Who's Who in North Carolina Local Government? Overview In this

NC Civic Education Consortium 1

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/



Who’sWhoinNorthCarolinaLocalGove rnme nt?

Overview

Inthislocalgovernmentreviewactivity,studentswillmatchlocalgovernmentjobdescriptionstothe

jobtitlethatperformsdescribedduties.Studentswillgainanunderstandingofhowlocal

governmentisrelevanttoeverycitizenandwhichservicesareprovidedby

NorthCarolinacities,

whichservicesareprovidedbyNorthCarolinacounties,andwhichservicesareshared.



Grades

Middle&HighSchool



EssentialQuestions:

• WhataretheservicesprovidedbyNorthCarolina’scitiesandcounties?

• Whatarethevariousrolesandresponsibilitiesofelectedandappointedlocalgovern ment



officials?

• HowislocalgovernmentinNorth Carolinarelevanttoeachcitizen?



Materials

OptionA:

• LocalGovernmentJobDescriptions(copyoncolorpaperandcutout);attached

• LocalGovernmentJobTitles(copyon adifferentcolorofpaperandcutout);attached

OptionB

•

Worksheet:Who’sWhoinNCLocalGovernment?(useasanalternativetoabovematerials);

attached



Duration

30minutes



TeacherPreparation

Determinewhetheryouwantyourstudentstocompletethisactivitywithmanipulatives(optionA)

orasaworksheet(optionB).Ifchoosingtousemanipulatives,copythefirsttwo

handoutson

differentcolorsofpaper,cuttingouteachbox.Eachpairofstudentswillneedonesetofeach

handout’scutoutboxes.



Procedure

1. Asawarmup,askstudentstodiscusshowoftentheythinktheyareimpactedbylocal

governmentofficials.Tellstudentsthattodaythey

aregoingtoexplorethedutiesand

responsibilitiesofsomelocalgovernmentemployees,manyofwhomprovideservicesthatare

oftentakenforgranted.

2. Givestudentsthefollowingdirections,basedonwhichactivityoptionyouareusing:

• OptionA:Instructstudentstopairup,andgiveeachpairthe

twostacksofcutoutcards

(onestackshouldbeofthelocalgovernmentjobdescriptions,theothershouldbethejob

titles).Tellstudentsthattheyaretomatchthecardssothattheproperdescriptiongoes

withthepropertitle.Oncematched,studentscanalsobeinstructedto

arrangethe

NC Civic Education Consortium 2

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

matchedcardsintocolumnsdesignatingcity,county,andboth.Teachersmightwantto

offeraprizetothefirstgroupwhocorrectlyfinishes.

• OptionB:Eitherindividuallyoraspartners,havestudentscompletetheattached

worksheet.Teachersmaywanttoofferaprizetothefirstindividualorpairwho

correctly

completestheform.



3. Oncestudentshavefinished,discuss(thesequestionscanalsobeusedaswrittenreflection

assignments):

• Reviewthelocalgovernmentjobsyouhavenowlearnedabout.Choosethreejobsthatyou

thinkaremostimportantandexplainwhy.

• Whichlocalgovernmentemployeeordepartment

providesaservicethatimpactsyouthe

most?Explain.

• Whichofthejobswouldbethemostdifficulttoperformandwhy?

• Ofallthejobsinlocalgovernment,whichwouldyoumostliketoperformandwhy?

NC Civic Education Consortium 3

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

Color A Cards (Local Government Job Descriptions)

I attend all meetings of the Board

of County Commissioners; I draft

minutes for the board’s approval; I

maintain custody of minutes,

ordinances, and resolutions; I

answer questions about board

actions.

I transport patients to local medical

facilities and provide emergency

medical aid and life-saving

measures.

I am an elected official who

oversees clerical and record-

keeping functions of the Superior

and District Courts. Although I am

elected at the county level, I am

officially state employee.

I initiate, prepare, and enforce child

support orders for the Department

of Social Services.

I research traffic patterns; I monitor

traffic computers; I recommend

adjustments in traffic light signals

to facilitate the flow of traffic.

I work for investigate cases of

specific communicable diseases,

such as tuberculosis, AIDS, and

sexually transmitted diseases; I

identify contacts of the patient and

refer individuals for treatment.

In a council-manager form of

government, I serve as the

administrative manager of all local

government services. I serve at the

pleasure of the City Council.

I, and my fellow board members,

make official decisions for the city;

we establish local tax rates, adopt a

budget for the city, set policies for

municipal services and pass

ordinances.

