The Texas Constitution provides for the creation of cities in Texas.
Municipal government is the government at the city level. Most Texans live in cities. Texas cities can be as small as Ackerly, Texas with a population of 220 people, or as large as Houston, Texas with a population of more than 2 million people.
Cities are important to Texans because they provide services that people need each day. Cities have departments that provide safety and protection for its citizens.
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Police Departments |
Medical Services |
Sanitation Departments |
The images above represent a few of the services that cities provide for its citizens. Cities also provide public libraries, parks, and community centers.
Source: AntoniofipgroupshothandsR, Fitness in the Park, City of San Antonio
The structure of government for Texas cities varies from city to city. The Texas Constitution allows cities to decide how they choose to be governed. The two types of governments in Texas are mayor-council and council-manager.
Most cities in Texas are governed under the mayor-council form of government. In the mayor-council form of government, the citizens elect the mayor and the city council. The mayor is the chief executive, and he or she presides over the city council. In some cities, the mayor is also the chief budgetary official. The city council creates the city’s budget and votes to pass laws.
Click on the larger blue boxes to learn what they do in the Texas government.
In the mayor-council form of government, which position(s) do citizens elect?
In the council-manager form of government, the citizens elect the members of the city council. The city council then selects a mayor. The mayor represents the city at public events; he or she does not have a lot of political power. The city council, however, conducts most of the government business for the city. The city council may also select a city manager whose has the responsibility of carrying out the city's daily operations.
Click on the mayor, city council, and city manager boxes to learn what they do in the council-manager government.
In the council-manager form of government, who has the most power, the mayor or the city council?
Let’s think about this: What form of government does your city use? If you are not sure, search the website for your city.
Just like the counties in Texas, the cities of Texas also need funding to provide its services to their citizens. Cities charge various fees for permits or licenses for citizens and businesses. Most of the revenue that cities generate comes from property and sales taxes.
In this lesson, you learned basic information about the state, county, and municipal governments in Texas that are provided in the Texas Constitution. The state government of Texas is divided into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The county government serves a dual purpose; it is an extension of the state government, and it also provides services to its residents. The municipal governments in Texas provide services for its citizens. Texas municipal governments are structured in a mayor-council or council-manager form.