Local goverment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Local goverment - Essay Example Looking at the different states in the U.S, we see that different states have given more or less power or authority to the local governments. Also, we see that distribution of power is yet unbalanced within the same state. The distribution of power from a state to its localities is not immutable, nor is it unidirectional. Some states are kind enough to give more authority to their cities while others like to keep power in their own hands. John F. Dillon set out his rule stating that local governments can only exercise powers given to them by the state. This rule is dominant in the working of many cities in the world today. In addition, we see that many states that adopted Dillons rule have home rule provisions that they follow. This allows them to have more autonomy from the state and make important decisions they need to make for the development of their cities. Statistics show that cities have lost discretionary powers in the last decade. The city managers feel this loss more than other stake holders because it makes their work hard. One way that has been adapted by cities is to act as coherent force against states rather than being divided among themselves. Some states legislators show loss of trust in the local governments being the reason for them to not let them enjoy the freedom. Annexation is a method used to improve the overall fiscal environment of a municipality. Looking at the effects of annexation we see that it has influenced spending but effects of spending are complicated depending on the changes in municipality density levels. Annexation has been an important method of physical municipal growth. In the U.S, this is a very intense local issue. Due to this, there are a lot of conflicts that arise because it can increase a city’s population, tax base, demographics, population of voters etc. In addition, annexation can lead to removal of an existing tax or