Local government in Delkora
Local government in Delkora refers to government jurisdictions below the state level in Delkora. It consists of counties (amter) and municipalities (kommuner), whose organization and powers vary from state to state. As of 2019, there are 154 counties in Delkora and 4,658 municipalities.
History
Delkora has a long history of local government going back several centuries, and its political culture has tended to favor decentralized authority. Historically, local government evolved out of the customs of particular regions and tended to be organized in a complex, ad hoc fashion, resulting in a proliferation of redundant, overlapping entities whose jurisdiction in a particular matter was not always clear. In 1860, for example, Cybria was organized into 2,367 municipalities, 981 prefectures, 417 crown administrative districts, 207 counties, 158 local autonomous areas, and 16 free cities.
In the 1930s, in an effort to reduce this complexity, the government of Chancellor Sofia Westergaard pushed states to consolidate their local government units, with the current two-tiered system eventually being adopted across the entire country after some initial resistance. Numerous other consolidations have been carried out by individual states since then.
Local government received renewed attention during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of the New Kingdom agenda. Many of the social service programs that were created under the program are administered partly or entirely by municipalities and counties.
In the 1980s, Chancellor Lars af Vellarand advocated for a major consolidation of local government as part of his government's larger agenda of public sector cuts. His proposal was widely unpopular and was not taken up by most state governments.
Municipalities
The entire territory of Delkora is divided into municipalities, which constitute the lowest level of government. The average population of Delkoran municipalities is 45,700. The State of Cybria has the most municipalities, with 1,587, followed by Førelskov with 1,339, Banderhus with 925, Vassengård with 568, Norvia with 192, and Lebøvenland with 46. The entire area of Norenstal is regarded as a single municipality under its state law.
Although the exact procedures vary by state, in general, municipalities are governed by a municipal council of anywhere between ten and fifty members elected on the basis of proportional representation. The council administers the municipality collectively, electing from its ranks a largely ceremonial mayor. Large metropolitan areas generally have directly-elected mayors and are organized as independent municipalities, meaning the municipality performs the functions of both a municipality and a county.
Particular settlements within municipalities may be classified as cities, townships, or villages based on geography and population. Although the exact definitions vary, cities are generally urban areas of more than 20,000 people, townships are usually suburban areas or clusters of small towns, and villages are typically sparsely populated rural areas. These subdivisions are used solely for administrative purposes within the municipality, and do not constitute separate layers of government.
The states of Cybria, Førelskov, and Lebøvenland have adopted home rule, meaning their municipalities may freely pass laws on any subject matter not explicitly reserved to the state parliament, while in other states municipalities have narrowly defined powers. In general, municipalities are responsible for:
- Zoning regulations
- Public libraries
- Municipal courts
- Public parks
- Waste management, sewage treatment, and water supply management
- Municipal road systems and public transportation
- Public housing
- Primary through upper secondary education
- Emergency fire and medical services
- Certain social services
- Setting municipal tax rates
- Additionally, some municipalities operate their own municipal electric utilities
Counties
Counties consist of associations of municipalities and are the first-tier subdivisions of the states. In states that have adopted home rule, municipalities may freely join and secede from counties, while in others, county boundaries are fixed by state law. They are typically governed by a county council consisting of between five and twenty-five members elected through proportional representation. The council, in turn, appoints a county commissioner from its ranks who serves as the chief executive of the county.
Counties are generally responsible for:
- Assessment of property and land taxes
- Agricultural policy and land management
- Maintaining district courts
- County road systems
- Maintaining vital records
- Certain social services
- Setting county tax rates