the many different functions they perform. Counties serve the dual purposes of providing governmental services for the benefit of their residents

and administrative services on behalf of the state. Major governmental services include road construction and maintenance, jails and courts, welfare, health, and law enforcement. Administrative services performed by

counties as agents of the state include voter registration and motor vehicle licensing.” – Source.

The functions and organizations of counties are uniform throughout the state. They perform functions

seen as necessary to state governance.

But the electorate in each county is given control over who

implements these functions.

Counties are one of the tools used in the 1876 Constitution to limit state power. The previous constitution allowed the state to

implement many of these laws. The structure of county government allows

these functions – though hey are required by the state – to be implemented by officials elected by the people (the

electorate more precisely) of the county.

So while it serves an administrative function of the state, it does so in a way that is acceptable to the local

community.

Historical Fact: “Practically speaking, the sparse and largely rural population of Texas in the

early decades after independence from Spain made counties the natural building blocks of local government.” – Texas Politics.

Counties are authorized in Article 9 of the Texas Constitution.

This is the original article as written in 1876. This is the article as it is written today after being heavily

amended.

To get a fuller idea of the range of services provided by counties click here for the home page of Brazoria

County and here for the home page of Harris County.

This page from Harris County’s website lists all the elected officials

in the county.

Note that the official responsible for assessing taxes are elected.

This allows for greater local control over this crucial – and

controversial – function.

Brazoria County Tax AssessorBrazoria County Appraisal District

Harris County Tax AssessorHarris County Appraisal District

Counties contain multiple offices to implement their mandates. The

next slides contains a list of major positions and links where you can find descriptions. Most of these

are elected in order to ensure local control over county functions.

County Judge County Commissioner

District and County Attorney Sheriff

District and County Clerk Justice of the Peace

Constable Tax Assessor Collector

County Treasurer County Auditor

Some brief information about each is in the following slides.

If you want a comprehensive description of each office, click on the following

document: Guide to Texas Laws for County Officials. It provides not only a list of

responsibilities, but details where that authority is provided in the Local

Government Code.

First: A quick reminder. While cities – home rule cities anyway – have discretion in what types of governments they can establish,

county governments are structured the same across the

state despite the fact that counties vary tremendously in size and area.

County government is overseen by a five member commissioners court. It is

composed of the county judge, that is elected county wide, and four county

commissioners elected from one of four separate districts in the county. The

control the county budget, have administrative duties and oversee general

county operations.

Brazoria County Commissioner’s CourtHarris County Commissioner’s Court

The County Judge presides over the court and is a voting members

of the court.

Depending on the size of the county, the judge can have judicial

responsibilities, often these are appellate functions, they hear

appeals from trial courts.

Brazoria County JudgeHarris County Judge

County commissioners are elected from one of four district – equal in

population – to ensure that the good and services provided by

county government are provided fairly to residents in each district.

The District and County Attorneys represent the state of Texas in criminal

and civil matters. People accused of violating state laws are charged and

processed by county officials. They help develop cases against criminal defendants.

They can also provide legal advise to county officials.

Brazoria County District Attorney Harris County District Attorney

Brazoria County Attorney Harris County Attorney

The sheriff is the county’s chief law enforcement officer. They carry out the decisions made by county courts and conduct “criminal investigations, arrests

offenders, serves warrants and civil papers, and supervises the county jail and prisoners.”

Jurisdictional battles can occur between county officials and city officials. National law enforcement officials can also become involved depending on the nature of the crime being investigated. We will look at this further

when we look at criminal justice policy.

Brazoria County SheriffHarris County Sheriff

The county clerk is responsible for keeping all records for the county court. This includes land records, births and deaths, marriages and

carries out elections.

The county clerks office generally runs elections for the state, within

the county.

Brazoria County ClerkHarris County Clerk

The district clerk primarily keep records of court proceedings.

The Justice of the Peace is the smallest legal jurisdiction in the state. It is closest to the citizen.

It can rule on misdemeanors punishable by fine and civil cases

involving disputes of less than $10,000. It can perform other minor magisterial functions as

well.

Constables are peace officers that have enforcement power over a

large range of issues. They ensure that court decisions are carried

out.

Notice that county law enforcement is carried out by elected personnel while law enforcement in cities is

carried out by people hired by the mayor or city manager.

The Tax Assessor calculates the taxes due on property throughout

the state, while the appraiser determines the value of that

property.

The Tax Assessor is also the chief voter registrar in the county.

As voter registrar, the Tax Assessor’s “responsibilities include

accepting applications for voter registration, issuing voter

certificates, maintaining voter registration lists, verifying petitions

for local option elections and submitting required reports to the

Secretary of State's Office.”

The County Treasurer is responsible for managing county funds. This includes overseeing deposits and providing regular

reports t the county commissioner’s court about the state of the county’s finances.

The County Auditor is appointed by the District Judge to maintain the “integrity of

financial administration of county government by overseeing the county’s

financial record-keeping and assuring that all expenditures comply with the county

budge and the law.”

As we proceed into various policy areas, we will note that many government functions on the county level are implemented by people tied

into the general population.

County elections are partisan, which has led some to question whether this means that

county policies are implemented in a way that fairly treats all residents of the county, or is

biased in favor of the majority.

Conflict between Texas counties and the federal government is common due to this tension.

Notice the large number of county courts. We will look deeper into these when we cover the state

judiciary.

Click here for information on County Courts from Texas Courts

Online.

