Chapter 5
Footnotes from The Forgotten Realm.
1
Thanks to Cody Barr for this contribution.
2
Byron S. Matthews, Local Government: How to Get Into It, How to Administer It Effectively (Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, 1970), 15.
3
Matthews, Local Government, 15.
4
Kelly Phillips Erb, “Disney Sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Over Control Of Special District, Alleging Retaliation,” Forbes, April 26, 2023.
5
“Cal. Gov. Code § 82048.5,” Casetext.
6
Very rarely, special districts may feature more than one service.
7
California Senate Local Government Committee, What’s So Special about Special Districts? 2.
8
Dylan G. Rassier et al., “Quasi-Corporations and Institutional Sectors in the U.S. National Accounts,” Bureau of Economic Analysis and United States Department of Commerce, July 2016, p. 2.
9
As defined for Census Bureau statistics on governments, the term special district governments excludes school district governments. They are defined as a separate governmental type because some public schools are administered by systems that are agencies of the county, city, or state government. However, for the purposes of this introductory book, school districts are included as special districts. U.S. Census Bureau, Individual State Descriptions: 2022 Census of Governments, April 30, 2024), 5.
10
California Senate Local Government Committee, What’s So Special about Special Districts? 5. See also Duncombe and Weisel, State and Local Government in Idaho and in the Nation, 144.
11
Nick Ragone, The Everything American Government Book, 253.
12
School boards direct how schools are run. In recent history, people involved in private education often took no interest in the local public schools. Large segments of the population (homeschoolers and private schoolers) have ignored what goes on in the local public schools thinking that it has no bearing on our lives. The problem with this approach is that the public school is churning out individuals who profoundly affect the community we live in and are using our tax dollars to do it. If we don’t like identity politics changing our local society, then we should take an interest in who is on our school boards and who is teaching our community’s children. Whether we want to ignore it or not, these people have huge influence on the civil realm. Further, influence on the school boards can have a salvific effect on the next generation’s souls.
13
Sometimes when special districts levy fees targeted toward those who use their service, they are known as enterprise districts. California Senate Local Government Committee, What’s So Special about Special Districts? 6.
14
Simon, Steel, and Lovrich, State and Local Government and Politics: Prospects for Sustainability, sec. 6.E.I.
15
Marx, Herbert L. State and Local Government. Reference Shelf Series, vol. 34, no 3, New York: Hw Wilson, 1962.
16
Marx, Herbert L. State and Local Government. Reference Shelf Series, vol. 34, no 3, New York: Hw Wilson, 1962.
17
Marx, Herbert L. State and Local Government. Reference Shelf Series, vol. 34, no 3, New York: Hw Wilson, 1962.
18
Jeremy L. Hall and Michael W. Hail, “Special Districts,” Center for the Study of Federalism Encyclopedia, last updated 2006.
Special Districts. Website
19
America Counts, “From Municipalities to Special Districts, Official Count of Every Type of Local Government in 2017 Census of Governments,” U.S. Census Bureau, October 29, 2019 .
20
Marx, Herbert L. State and Local Government. Reference Shelf Series, vol. 34, no 3, New York: Hw Wilson, 1962.
21
Virg. Const. art VII, §1.
22
Wikipedia, s.v. “ Independent city (United States).”Baltimore City: “As a governmental unit, the City separated from Baltimore County in 1851, and has been considered on a par with county jurisdictions since the adoption of the Maryland Constitution of 1851.” Maryland State Archives, “Baltimore City, Maryland,” Maryland Manual On-Line: A Guide to Maryland and Its Government, April 19, 2024. Saint Louis: “St. Louis’s current boundaries were established in 1876, when voters approved separation from St Louis County and establishment of a home rule charter. St. Louis was the nation’s first home rule city, but unlike most, it was separated from any county.” STLOUIS-MO.GOV, “A Brief History of Saint Louis,” City of St. Louis. Carson City: “In 1969, the county was abolished, and its territory was merged with Carson City to form the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City.” “City Facts,” Carson City, Nevada.
Baltimore City, Maryland. Website
23
“Terms and Definitions,” U.S. Census Bureau.
24
Older, more complete definition here: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, and Bureau of the Census, “Places,” chap. 9 in Geographic Areas Reference Manual, November 1994. Newer, less complete definition here: “Independent City Definition,” U.S. Census Bureau.
25
“Virginia Cities That Have ‘Disappeared’—and Why,” Virginia Places.
26
“Terms and Definitions,” U.S. Census Bureau.
27
Thomson Reuters Practical Law. "Public Land Survey System (PLSS).".
28
“But natural and man-made boundaries (e.g., rivers and county lines), as well as annexation, and sparse population densities have caused some variation. In most states town and township governments generally have jurisdiction over a distinct geographic area, outside of cities and villages.” “Town and Township Government in the United States,” National Association of Towns and Townships.
29
Thomson Reuters Practical Law. "Public Land Survey System (PLSS).".
30
Austin Fernald, “The Difference Between a Town and a City; Plus Counties, Villages and More,” ZoningPoint (blog).
31
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Township.”
32
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Township.”
33
“Town and Township Government in the United States,” National Association of Towns and Townships.
34
City of Franklin, Virginia. "Fire and Rescue History.".
35
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Township.”
36
“Townships in the U.S.,” Michigan Townships Association.
Townships in the U.S. Website
37
“Townships in the U.S.,” Michigan Townships Association.
Townships in the U.S. Website
38
“Town and Township Government in the United States,” National Association of Towns and Townships.
39
America Counts, “From Municipalities to Special Districts.”
40
Office of the Secretary of State. "Regional Councils of Governments.".
41
“What are Regional Councils?” National Association of Regional Councils (NARC).
42
National Association of Regional Councils. "What are Regional Councils?".
43
“Request for Qualifications Consultant Services for OKI Freight Plan,” Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, 2022.
44
Ragone, The Everything American Government Book, 255.
45
“Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Mission Statement,” Port Authority NY NJ, 2022.
Mission Statement. Website
46
U.S. Census Bureau, Individual State Descriptions: 2022 Census of Governments, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2019).
47
I watched a recording of the public health district for my region, and a board member did not understand a fee on the budget nor did it appear that he had invested any time in advance to understand the budget details. Public health districts played a significant role weighing in on local COVID-19 definitions and recommendations.
48
Here is an article giving further explanation: Tirzah Price, “Why You Should Sit on Your Library Board,” October 5, 2021.