Understanding City Structure and Functions
Describe the overall structure and functions of your city’s system of government to your State.
The Chicago city exercises the local government which is under the municipal jurisdiction and governed by a city council. The city council is granted the authority to rule by the state government. The municipal council has got various functions which include planning and supervising. The town council sets the rules and directions to guide the municipalities using a long-term plan. They make critical decisions in areas of their jurisdiction. They set some goals or visions for the town and then come up with strategies to ensure that the vision is achieved (Dautrich, & Yalof, 2012). This necessitates the need to come up with making some laws and enforcing them in order to achieve certain goals. Hence, the policies they make are implemented accordingly. The administrators also provide vital services such as recreational facilities, public libraries and public health to the locals. They are also responsible for advocating on behalf of the people under their jurisdiction to the state government and the statutory authorities.
Include the origin of your State government’s system, and the philosophy and evolution of public service in your community.
The local government coincided with the formation of the American Federal Government under the U.S Constitution. The ineffectiveness of the state government in administering services to the citizens and the need for urgency in sorting out problems or conflicts necessitated the formation of local governance. Dautrich, & Yalof 2012, argued that the towns embraced a “local self-governance.” He, therefore, considers the local government as a basis for freedom and protection of the minorities’ rights. The local government was then effected in 1920 and was aimed at addressing the political matters more efficiently since it would be easier to spread information among the citizens. The demands of the society were diverse hence the transformation of the local government. The municipal council was assumed to administer services such as road maintenance and public health quite efficiently. Some services which need urgencies such as medical attention and security provision would take much time with the Federal Government but with the formation of the local government, these services have been made more easily accessible (Great Britain., & Great Britain, 2013).
Identify if the system is open or closed. How does this distinction affect decision making?
The form of governance is a closed one. The local government normally makes the decisions about the governance of the jurisdiction. This, however, makes it easier to make decisions since the local government officials decide and set the rules and regulation that are to be followed by the locals. There are no prolonged procedures in handling matters which may need urgent attention. It is also easier to develop security measures to cover the locals and this enhances security per individual to a higher level. The municipality officials are elected by the local citizens and therefore they are involved in making the decisions (Milakovich, & Gordon, 2013). This becomes favourable to the citizens since they participate in making them hence easier to abide by them. They participate in electing the officials and the authority is made more accessible. Various chaos and conflicts are easily solved and this promotes harmony in the area.
Describe the power roles in this system and how politics influences the administration’s decision-making abilities. How do these overlap in the system?
The municipality can only exercise the powers granted by the central government. The mayors are expected to make decisions that bear the public interest and offer effective and transparent processes. They are also supposed to impart a sustainable management and development as well as efficient delivery of services. The politics exert much influence in the local government’s decision making. The law enforcement is influenced by political powers especially in the budget making which involves budgeting for the hiring of security officers and personal variables (Norris, 2015).
References
Dautrich, K., & Yalof, D. A. (2012). American government: Historical, popular, and global
perspectives : brief version. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Great Britain., & Great Britain. (2013). The role of local authorities in health issues: Eighth
report of session 2012-13. London: Stationery Office.
Milakovich, M. E., & Gordon, G. J. (2013). Public administration in America.
Norris, D. F. (2015). Metropolitan governance in America.
The Oxford handbook of state and local government. (2013). Corby: Oxford University Press.