Scavenger Hunt Montco Style

NAME______

SCAVENGER HUNT – MONTCO STYLE

OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to:

1.) Explore the Montgomery County government website

2.) Research and explain the organization and role of Montgomery County government

3.) Describe the roles of important government officials at the county level

I. BASIC INFORMATION – Start with this background on Montgomery County.

· Birth / Founding: September 10, 1784

· Location: Eastern Pennsylvania

· Size: 487 square miles

· Population: 804,210 as of 2011 – Makes Montco a Class 2A county and the 3rd largest county in PA behind Philadelphia and Allegheny (Pittsburgh) Counties. Also makes Montco larger than Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and Washington, DC.

· County Seat: Norristown

INSTRUCTIONS: Use the I-Pads/ Computers to access the website for Montgomery County Home Page (www.montcopa.org) and use the information on the county website to discover the following information.

Where does Montco rank in terms of size of PA counties?

Where does Montco rank in terms of wealth in PA counties?

Where does Montco rank in terms of wealth in the US?

II. Go to the County Home Page at www.montcopa.org and enter the link for “This just in” and “WELCOME MESSAGE”.

· What is the total budget for Montco?

· How many employees does Montco have?

· How many miles of County Roads?

· How many County Bridges?

III. Go back to the County Home Page and look for the information on “Administration” and the “County Commissioners” - the elected officials that run the business and politics of Montco.

· List the names of the 3 County Commissioners who run the business and politics of Montco.

IV. On the Home Page, enter the Link for the County’s Parks, Historic Sites and Trails. Then on the left hand side of that page, enter the link for “PARKS”.

· Name and describe the attractions offered at 1 of the 7 Montco parks.

V. Where does one go to get a Marriage License and how much is the cost for the license?

VI. Back to the County Home Page and click on the ‘DEPARTMENTS” link on the left hand side of the Home Page.

· Where is the Montco Correctional Facility Located? How far is it located from NPHS? (Scroll down to the “Yahoo Driving Directions” on the left hand side of the page, click on the link and type in 1340 Valley Forge Road, Lansdale, PA 19446 and hit enter.)

· Back to the Departments List and enter the link for “Corrections” and then “Driving Under the Influence” and then the link for “AHSS”. How many hours of Safe Driving Instruction do those arrested for DUI have to complete?

VII. On the Home Page, enter the link for “ADMINISTRATION” under the listed “Row Offices” and complete the following Table. The following Elected Officials, also called ROW OFFICES, are elected by the people of Montco for a term of 4 years. They are independent of the County Commissioners.

WHICH COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIAL HANDLES THE FOLLOWING RESPONSIBILIES? / DEPARTMENT - ELECTED COUNTY OFFICIALS – ROW OFFICES / NAME THE HEAD OF THIS DEPARTMENT
1.) Which elected official is the chief law enforcement officer of the county responsible for transporting prisoners and for handling firearms applications? / Sheriff
2.) Which elected official is responsible for determining the cause of death of all suspicious deaths in the county? / Coroner
3.) Which elected official is responsible for the management of the criminal courts division of the county along with the collection of all Bail money and court costs? / Clerk of Courts
4.) Which elected official handles the transfer of assets form a deceased person with or without a Will, along with the collection of Inheritance Taxes, all orphans proceedings, issuing marriage Licenses, and birth records? / Register of Wills
5.) Which elected official is responsible for the maintenance of all land ownership records and for the collection of all real estate transfer taxes in the county? / Recorder of Deeds
6.) Which elected official is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all criminal activities in the County? / District Attorney
7.) Which elected official is responsible for handling all the county’s money, collecting the tax dollars and paying the Bills as well as selling licenses to hunt, fish etc? / Treasurer
8.) Which elected official is responsible for handling the records of all civil cases pending in the county? / Prothonotary
9.) Which elected official is the “Fiscal Watchdog” of the county’s money being responsible for overseeing the county’s finances and tax dollars? / Controller
10.) Which elected officials are responsible for providing a qualified pool of jurors to ensure the right of all citizens to a trial by an impartial jury? / JURY COMMISSIONER

VIII. Using the Sheriff’s Department website and its link for the County’s “MOST WANTED”, name of the Most Wanted Fugitive in Montco and what charges?