Local Government  Vocabulary

Federalism

Our national system is based on federalism. Federalism is the sharing of the power of government amongst the federal, state, and local governments.

Municipalities

A municipality (city, village, or town) is created upon the request of or with the consent of the residents in order that they may provide for themselves the services that they need or desire. Some of these services are: fire and police protection, cultural and recreational facilities, water and sewer systems, street and sewer systems, street construction, traffic regulations, building and zoning regulation, and general health and welfare of the community.

Forms of Municipal Government

1. Mayor - Council Form: In the mayor and council form of government, the council and mayor are elected from the people. The council, however, is the legislative power and passes local laws. The mayor is the presiding officer of the council and he/she may vote in cases of a tie. He/She may veto measures from the council, but they can override his veto by a 2/3 vote. This is the type of government that Bloomington has.
2. Trustee Village: This type has 6 trustees and a village President. 
3. Commission Form: This form has an elected mayor and 4 commissioners. The duties of city government are divided among these officers.
4. Council - Manager Form: The municipality may keep its structure as mayor/council, trustee village, or commission while adopting the manager form. A professionally trained manager is hired by the city to manage the municipality.  This is the type of government that Normal has.
5. Strong Mayor Form: The mayor gets almost complete executive powers and the council is only legislative. As an example, the mayor does not need legislative approval of any of his appointments.

Counties

Illinois has 102 counties. The county is the largest unit of local government. Each county has a county seat where its governing body is located. Our county seat is McLean. All counties carry out state policy in a general nature; they enforce laws, prosecute offenders, build and maintain roads, keep records, conduct elections, assess property, and collect taxes. Each county has a governing body known as the county board.

Special Purpose Districts

For the purpose of providing special services for the people of Illinois, various special purpose districts have been formed. The public school district is an example of a special purpose district.