Public Finance
What is the use of government revenue collection (mainly taxes) and expenditure (spending) to influence the economy?
Fiscal Policy
What are limitations on the power of government, designed to ensure personal freedoms?
Civil Liberties
what is the broad strategy the government uses to do its job; the relatively stable set of purposive governmental behaviors that address matters of concern to some part of society?
Public Policy
What is a unit of local government that performs a single service, such as education or sanitation, within a limited geographic area?
Special district
Who makes up the commissioner's court?
What is a county judge and four county commissioners
What is a tax that tends to increase the effective tax rate as the wealth or income of the tax payer increases?
Progressive Tax
What are official charges against an accused individual?
Indictment
What is a policy that collects payments or resources broadly but concentrates direct benefits on relatively few?
Distributive Policy
What is an election in which officials are selected by voters of the entire geographical area, rather than from smaller districts within that area?
at-large election
Virtually every city in Texas elects its council members in _____.
What is nonpartisan elections.
What are taxes imposed on the removal of natural resources within a taxing jurisdiction, which are most commonly imposed in oil-producing states within the United States?
Severance Taxes
What is an agreement between the defendant and the prosecutor in which the defendant pleads guilty to the charges in question or perhaps to less serious charges, in exchange for more lenient punishment than if convicted after a full trial?
Plea Bargain
What is a policy that regulates companies and organizations in a way that protects the public?
Regulatory policy
What is the main governing body of each county; has the authority to set the county tax rate and budget?
county commissioners' court
If more than two candidates compete for a seat in a place system that requires a majority vote an _______ may be held between the two highest vote-getters.
What is at-large election.
What are taxes that multiply the appraised value of a property by a tax rate set by the governing body of the local government?
ad valorem taxes
What are rules and regulations which govern transactions and grievances between individual citizens?
Civil Laws
What is a policy in which costs are born by a relatively small number of groups or individuals, but benefits are expected to be enjoyed by a different group in society?
Redistributive Policy
Who is the government official (four per county) on the county commissioners' court whose main duty is the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges?
County commissioner
A buffer area that may extend beyond a city's limits.
What is Extraterritorial Jurisdiction
What is a tax applied at a lower overall rate as individuals' income rises, thus, the tax burden falls more heavily on lower-income individuals?
Regressive Tax
What is the division of the law concerned with actions which are dangerous or harmful to society as a whole, in which prosecution is pursued not by an individual but by the state?
Criminal law
What are policies focused on the citizens of the U.S. and their well being?
Domestic Policy
What are the rules under which a city operates; local governments have considerable independent governing power under these charters?
Home-rule Charters
A system of organization of local government that has an executive mayor who is directly elected by the voters.
What is mayor-council system.