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Local Government
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 may vote in cases of a tie. He may veto measures from the
council, but they can override his veto by a 2/3 vote.
2. Trustee Village: This type has 6 trustees and a village President. This is
the type of government that Manteno has.
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.
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 Kankakee. 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.
Map of Kankakee's Neighboring Counties
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.