County Commission Texas Historical Marker Brenham

A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the

county government A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in some states of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

; such commissions usually comprise three to five members. In some counties within

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, however, a

sole commissioner In local government in the United States, sole commissioner government is a county commission with only one seat. The sole commissioner typically holds all legislative and executive powers in the county. Even though with one commissioner there is ...

holds the authority of the commission. In parts of the United States, alternative terms such as

County Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county (United States), county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York (sta ...

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

may be used in lieu of, but generally synonymous to, a County Commission. However, in some jurisdictions there may be distinct differences between a County Commission and other similarly titled bodies. For example, a County Council may differ from a County Commission by containing more members or by having a Council-Manager form of government. In

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, every county, except Marion, which is consolidated with

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, has both a County Commission and a County Council, with the County Commission having administrative authority and the County Council being responsible for fiscal matters. Each commission acts as the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

of the local government, levying local taxes, administering county governmental services such as correctional institutions, courts, public health oversight, property registration, building code enforcement, and

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

(e.g. road maintenance). The system has been supplanted in large part, as disparate sparsely-settled regions become urbanized and establish tighter local governmental control, usually in

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, though in many of the more rural states, the county commission retains more control, and even in some urbanized areas, may be responsible for significant government services. Various counties nationwide have explored expanding from three members to five.

History

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, colonial founder of Pennsylvania is credited with originating the system of County Commissioners in the United States. On February 28, 1681, Charles II granted a charter for a

proprietary colony A proprietary colony was a type of English colony mostly in North America and in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the British Empire, all land belonged to the monarch, and it was his/her prerogative to divide. Therefore, all colonial prop ...

to William Penn to repay a debt of £16,000 (around £2,100,000 in 2008 currency, adjusting for retail inflation) owed to William's father, Admiral William Penn. This was one of the largest land grants made in history, to one individual. The colony was to be called

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission, and freedom of religious conviction.

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

previously referred to county commissioners as freeholders, but its practice ended in 2021.

By state

* Board of County Commissioners (New Jersey; formerly known as the Board of chosen freeholders) * Board of County Commissioners (Ohio) *

Commissioners' Court Commissioners' court, or in Arkansas a quorum court, is the governing body of county government in three US states: Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. It is similar in function to a board of county commissioners. A similar system was in place in the ...

(Texas and Missouri; identical concept known in Arkansas as "Quorum Court") *

Fiscal Court There are 120 counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Despite ranking 37th in size by area, Kentucky has 120 counties, fourth among states (including Virginia's independent cities). The original motivation for having so many counties wa ...

(Kentucky) *

Police Jury In the U.S. state of Louisiana, the typical governing body of the parish is called the Police Jury (French: ''le Jury de Police''). Not every parish is governed by a Police Jury, but 38 of the 64 parishes use this system. The Police Jury is the ...

(Louisiana) *

Sole commissioner In local government in the United States, sole commissioner government is a county commission with only one seat. The sole commissioner typically holds all legislative and executive powers in the county. Even though with one commissioner there is ...

(some counties in Georgia)

References and footnotes

County governing bodies in the United States {{US-gov-stub

History

By state

See also

References and footnotes