Link to district and county courts in Brazoria and Harris Counties.

Each Texas county has an elaborate county courthouse. 254

Texas Courthouses has information on each.

Special Districts

In addition to general purpose governments (cities and counties)

Texas contains a very large number of special – or single purpose – districts. As the name suggests, they each have

limited mandates. Where cities and counties carry out a variety of

functions, single purpose districts carry out one. These functions vary.

They are governing districts because they have the power to

lay and collect taxes and to implement a specific law.

They are generally overseen by a board of trustees elected by the eligible residents in the district. They have the power to set tax

rates and supervise how the institution operates.

One you may not be aware of is the community college district.

As with all other community colleges in the state, Alvin

Community College is partly supported by property tax dollars

drawn from residents within borders set by area residents.

It is overseen by a nine member board of trustees. Three are elected every two years to a six year term. They

make a variety of decisions regarding college policies, including tuition rates. They meet once a month in the Nolan Ryan Center. You should check them out from time to time and introduce

yourself.

The County Information Project run by the Texas Association of

Counties lists the special districts in each of the counties in the state.

Click here for special districts in Brazoria County. And here for those in Harris County.

The U.S. Census conducts a census of governments every five years to

keep track of the number of special districts created by each

state.

As of 2002, Texas has

4,784 Local Government

1,450 – general purpose3,334 – special purpose

The 1,450 general purpose governments are broken down

into

254 counties1,196 municipalities

The 3,334 special purpose districts are broken down into

2,245 – special districts1,089 – independent school

districts

According to the TSHA, these districts include:

900 water and utility districts326 housing authorities

210 soil and water conservation districts 86 hospital districts

47 community college districts46 hospital authorities

10 rural fire prevention districts 8 mosquito control districts

8 health districts5 noxious weed control districts 3 three urban renewal agencies

3 wind erosion conservation districts 1 was waste disposal authority

1 ground water subsidence district

For an example: Here’s a list of the Organized Mosquito Control

Districts in Texas.

And one to the Texas Mosquito Control Association.

Here is the TCEQ’s guide to Texas Water Districts.

Many of these have been established in recent years.

Has the spread of special districts been wise? Texas Watchdog

doesn’t think so.

Perhaps the best known special districts are independent school districts. The 1,090 ISD’s around

the state are in charge of overseeing the operations of K-12 schools. Note that general policies are established by the state, but are implemented by individuals hired by authority of the ISD.

As with county government, this gives the local community the ability to fine tune

state policy so that it fits the needs of the local community.

But it can also lead to decentralization, inefficiency and uneven standards. We will look more deeply at education policy later

this semester.

Here is a little detail about the different types of special districts

in Brazoria County.

Here are links to the special districts and school districts in

Brazoria County.

Drainage Districts

These are established “for the construction of canals, drains, ditches, and levees.” Many are located in the Gulf Coast. TSHA,

Drainage Districts.

Angleton Drainage DistrictBrazoria County Drainage District

Angleton-Danbury Memorial Medical Center

“Angleton Danbury Hospital District's (Est. 1967) mission was to provide a general

hospital to serve the residents of Brazoria County. Angleton Danbury General Hospital opened its doors in 1969.”

Sweeny Hospital District

“Located in southwestern Brazoria County, Texas, the Sweeny Hospital District was established by the Texas Legislature in

1963 after a 10-year community effort to expand health care into rural

communities.”

Brazoria County Conservation and Reclamation District #3

The District is empowered, among other things, to construct, to improve, and to maintain facilities

necessary for the control of flood waters and navigation. The area of the District covers 211.55

square miles in the northern part of the county, plus 17,580 acres of water including: Halls Lake, Lost Bayou,

Chocolate Bayou, and West Bay.

Read how they celebrated their 100th Birthday.

Brazoria County Emergency Services District

“The Mission of BCESD is to be a leading emergency service organization meeting the

needs of our community in fire prevention, fire suppression, rescue operations, and emergency

medical first response.”

Brazoria County Fresh Water Supply District

Here’s their Facebook page (?)

Like many counties, Brazoria has multiple Municipal Utility Districts. These are “political subdivision of the State of Texas authorized by

the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to provide water, sewage, drainage

and other services within the MUD boundaries.” – Source.

Here’s a flyer from a title company describing MUD’s and the process used to

establish them. They are used by developers to finance the building of the

utilities necessary in a development. Bonds are sold and repaid by residents.

And here is information about MUD no.26, which covers Shadow Creek.

And click here for the website from the Texas Commission on Environmental

Quality that describes their role in supervising utility districts, in addition to

water districts.

Brazos River Harbor Navigation District

“The Brazos River Harbor Navigation District was established in 1925 to govern

development of the Port of Freeport; it opened the harbor on December 11,

1954.” – TSHA.

That’s plenty for now.

For a more expansive list, look at Harris County’s districts.

And here are links to the special, school, airport, hospital, prison

districts located in Harris County.

Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone:

Click here for a description if TIRZs from the City of Houston’s

website.

Area Councils of Government

In order to coordinate the activities of all the governments

(local, state and national) in a region, the state established area councils of government to “deal with the problems and planning

needs that cross the boundaries of individual local governments or

that require regional attention.”

We are in the Houston Galveston Area Council.

“H-GAC's mission is to serve as the instrument of local government

cooperation, promoting the region's orderly development and

the safety and welfare of its citizens.” – from their website.