How Does Local

Government Work?

Chapter 5

Why Do We Have Local Government?

Purpose of Local

Government

Provides

Services

Collects Taxes

Makes Laws

Gives People a Voice

Local Government Provides Services

• Every community has needs that must be met and a local government is developed so those needs can be met.

Local Government

Seniors’ Facilities

Public Transportatio

n

Fire Protection

Waste Disposal

Parks and Recreation

Animal Control

Libraries

Streets and Roads

Local Government Collects Taxes

• Money is raised, through the collection of taxes, in order to pay for many of these services provided by the local government.  

• If you own land, house, business or other forms of property, in Edmonton, you will receive a notice once a year of what you owe the government in taxes.

• Revenue is the total income received. This income may come from different sources.

• Expenditures are expenses.

As a member of our local community, what are your responsibilities around the paying

of tax?

EXPE

NDITUR

E

S

Local Government Makes Laws

Bylaws:• Are laws that are passed by a local government. • Are created to help people stay safe, help the community run smoothly and to let people

know how they are suppose to behave.  • It is our responsibility to know what these bylaws are and to obey them.  

Steps in making a law1. Discussion is generated on a topic of concern either by a councilor or a citizen in the

community2. A councilor makes a motion to pass a bylaw 3. The motion must be considered three times before it can be voted on.  This allows time

for open discussion and gives people the opportunity to voice their opinion on the topic.4. The motion is put to vote and if a majority of the councilors are in favor, the bylaw is

passed.

Local Government Gives People a Voice

• Would it be possible for federal and provincial governments to provide local services, collect the taxes to pay for them, and make laws?

• Then, why do we have a local government?• People who live in our community have a better

understanding of what our local needs are.• Having a local government gives all citizens a better

opportunity to participate in the democratic process either through running for office or by taking part in town hall meetings.

How are Local Governments Organized?

• Municipal Area - a region that has its own local government

• Municipal District - rural area (outside cities and towns) that has its own local government

Organization of Local Government

 Local Government  Top Elected Official  Council

 Urban

[Urban local governments include cities towns and villages.]

• Mayorelected by citizens

• Councillorselected by citizens 

 Rural

[Rural local governments are those areas which are known as municipal districts or counties.]

• Reeve    a councilor elected as the chief electoral officer by the council

• Councillorselected by citizens 

First Nations

[First Nations reserves and Métis settlements have their own local governments as well.]

• Chiefelected by members of the community

• Councillorsselected by the community

 Métis

[First Nations reserves and Métis settlements have their own local governments as well.]

• Chairpersonselected by council members

• Council of 5selected by community

How do Modern Day First Nations Govern

Themselves?• Governments on a reserve are called bands.  The

head of the band is called the chief.  • In conjunction with the council, the election of

representatives may be done according to the Indian Act or the way the community always did it.  The band may choose to do it both ways.  

• When a bylaw has been passed by the council, it is called a Band Council Resolution (BCR).

Making Decisions for the Community

• Members of the council, reeves and mayors are elected by the community to do the job of attending council meetings, making decisions about programs, services, and bylaws.  The mayor or reeve ensure that meetings are run according to the rules of each municipality.  

• Committees are organized which assist in helping members of each subcommittee to oversee that section of government.  At some of these subcommittee meetings, discussions are generated that must be taken back to the main council meeting for further discussion.

Advisory Committees

Community Advisory Committee

• Some councilors sit on advisory committees to receive advice from the local people on issues such as the policing, library, arts foundations and many more.  People in each community can apply to sit on any number of these committees, as a way to stay involved in the local government.  

Capital Region Waste Minimization Advisory Committee

• Meet the City of Edmonton’s CAO, Simon Farbrother

Delivering Services to the Community

• It takes a large number of people to help make a community run smoothly.  Each community hires people to be in charge of certain sections of the town/city. 

• The most important of them is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The CAO’s responsibilities are:o to make sure the decisions made

by the council are carried outo keep the council informed on how

the municipality is operating• The government is then divided into

departments which are separate groups which are in charge of a specific section of the municipality. These departments report to the CAO.

• Within these departments are civil servants who are hired by the government to run or work in a specific department.

City of Edmonton Organizational Chart

How are Local Governments Elected?

• People’s votes are recorded on a ballot which is a piece of paper listing the names of the candidates.

• To be considered in the election, individuals are nominated.

• Nominated means to identify a person as a possible candidate for an elected position.[Using Page 114, complete the Municipal Election Flow Chart.]

• Every three years, elections take place in which people vote for representatives to local government.

• Our last election was in October 2013, where Don Iveson was newly elected as Mayor.

How Can You Participate at the

Local Level?

Big Question:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?See Page 115.

• Approximately 150,000 kids live on the streets, in Canada

• 3.2 million people live in poverty, in Canada

• A murderer who is mentally ill will always have a possible cause for why they did something