Purpose: As you learned in this module, local governments are separate from the state government and each other. The purpose of this assignment is for you to review the powers and responsibilities of local officials.
This is a critical thinking assignment – i.e. analyze and evaluate the information before you make a judgment. Critical thinking is one of the skills you are supposed to develop in college no matter what your major is.
This assignment is worth 20 points.
Please follow this format:
Copy the question in bold font and then type the answer below it in regular font. Do this for each individual question.
Put a blank line in between your answers.
Do not highlight any portion of your assignment.
Do not give your assignment file a long name.
Do not include spaces when naming your assignment file.
Instructions:
Read the following instructions carefully.
Part A:
Step #1: Read this: County Officials
This assignment requires you to apply what you are learning, so the answers will not be written straight out of the file above. You need to first understand what each power/responsibility listed for each official(s) mean. The readings in the textbook will help with that if you need further examples of what is written in the slides.
Step #2:
To which elected county official should one go to for the following? What specific power or responsibility makes this official the correct person to go to?
The elected county officials you are to choose from for this assignment are the ones discussed in the County Officials handout.
You do not need to put the name of the official, just his/her title (e.g. county judge, etc.).
Do not list all the powers and responsibilities of the official. If you do so otherwise, your response will be marked wrong. The whole purpose of the assignment is for you to determine which specific power or responsibility makes this official the correct person to go to.
You can use the same official more than once.
Each question is worth 2 points.
If you got the “Official” portion wrong, then the “Power/Responsibility” portion of your answer will also be marked wrong for that question.
If you got the “Power/Responsibility” portion wrong but got the “Official” portion correct, then you will be awarded 1 point for that question.
Please number your responses and follow the assignment format below.
Example:
pay your property tax bill
Official – tax-assessor collector
Power/Responsibility – collects county’s property taxes
The tax assessor-collector is responsible for collecting the county’s property taxes. Unless the mortgage on your house has an escrow account (i.e. This is the dedicated amount you pay for your property taxes and home owner’s insurance.), then you will need to go or send a check to the tax assessor-collector’s office to pay your property tax bill.
Note: You do not need to explain your answer for this assignment.
You live in the neighborhood of Alamo Ranch, which is an unincorporated area in Bexar County. To which elected county official should you go to for assistance on the following issues?
1. get a copy of the birth certificate of your child, who was born in Bexar County, so you can enroll him for kindergarten
Official – type the title of the official here
Power/Responsibility – type the specific power here
2. express support for putting up traffic lights at a busy intersection in the neighborhood
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
3. get speed bumps put in front of the elementary school in the neighborhood
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
4. complain about how long it took for the county deputies to respond to your burglary call when your car was broken into at the movie theatre parking lot in the neighborhood
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
5. challenge a speeding ticket issued by a county deputy while you were driving to the grocery store in the neighborhood
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
Part B:
Step #1: Read this: Forms of City Governments
This assignment requires you to apply what you are learning, so the answers will not be written straight out of the file above. You need to first understand what each power/responsibility listed for each official(s) mean. The readings in the textbook will help with that if you need further examples of what is written in the slides.
Step #2:
To which city official should one go to for the following? What specific power or responsibility makes this official the correct person to go to?
The city officials you are to choose from for this assignment are the ones discussed in the Forms of City Government handout.
Do not list all the powers and responsibilities of the official. If you do so otherwise, your response will be marked wrong. The whole purpose of the assignment is for you to determine which specific power or responsibility makes this official the correct person to go to.
You can use the same official more than once.
NOTE: Individual city departments are not possible answers for this assignment.
Each question is worth 2 points.
If you got the “Official” portion wrong, then the “Power/Responsibility” portion of your answer will also be marked wrong for that question.
If you got the “Power/Responsibility” portion wrong but got the “Official” portion correct, then you will be awarded 1 point for that question.
Please number your responses and follow the assignment format below.
Example:
You live in the city of San Antonio. It uses the council-manager form of city government. You want to complain about the fireworks ban in the city. You don’t think it’s fair that your family can’t light fireworks for the Fourth of July.
Official – mayor and council
Power/Responsibility – adopt ordinances
Fireworks bans are examples of city ordinances (i.e. city laws). The city of San Antonio uses the council-manager form of city government. Looking at the Forms of City Governments handout, we can see that in a council-manager form of city government, the mayor and council have the power to adopt city ordinances. Therefore, the mayor and council were the ones that passed the fireworks ban ordinance. They will then have to pass another ordinance getting rid of this ban, if they choose to do so.
Note: You do not need to explain your answer for this assignment.
1. You live in the city of Houston. It uses the strong-mayor council form of city government. You want to express support for the city’s gun buyback program. A gun buyback program is when a government asks citizens to turn in their guns in exchange for money. Gun owners are not forced to sell their guns.
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
2. You live in the city of Houston. It uses the strong-mayor council form of city government. You want the pot holes on downtown streets fixed.
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
3. You live in the city of White Oak. It uses the weak-mayor council form of city government. You want the city to hire more police officers as a response to the increased crime rate in the city.
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
4. You live in the city of Leon Valley. It uses the council-manager form of city government. You would like to make homeless camps illegal in the city.
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
5. You live in the city of Helotes. It uses the council-manager form of city government. You want to complain about the increased traffic on your street caused by people living in a nearby unincorporated area. These drivers are using your street as a short cut to bypass the traffic on a main road. You would like to make it illegal for non-residents, non-visitors, and non-delivery personnel to use your street.
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
Bonus Question (2 points):
This portion of the assignment is optional. You will not be penalized if you get it wrong. Partial credit is possible. Each question is worth 1 point.
1. get a copy of the transcripts of your child custody case heard at the district court
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
2. complain about how there’s only a few dog parks in the city of San Antonio
Official –
Power/Responsibility –
