Abstract
Chapter 5, "The Authority Problem," addresses the constitutional, legal, and judicial powers of municipalities. [David R. Berman] points out that only one in ten cities eligible to adopt home rule have done so (74). He also emphasizes the significant problem of how state statutes, executive orders, and administrative regulations can number as many as four hundred for local governments to administer. Chapter 6, "The Revenue Problem," outlines how local governments are constrained by fiscal controls, a restricted revenue base, and yearly state aid battles in trying to provide local- and state-mandated services. Chapter 7, "The Takeover Problem," addresses how the 1980s and 1990s saw state takeovers of financially distressed local governments and "academically bankrupt" school districts. The chapter presents two models of state government leadership--the proactive and the reactive--to discuss their impact on local home rule.
