Government of West Monroe
 Seal of West Monroe | |
| Constitution | Constitution of West Monroe |
|---|---|
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Congress of West Monroe |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | West Monroe State Capitol |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Joel Combs President |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Sean Beck Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of State and Government | |
| Title | Governor |
| Currently | Justice Waters |
| Appointer | Election |
| Cabinet | |
| Leader | Governor |
| Deputy leader | Lieutenant Governor |
| Headquarters | West Monroe State Capitol |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of Mentone |
| Courts | Courts of West Monroe |
| Supreme Court of West Monroe | |
| Chief judge | Shelia Travis |
| Seat | Rhone |
The government of West Monroe operates under the Constitution of West Monroe and consists of a unitary democratic state government operating under a presidential system, as well as governments at the county and municipal levels. The state government, as well as nearly every state agency are located in Rhone, the state's capital and largest city
Executive
The statewide elected officials are:
- Governor: Justice Waters
- Leuitenant Governor: Rona Aitken
- Attorney-General: Frances Burrell
- Land Commissioner: Woody Stidolph
State agencies
- Department of Agriculture
- Animal Health Service
- Soil and Water Conservation Service
- Child Nutrition Service
- Rural Marketing Service
- Department of Parks and Wildlife
- State Parks Service
- Game Warden Service
- Office of Boat Registration
- Department of Corrections
- Parole and Probation Division
- Corrections Investigation Office
- State Jails Service
- Department of Protective Services
- Adult Protective Services
- Child Protective Service
- Department of Public Safety
- State Fire Marshal
- Capitol Police
- Aviation Operations Division
- CounterTerrorism Division
- Highway Patrol Division
- Ranger Division
- Department of Licensing
- Personal Identification Division
- Professional Licensing Division
- License Inforcement Division
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Education
- Education Support Centers
- Office of Secondary Education
- Department of Health Services
Legislature
Mentone is served by a bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate, made up of 71 Senators, and a House of Representatives made up of 129 Representatives.
Judiciary
The judicary of West Monroe has a simple three tier system. At the trial court level, the state is divided into 170 districts, following county lines. King County has the most, being divided into 16 districts. Counties, and some cities, operate municipal and county courts at this level which cover certain misdemeaner crimes. From there, cases are appealed to a court of appeal.
The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices, and serves as a court of last resort, the state constitutional court, and has primary jurisdiction over civil cases in which a government entity is a party.
Local government
County
Mentone has a total of 63 counties. Each county is run by a five-member Commissioners' Court consisting of four Commissioners elected from single-member districts (called commissioner precincts) and a county Judge elected at-large. The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court; they vote along with the commissioners (being the tie-breaker in close calls). Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy. All county elections are partisan.
Counties in West Monroe have limited regulatory (ordinance) authority. Counties in West Monroe do not have zoning power (except for limited instances). However, counties can collect a small portion of property tax and spend it to provide residents with needed services or to employ the power of eminent domain.
Unlike other states, West Monroe does not allow for consolidated city-county governments. Cities and counties (as well as other political entities) are permitted to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services (for instance, a city and a school district may enter into agreements with the county whereby the county bills for and collects property taxes for the city and school district).
Municipal
West Monroe does not have townships; areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services. Unincorporated areas are not part of a city; in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance. Their local ordinances, rules, and police regulations are usually codified in a "code of ordinances".
Cities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A city may elect home rule status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as general law and has very limited powers.
Municipal elections in West Monroe are nonpartisan in the sense that candidates do not appear on the ballot on party lines, and do not run as party tickets. However, a candidate's party affiliation is usually known or can be discerned with minimal effort (as the candidate most likely has supported other candidates on partisan tickets).
Special districts
In addition to cities and counties, West Monroe has several special districts. As with municipal elections in West Monroe, board members or trustees are elected on a nonpartisan basis or may be appointed.
The most common is the independent school district, which has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not generally aligned with city or county boundaries; it is common for a school district to cover one or more communities or even cross county lines.
Other special districts include emergency service districts, river authorities, water supply districts (for irrigation or rural supply), road districts and community colleges.