Along with my fellow board members,

I set the local property tax rate. We

also adopt a county budget and pass

ordinances, resolutions and orders to

establish county policies. We also

appoint a clerk to keep official records

of our meetings, publish notices,

conduct research, and carry out other

administrative duties.

I pick up lost, dangerous or injured

animals; I locate owners of lost

animals; I order quarantines as

necessary; I assist at the animal

shelter.

In most NC cities, I am elected by

the citizens to preside over the city

or town council; I am typically the

chief spokesperson for the

municipality.

I am elected by a county’s citizens.

I monitor the county jails, and

provide police patrol and criminal

investigations for the

unincorporated areas.

I assist patrons by recommending

and locating books, news materials

and equipment; I classify published

materials and recommend materials

to be purchased.

I apply development ordinances to

specific city proposals; I analyze

planning issues; I prepare reports; I

make presentations to citizens and

to city council.

I collect residential solid waste on

an assigned route.

I am elected by citizens to record

legal documents such as birth

certificates, death certificates,

marriage licenses, and property

deeds.

I combat, extinguish, and prevent

fires; I remove people from danger

and administer first aid; I respond

to spills/leaks of hazardous

materials; I maintain firefighting

equipment.

I help clients and their families

assess needs and develop plans for

developmentally disabled or

mentally ill clients.

I research and appraise residential,

commercial or industrial properties

for tax assessment purposes.

I provide law enforcement for the

citizens of my municipality.

I process prescription orders at the

health department; I register and

counsel patients; I maintain

inventories of drugs and supplies.

I maintain order during daily

routine at jail; I provide supervision

for and ensure security of inmates.

NC Civic Education Consortium 4

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

Color B Cards (Local Government Job Titles)

Clerk to the Board

City Planner

Sherriff

EMT/Paramedic

Firefighter

Sanitation Worker/

Solid Waste

Collector

Social Worker/

Child Support

Agent

Clerk of Court

Pharmacist

City Manager

Community Disease

Control

Specialist/Public

Health Specialist

Mental Health

Specialist/

Habilitation

Specialist

Animal Control

Officer

County

Commissioner

Tax Appraiser

Traffic Engineer

Librarian

Chief of Police

City Council

member

Detention Officer

Mayor

NC Civic Education Consortium 5

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

Name: __________________________________

Who’s Who in Local Government?

Do you know the services that your county and city government provide for you? Often times, because local government

services are so ingrained in our day to day lives, we take much of the services our city and county government provide for

granted. See if you can correctly complete the chart below.

Job Titles:

Sherriff Tax appraiser

Traffic Engineer Social Worker/Child Support Agent

Clerk to the Board County Commissioner

Mental Health Specialist/Habilitation Specialist Detention Officer

Mayor City Manager

Community Disease Control Specialist/Public Health Specialist Firefighter

Librarian Pharmacist

City Planner Animal Control Officer

Sanitation Worker/Solid Waste Collector Chief of Police

City Council member Clerk of Court

Job Description Employee of County,

Municipality, or Both?

Job Title

I attend all meetings of the Board of County

Commissioners; I draft minutes for the board’s

approval; I maintain custody of minutes, ordinances,

and resolutions; I answer questions about board

actions.

I transport patients to local medical facilities and

provide emergency medical aid and life-saving

measures.

I initiate, prepare, and enforce child support orders

for the Department of Social Services.

In a council-manager form of government, I serve as

the administrative manager of all local government

services. I serve at the pleasure of the City Council.

I pick up lost, dangerous or injured animals; I locate

owners of lost animals; I order quarantines as

necessary; I assist at the animal shelter.

I research traffic patterns; I monitor traffic

computers; I recommend adjustments in traffic light

signals to facilitate the flow of traffic.

I, and my fellow board members, make official

decisions for the city; we establish local tax rates,

adopt a budget for the city, set policies for municipal

services and pass ordinances.

I apply development ordinances to specific city

proposals; I analyze planning issues; I prepare

reports; I make presentations to citizens and to city

council.

NC Civic Education Consortium 6

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

Job Description Employee of County,

Municipality, or Both?

Job Title

I am an elected official who guides the county court

system, which is made up of district and superior

courts. Although I am elected at the county level, all

county courts are consolidated into a state court

system; thus, I am officially an employee of the

state.

I work for investigate cases of specific

communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, AIDS,

and sexually transmitted diseases; I identify contacts

of the patient and refer individuals for treatment.

Along with my fellow board members, I set the local

property tax rate. We also adopt a county budget and pass

ordinances, resolutions and orders to establish county

policies. We also appoint a clerk to keep official records

of our meetings, publish notices, conduct research, and

carry out other administrative duties.

