When villages or towns reach a certain population usually fixed by state law, they may be incorporated as cities. The change that takes place is simply one of elaborating the governing machinery and giving to it larger powers to correspond with the larger needs of city life. The complex problems of city government we shall not attempt to study in this book.
CHANGES IN URBAN GOVERNMENT FOR BETTER SERVICE AND BETTER CONTROL
Great improvement in the government of towns and cities has been made in recent years. The latest plan of government to be adopted, and it has spread to a considerable number of towns and cities in the United States, is the CITY MANAGER, or TOWN MANAGER, form of government. By this plan the voters elect a small council, or board of directors, who in turn appoint a MANAGER who serves as a superintendent over the affairs of the city or town. He is a trained specialist, often an engineer, and cities and towns sometimes search the country over for the best man available for the place. The manager appoints the heads of the various departments of government, such as health, police, public works, etc., and is responsible to the council for their work. It is the application to town government of methods long used by successful business corporations.
Investigate and report upon:
How the county in Louisiana came to be called a "parish."
Organization and powers of your county board.
A list of your county officers and their duties.
The sentiment in your county with regard to the efficiency of your county government. Is the sentiment justified?
Recognized defects in your county government.
The long (or short) ballot in your county.