Blog that supports USC Aiken APLS494I South Carolina Politics class taught in Summer Session I, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Local Government Finance – Question 2
Question for Kaycee D, Cequita D, and CoShendra J. What is the major difference in who is responsible for taxing and spending between cities and counties and why is this difference important?
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The major differences in who is responsible for taxing and spending between cities and counties depend on the services that have to be provided. The county has to supply the citizen that live there services along with protection and legal officials such as police officers. They also have to provide fireman and funding for the road and other expenses for the county. With the county being smaller than the cities it would take more money for those services to be provided in the cities. So who spends the money and how they spend the money is very important for these reasons.
In larger cites, a finance director is appointed by the council and is responsible for tax collection and budgeting. In smaller cities and towns, a aity or town clerk is generally responsible to do so. The county, on the other hand, is not as streamlined as the city as noted in the text. The county has a finance director, an auditor, a tresurer and an assesor who all play important roles in taxing and spending. The main difference is that in the county, they are required to elect the treasurer and auditor. The county also still operates on a system that was developed in the 1800's to early 1900's. Although the city handles their own taxes, they still rely on the county for property taxes.
Each county has a director of finance, auditor, treasurer, and assessor who help in taxing and spending for the county. Some of the things their money is spent on is services to the public, firemen, and police officers. Each city also has a director of finance be he is solely responsible for taxing and spending in the city.
None of you quite got it right. In counties the decisions over spending and taxing are fragmented in that different elected and relatively independent officials (like the sheriff and clerk of court) make spending decisions, even though their budgets have to be approved by the county council. In cities all departments have to put their budgets together under one person and then the council sets the final budget and either controls the spending itself or designates someone to do that.
Finance is more unified in cities -- so the fragmentation in counties leads to confusion over whom to hold accountable and much less coordination.
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4 comments:
The major differences in who is responsible for taxing and spending between cities and counties depend on the services that have to be provided. The county has to supply the citizen that live there services along with protection and legal officials such as police officers. They also have to provide fireman and funding for the road and other expenses for the county. With the county being smaller than the cities it would take more money for those services to be provided in the cities. So who spends the money and how they spend the money is very important for these reasons.
Cequita D Edmond
In larger cites, a finance director is appointed by the council and is responsible for tax collection and budgeting. In smaller cities and towns, a aity or town clerk is generally responsible to do so. The county, on the other hand, is not as streamlined as the city as noted in the text. The county has a finance director, an auditor, a tresurer and an assesor who all play important roles in taxing and spending. The main difference is that in the county, they are required to elect the treasurer and auditor. The county also still operates on a system that was developed in the 1800's to early 1900's. Although the city handles their own taxes, they still rely on the county for property taxes.
CoShendra J
Each county has a director of finance, auditor, treasurer, and assessor who help in taxing and spending for the county. Some of the things their money is spent on is services to the public, firemen, and police officers. Each city also has a director of finance be he is solely responsible for taxing and spending in the city.
-kaycee doying
None of you quite got it right. In counties the decisions over spending and taxing are fragmented in that different elected and relatively independent officials (like the sheriff and clerk of court) make spending decisions, even though their budgets have to be approved by the county council. In cities all departments have to put their budgets together under one person and then the council sets the final budget and either controls the spending itself or designates someone to do that.
Finance is more unified in cities -- so the fragmentation in counties leads to confusion over whom to hold accountable and much less coordination.
Bob B
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