The History of County Government<=
/p>
History of County
Government in Iowa
The first two Iowa countie=
s, Dubuque and Demoine (later changed to Des Moines) were created in 1834. These territorial divisions were m=
ade so
people didn’t have to travel to Des
Moines to pay their taxes, file a lawsuit, or to
report a crime. Dubuque and Des Moines counties were divided into
townships and the “township-supervisor” form of government was
established with three supervisors and 15 other officials, including six
justices of the peace, selected by the Governor of Michigan to govern the
county. This form of governme=
nt
faced many hindrances. There =
was a
lack of cooperation, conferences of the supervisors were not held as freque=
ntly
as needed due to road conditions and poor mail service, prompt action was
usually impossible, and the system was criticized for being expensive.=
Two years later, in 1836, Iowa
became part of the Wiscon=
sin
Territory and the
structure of its county government was sharply revised. The “county commissionerR=
21;
system, which originated in P=
ennsylvania
nearly a century before, was adopted.
Under the new system, direct administrative power was removed from t=
he
township and vested in a commission.
The county commission consisted of three members that were elected a=
nd
authorized to conduct the county’s business. By 1851, all county officials were
elected. Some legislators felt the county commission system was cumbersome,
slow-moving, and expensive. O=
thers
had little faith in the average citizen to govern.
In 1851, the Iowa Legislature abolished the county commission=
er
system and replaced it with a one man “county judge” system. In 1860, after numerous studies an=
d much
debate, the judge system was terminated in favor of the township-supervisor
form, similar to the one first utilized when Iowa
was part of the Michigan<=
/st1:PlaceName>
Territory. In 1870, the township-supervisor f=
orm of
government was replaced with the “county board of supervisors” =
form
of government. The board of
supervisors was in effect a county commission, but the Legislature decided =
to
call them supervisors in order to avoid printing new stationary and forms.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Under the new plan, the number of supervisors were reduced to three, with prov=
isions
for five or seven, if desired. They
were to be elected at large or from districts as each county might decide; =
and
they were to supervise the townships rather than represent them. This basic form of government has
survived until today.
The county board of supervisors fo=
rm of
government has gone through numerous changes since 1870, but mostly due to =
the
addition of new functions and responsibilities. Huge changes have occurred in the
American lifestyle, which have in turn affected roads and welfare in Iowa. The advent of motor vehicles at th=
e turn
of the century brought an immediate need for updating the road system and f=
or
counties to hire a county engineer. &=
nbsp;
And the Depression proved that counties needed massive aid from the
federal and state governments in order to properly care for the poor. The county has become the administ=
rative
unit for many social programs and new functions and responsibilities that h=
ave
been added to government.
Co=
unty Government Timeline
1834 =
First
two Iowa counties created (Dubuque
and Des Moines).
Township supervisors system adopted (three supervisors and 15 other officia=
ls
selected by the Governor of Michigan).&nbs=
p;
Iowa part of the Michigan territory.<=
/p>
1836 &=
nbsp; County
commission system adopted (three elected officials cond=
uct
county’s business). Iowa pa=
rt of
the Wisconsin Territory. 21 counties in=
Iowa.
1846 &=
nbsp; Iowa beco=
mes a
state. 44
counties in Iowa<=
/st1:State>.
1851 &=
nbsp; “Judge
system” adopted (county judge vested with
executive, administrative, legislative and judicial authority). Subject of controversy.
1857 &=
nbsp; Present
constitution adopted. 99 counties in =
Iowa.
1860 &=
nbsp; Township
supervisors system reestablished.
1870 &=
nbsp; Supervisor
system adopted (3 or 5 supervisors elected at large or from districts in
partisan elections) and still used today.
1897 &=
nbsp; General
Assembly sets structure and duties of county government.<=
/p>
1929 &=
nbsp; All
significant authority of township supervisors transferred to county
supervisors.
1959 &=
nbsp; Counties
allowed to combine some offices.
1966 &=
nbsp; Legislation
passed allowing joint exercise of governmental power (including city-county
agreements).
1978 &=
nbsp; County
home rule amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa was approved by the voters and be=
came
law.
&n=
bsp;
History of Count=
y
Government in the United States
The origin of the American county is from the French word
“conte,” meaning the domain of a count. The American county is defined by
Webster as “the largest territorial division for local government wit=
hin
a state of the U.S.<=
/st1:place>” Webster’s definition is base=
d on
the Anglo-Saxon county, sometimes called a shire. The head of the shire in the British Isles was the Shire Reeve, the origin for
today’s county sheriff.
Serving a dual function, the shire acted as the administrative arm of
the national government as well as the citizen’s local government.
The county came to America
with the first colonies in Virginia, Massachusetts, New York
and Pennsylvania<=
/st1:State>. In early American colonial times, =
the
basic unit of local government in the New England
colonies was the town. In the southern states the county developed without
townships as subdivisions. As=
the
nation expanded, new states tended to adopt either the New
England approach or the southern plan.
Counties were established to carry out a variety of functions=
not
performed by smaller towns. When our national government was formed, the
Constitution did not provide for local governments, leaving the matter of l=
ocal
government to the states.
Subsequently, early state constitutions generally conceptualized cou=
nty
government as an arm of the state. As the <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">United States grew westward, =
county
government developed as the basic unit of local government with responsibil=
ity
for delivery of public services in large regions containing widely dispersed
rural populations.
After World War I, population growth, suburban development, a=
nd
the government reform movement strengthened the role of local governments.
Those developments set the stage for post World War II urbanization. Changes in structure, greater autonomy from the states, rising
revenues, and stronger political accountability ushered in a new era for co=
unty
government. The counties began providing an ever widening range of
services. These trends continue to be in place today.
Co=
unty Government Today
Today, there are 99 counties in Iowa
ranging in population from about 4,400 residents (Adams
County) to approximately 380,000
residents (Polk County). All 99 counties operate u=
nder
the board of supervisor form of government provided by state law and have
supported home rule as provided for in the state constitution and legislati=
on
enacted in 1978.
Historically, the role of counties has been to serve as an
administrative arm of the state - maintaining records, providing courts and=
law
enforcement, building roads, assisting the mentally ill, immunizing childre=
n,
assessing property and collecting taxes, and conducting elections. Counties
still perform these functions, as well as others, through full-time elected
officials including a board of county supervisors, a sheriff, recorder,
treasurer, attorney, and auditor.
Information for this publication taken from “Evolution =
of
County Government in Iowa” by State of Iowa Office for Planning and
Programming; “New Directions for County Government” by Iowa
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
For Further Informati=
on
Contact:
Iowa State
Association of Counties
501 SW 7th St.<=
span
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:maroon'>, Ste=
. Q Des Moines, IA 50309=
-4540
(515)=
244-7181
Fax: (515) 244-6397
Web S=
ite:
www.iowacounties.org