Local Governments 101: Common Structures and How Local Laws Are Made

If you’re looking to begin engaging with local governments, it’s important to understand the basics of local government structure — the different types of local governments, important distinctions between structures and systems, and how local governments make laws.

Different Types of Local Governments 

Local governments generally include counties, municipalities (cities, towns and villages), townships, and special districts:

• County governments are defined as general purpose governments which provide services to a broader geographic area that often includes multiple municipalities and special districts. In a few states, counties are known by different names such as in Louisiana, where they are called parishes and in Alaska, where they are called boroughs. In some states, counties are further divided up into townships, especially in rural areas, and generally overseen by a governing board.
• Municipalities are defined as a city, town or village that has corporate status and local government.
• Special districts consist of independent governments with a limited purpose usually focusing on a specific service such as water and sanitation.

Counties

Some common county government structures include the Commission system, Council-Administrator system, Council-Elected Executive system and Charter system. Let’s look at a few examples to explain these different local government systems. 

Los Angeles County currently has a Charter system, one of 13 in California, a unique form of government where the Board of Supervisors hold executive, legislative, and some judicial powers, along with other elected officials and department heads. More than 65% of Los Angeles County is unincorporated, meaning areas within the county are not part of a city or town and thus not governed by a municipal government but instead by the county itself. For residents in those areas, the County’s board acts as their “City Council” and county departments provide municipal services. 

The current five member Board of Supervisors in Los Angeles County acts in a legislative and executive capacity, which is similar to the traditional County Commission structure. A key difference between the Charter structure and Commission structure is that in a Charter system, the government grants counties more local control and flexibility in organizing their governments, as well as featuring a county executive, while the traditional Commission system (the most common format) typically relies on a clerk to handle day-to-day administrative functions. These two structures are different from the Council-Administrator system where the elected council appoints an administrator to handle executive tasks to create a separation of power structure, much like a corporate board of directors and a CEO in a public company. The Council-Elected Executive format is where voters elect both the council and an executive. Los Angeles County this past November recently voted to change to a Council-Elected Executive structure and expand the Board of Supervisor members from 5 to 9.

Municipalities (Cities, Towns, and Villages)

Municipalities are governments of cities, towns, or villages responsible for services within specific boundaries. These boundaries can span across multiple counties. The five historical forms of local government include the Council-Mayor structure (the most popular form), Mayor-Council, Commission, Town Meeting, and Representative Town Meeting. 

A recent example of a city changing its form of government occurred in the City of Portland in 2024. Portland was issued a territorial charter in 1851, where from 1913 to 2024, it had operated under a Commission structure of government. Starting this year, after the approval of amendments to the City Charter by voters, the government transitioned to a Mayor-Council structure. This format operates with a Mayor as the chief executive and the council as its legislative body. The Mayor will appoint a City Administrator who will oversee the city’s departments and report directly to the Mayor. 

The Mayor-Council structure has two systems, “Strong Mayor” and “Weak Mayor” systems. The difference between the two is that in the “strong” system, the mayor has veto power over legislation, appoints department heads, and controls the budget. In the “weak” system, has the mayor largely as a ceremonial head and is part of the council body, usually as the chairperson, and has limited executive authority. 

The Mayor-Council structure is different from the Commission structure where the body acts as a hybrid executive and legislative branch of government and the Council-Manager format, where a City Manager is hired to oversee the day-to-day operations as the council sets the policy. The Town Meeting structure is a traditional form that involves direct participation of citizens in local decision making, where the Representative Town Meeting structure involves citizens electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf. 

How Local Governments Pass Laws

Local governments set laws by way of ordinances through a legislative process consisting of proposed legislation discussed during public meetings, committee review, and then voting on these proposed measures — all the while adhering to state and federal laws. Once approved, the ordinance must be signed by the Mayor or the chief administrator, depending on the government structure. In the District of Columbia, an extra step is involved where the council chair must submit all passed ordinances to Congress for review.

Interaction with State Governments

Local governments are created and chartered by state governments. The structure of local governments is determined by their state’s constitutions and the laws the state has enacted. Local governments are regulated by their respective states and can not pass ordinances that contradict state laws. Local governments oversee services that directly impact residents' lives such as police and fire departments, roads and parks. State governments rely on funding through a broader tax base consisting of income, sales and corporate taxes where local governments rely heavily on property taxes along with fees from services such as water and sewer. 

Monitor Local Government Activity

Public policymaking starts at the local level. Advocates and innovators are increasingly turning to city hall to enact public policy, resulting in a patchwork of laws and regulations across the country. But monitoring the actions of thousands of municipalities, counties, townships, and special districts can be a monumental task. MultiState’s local service alerts you of activity before it happens, in over 5,000 local jurisdictions (and growing). Read more about our Local Government Monitoring service here, or get in touch.