How Do Local Governments Get Their Money and Where Does Is It Spent?

Name: ______

Period:______

Local Government

How do local governments get their money and where does is it spent?

You should be able to answer:

1)Describe the utilities provided by local government

2)What is the role of local government in providing for public education?

3)What are examples of health and welfare programs?

4)How do zoning laws enable governments to control land use?

5)What is the local government’s contribution to public safety?

6)Analyze the ways local governments pay for services they provide

Local governments are responsible ______. Utilities are services needed by the public, such as water and electricity. Local governments are also responsible for ______by building roads, parks, schools, and making public safety decisions (laws).

Education

One of the ______of a local government is providing public education. Education represents the ______local governments have. For the fiscal year 2012, the average local community spent ______of their budget on education.

Through the use of a school board, local governments are in charge of public education from ______. Some local governments are also responsible for community colleges- Cuyahoga Community College, Stark State, and Lakeland Community College

State government has a lot of say in education because ______. Because they pay for a large portion, they (ODE for example) set the standards for students and teachers. It is the responsibility of local governments to make sure the ______and decide how the local district can do more than the state minimums.

The ______is also involved by helping to pay for buildings, federal lunch programs, and recently through competitive programs such as “race to the top”. “Race to the top” provides states with additional grant money based on______.

Utilities

Utilities are provided by the local government ______: water, gas, electricity, water and sewage treatment plants, and garbage collection. For example: In Painesville,

Ohio, the city has its own electric plant and residents are billed ______.

Sometimes cities hire ______to handle these services (government controls price). Example: In the City of Green, electricity is provided by Ohio Edison.

Health and Welfare

Local government also provides its citizens with______. The funding for these services comes from the state and federal governments. However, it is the local officials that ______.

Public Safety

Local government is in charge of______through police, fire, and ambulance services (most areas have 911). The public safety forces are also responsible for ______to the community such as: providing kids with fire safety instruction, and DARE programs.

Local governments also hire people ______are being followed. EXAMPLE: Inspectors examine buildings to make sure they are not violating any safety codes (fire alarms, faulty wiring, plumbing, etc).

Land Use

Within a community, business and housing units are built in ______. The resulting ______are created to keep businesses or manufacturing plants from being constructed next to residential housing.

The responsibility of determining what to do with the land in a community is given to a ______. These members are appointed to: Decide where to put ______, what businesses to allow,______, monitor and control the growth of the community.

Revenue and Paying for services

About ______of local government revenue comes from property tax: ______.Some communities, such as Ohio, also use a local sales tax.

Even if you do not live in a particular community, just traveling there may result in ______. Local governments often charge for services (utilities), ______, park entrance fees,______, and government businesses such as a parking garage as a way to raise money.

In certain circumstances, communities borrow money ______. For long tern projects, such as building a school, local governments sell bonds.

Sharing Revenue

Federal and state governments often give money to local government through ______ or grants. An intergovernmental grant is money given by one level of government to another.

Despite the options available, there are ______. Many people are ______in order to cover the expenses of a local government. This can lead to the community suffering a financial crisis and result in programs being sold to ______(government can no longer control price), services being reduced, or ______.