Governments collect tax dollars to pay for the services they provide.

Transcription

1 Local Government Collects Taxes Governments collect tax dollars to pay for the services they provide. Revenue - the money the government collects. Also called 'income'. Expenditures - the money the government spends. Also called 'expenses'. 1

2 Local Government Makes Laws Local governments make rules called Bylaws. Bylaws tell people how to behave properly to keep everyone safe and help the community run smoothly. Bylaws only apply to the community where they have been passed. Different communities may have different bylaws. New bylaws are usually introduced by a councillor at a council meeting. The bylaw must be considered and discussed three times before it is voted on. 2

3 Local Government Gives People a Voice The needs of a community are best served by the people in that community. Local government provides people with many opportunities to participate in democracy. Some examples are: running for office, voting, taking part in town hall meetings and making presentations to government. 3

4 How Are Local Governments Organized? Local Government Top Elected Official Council Urban (cities, towns and villages) Mayor -usually elected by voters Councillors -between 7 and 15, depending on the size of the community; 7 for towns -elected by voters Rural (includes municipal districts and counties) Reeve -a councillor elected as chief electoral officer by council Councillors -usually 3 for villages -elected by voters First Nations Chief -elected by the voters in the First Nation community Council is selected by community -number of councillors depends on the size of First Nation Metis Chairperson -selected by council members Council of 5 -selected by community 4

5 Making Decisions for the Community mayors, reeves and councillors are elected by the citizens of the community they attend meetings where they discuss programs, services and bylaws for their community councillors organize committees which are responsible for services such as garbage, water, transportation, parks and recreation, etc. councillors also serve on advisory committees. Eg. police commission, library board, or arts foundation. 5

6 Urban Government Council committees City Manager Advisory Committees Departments Finance Corporate Affairs Parks and Recreation Land Development Planning and Public Works Planning and Development Engineering and Transportation Utilities and Environment 6

7 Council Committees Rural Local Government Reeve and Council Town Manager Advisory Committees Departments Corporate Affairs Public Works Agricultural Services Assessment Planning and Development Regional Fire and Disaster Services 7

8 Delivering Services to the Community In addition to the elected representatives, there are many people who are hired to work for the local government. The most important person is the Town or City Manager. All departments of the government report to the Town or City Manager. Civil servants are people who are hired to work for the government. They are not elected by voters. 8

9 Electing Local Government Representatives Every three years people elect representatives to the local government. Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years of age can run. You also have to have lived in the municipal area for at least six months. To get your name on the ballot, you must be nominated. This means you have to complete the official papers and you must pay a fee. You then try to get people to vote for you by campaigning. This means that you tell people about your ideas and why they should vote for you. 9

10 Participating in a Democracy Even though we are not old enough to vote, we can still share our opinions. Share your concerns! share our ideas with our councillor start a petition to show our councillor that other people share our concerns write letters, s or tweets to our councillor or mayor create a presentation to share at a council meeting 10