I assist patrons by recommending and locating

books, news materials and equipment; I classify

published materials and recommend materials to be

purchased.

I am elected by citizens to record legal documents

such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage

licenses, and property deeds.

I am elected by a county’s citizens. I monitor the

county jails, and provide police patrol and criminal

investigations for the unincorporated areas.

I collect residential solid waste on an assigned

route.

I help clients and their families assess needs and

develop plans for developmentally disabled or

mentally ill clients.

I research and appraise residential, commercial or

industrial properties for tax assessment purposes.

I provide law enforcement for the citizens of my

municipality.

I maintain order during daily routine at jail; I

provide supervision for and ensure security of

inmates.

I process prescription orders at the health

department; I register and counsel patients; I

maintain inventories of drugs and supplies.

In most NC cities, I am elected by the citizens to

preside over the city or town council; I am typically

the chief spokesperson for the municipality

NC Civic Education Consortium 7

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

Answer Key

Job Description County, Municipality, or

Both?

Job Title

I attend all meetings of the Board of County

Commissioners; I draft minutes for the board’s

approval; I maintain custody of minutes, ordinances,

and resolutions; I answer questions about board

actions.

County

*not that there is a similar

position in the city (City Clerk)

Clerk to the Board

I transport patients to local medical facilities and

provide emergency medical aid and life-saving

measures.

County

(often contracted out)

EMT/Paramedic

I initiate, prepare, and enforce child support orders

for the Department of Social Services.

County Social Worker/

Child Support Agent

In a council-manager form of government, I serve as

the administrative manager of all local government

services. I serve at the pleasure of the City Council.

City

*note that there is a similar

position for counties (County

Manager)

City Manager

I pick up lost, dangerous or injured animals; I locate

owners of lost animals; I order quarantines as

necessary; I assist at the animal shelter.

City & County Animal Control Officer

I research traffic patterns; I monitor traffic

computers; I recommend adjustments in traffic light

signals to facilitate the flow of traffic.

City Traffic Engineer

I, and my fellow board members, make official

decisions for the city; we establish local tax rates,

adopt a budget for the city, set policies for municipal

services and pass ordinances.

City City Council member

I apply development ordinances to specific city

proposals; I analyze planning issues; I prepare

reports; I make presentations to citizens and to city

council.

City

*note that there is a similar

position for counties

City Planner

I combat, extinguish, and prevent fires; I remove

people from danger and administer first aid; I

respond to spills/leaks of hazardous materials; I

maintain firefighting equipment.

County

*note that volunteer

firefighters are NOT county

employees

Firefighter

I am an elected official who guides the county court

system, which is made up of district and superior

courts. Although I am elected at the county level, all

county courts are consolidated into a state court

system; thus, I am officially an employee of the

state.

County Clerk of Court

I work for investigate cases of specific

communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, AIDS,

and sexually transmitted diseases; I identify contacts

of the patient and refer individuals for treatment.

County Community Disease Control

Specialist/Public Health

Specialist

Along with my fellow board members, I set the local

property tax rate. We also adopt a county budget

and pass ordinances, resolutions and orders to

establish county policies. We also appoint a clerk to

keep official records of our meetings, publish

notices, conduct research, and carry out other

administrative duties.

County County Commissioner

I assist patrons by recommending and locating

books, news materials and equipment; I classify

published materials and recommend materials to be

purchased.

City & County Librarian

NC Civic Education Consortium 8

Visit our Database of K-12 Resources at http://database.civics.unc.edu/

I am elected by citizens to record legal documents

such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage

licenses, and property deeds.

County Register of Deeds

I am elected by a county’s citizens. I monitor the

county jails, and provide police patrol and criminal

investigations for the unincorporated areas.

County Sherriff

I collect residential solid waste on an assigned

route.

City & County (often

contracted out)

Sanitation Worker/

Solid Waste Collector

I help clients and their families assess needs and

develop plans for developmentally disabled or

mentally ill clients.

County Mental Health Specialist/

Habilitation Specialist

I research and appraise residential, commercial or

industrial properties for tax assessment purposes.

County Tax Appraiser

I provide law enforcement for the citizens of my

municipality.

City Chief of Police

I maintain order during daily routine at jail; I

provide supervision for and ensure security of

inmates.

County Detention Officer

I process prescription orders at the health

department; I register and counsel patients; I

maintain inventories of drugs and supplies.

County Pharmacist

In most NC cities, I am elected by the citizens to

preside over the city or town council; I am typically

the chief spokesperson for the municipality

City Mayor