Essay On Texas Government

Purpose and Structure of Local Government in Texas

Generally, in the United States most of the public and media attention is directed towards the national government and to some extent the state government, in the United States. Regardless of this fact, local governments although covered on a lesser magnitude hold the greatest impact on the lives of common Americans. Local governments are created by the state, and they derive the power they hold from the state’s statutes and constitution. Operating on a constitution that was drafted over a hundred years ago, and to enable every citizen is able to access government services, the structure of Texas local government is divided into four parts namely; Counties, cities, special districts and local

According to article IX of the Texas constitution, counties are defined as the administrative arms of the state which are created by the state government to serve its purposes. The main purpose of the counties is to keep the affairs of the state running at the local

According to (Newell& Smith, 351) the county governments are divided in four precincts. In addition, each precinct elects its own commissioner who sits in the commissioner’s court. These four commissioners together with a judge are accountable for running the affairs of the county government. The commissioners form the executive branch of county government. The main functions of the county governments which are stipulated in the Texas constitution include maintenance of jails and providing for the health facilities to the county residents. In addition, the counties are also responsible for the collection of some of the state taxes, building and maintenance of roads and bridges, law enforcement among other