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[美国]美国的乡 [复制链接]

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只看楼主 倒序阅读 0 发表于: 2008-02-05
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乡(civil township)广阔的用于美国的低于县的地方政府。它们的法律职责和自治程度因州而异。这里的乡不同于土地测量乡(survey townships),但在具有两种乡的州,它们的边界是一致的。美国人口普查局把乡(部分州称作“镇”)放在县下次级分区(minor civil divisions)中。

乡的职能通常由委员会(名称因州而异)或者办事员行使。乡的官员通常包括治安法官(justice of the peace)、道路委员(road commissioner)、审核员(assessor)、治安官(constable)和测量员(surveyor)。在20世纪,许多乡又增加了乡行政官或者乡监督官作为委员会的执行者。某些例子,乡还运营地方图书馆、老年服务、少年服务、残疾人服务、急救甚至墓葬服务。

中西部、中部和西部各州
多数西部州只有土地测量乡,这意味着所有的在建制市外的政府活动都由县的层级来行使。

在上中西部各州靠近大湖地区,乡(在密歇根州被称为一般法律乡)和土地测量乡重叠。各乡的政府运作程度因州而异,甚至州内各乡也不一样。如,在伊利诺伊州北部,各乡积极的提供公共服务,如道路维护、校外看护和老年服务,但该州南部各乡常常不做这些,把这些让县政府运作。多数该州的乡还为居住在未建制区域的居民提供如下服务:除雪、老年人交通和急救。

这些州的乡通常被认为是未建制,而邻近市的乡土地可能因便利而被合并于市。在密歇根州,一般法律乡(general law townships)可以建制成为宪章乡(charter township),该地位用于保护乡被毗邻市镇吞并,这些乡被授予一些同市类似的自治权限。在威斯康辛州,一些地区称为“镇”而不是“乡”,但实质上是一回事。在明尼苏达州,州法提及这些实体,包括镇,使用“XX乡”形式。在文件和非正式会谈中,镇和乡在使用上可以互换。明尼苏达州的乡可以是乡村的也可以是城市化的,后者被授予更大的政府职能,但名称没有改变。

宾夕法尼亚州和新泽西州
宾夕法尼亚州的乡是地方政府单元,负责市镇之外的道路维护。乡根据山川行便原则建立,面积差异巨大,从10~74km2(6~40平方英里)。新泽西州的乡是市镇政府的一种形式,在法律地位上等同于村、镇、自治市镇(borough)和市。

东北各州
在新英格兰和纽约州,县被划分为市、镇,两种主要的地方政府形式。这些州的一些居民并没有意识到把乡适用在他们的地方政府上,尽管美国人口普查局把他们看成一回事。此外,虽然这些州的镇在法律上同市一样,但人口普查局更多地考虑定居的模式和发展程度而不是政府意义上。新英格兰和纽约州的镇同美国中西部的北部的乡类似,它们都有一个或者多个小的中心建成区,并被更大的为开发地区环绕。然而,新英格兰的市也有可能只是这种发展程度。在人烟稀少的缅因州和新罕布什尔州部分地区,县未建制部分被划分为乡。

南部各州
在南部,县内市和镇之外的地区通常没有地方政府。因为这些州在西北法令前就被测量,于是通常没有土地测量乡。但亚拉巴马州有,因为亚拉巴马领地建立得相对比较晚。

北卡罗来纳州是个例外,因为域外管辖,甚至镇都有乡(这句没看明白)。根据1868年的被卡罗来纳州宪法,每个县划分了乡,因而存在着大量的独立乡。在一些城市化的县,如夏洛特所在的梅克伦堡(Mecklenburg)县,乡不使用它们自己的名字而使用编号。州内所有乡以前有一些政府职责,但现在只作为县的形式划分,只有在土地测量和地产文件中有作用。
缩省并县,省县直辖,县下设市,市镇平等
地域平等,市镇平等,设市平等(见头像)
省—县—适域市(5万起)、小广域镇,B、C。。。市
省—县域市(城市几乎充满县域,100万起)A市
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只看该作者 1 发表于: 2008-02-05
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies civil townships (called "towns" in some states) as minor civil divisions.

Township functions are generally attended to by a governing board (the name varies from state to state) and a clerk. Township officers frequently include justice of the peace, road commissioner, assessor, constable, and surveyor. In the 20th century many townships also added a township administrator or supervisor to the officers as an executive for the board. In some cases townships run local libraries, senior citizen services, youth services, disabled citizen services, emergency assistance, and even cemetery services.

Midwestern, central and western states
Most western states have only survey townships, such that all local government outside of incorporated municipalities is performed at the county level.

In the Upper Midwestern states near the Great Lakes, civil townships (known in Michigan as general law townships[1]) are overlaid on the survey townships. The degree to which these townships are functioning governmental entities varies from state to state and in some cases even within a state. For example, in Illinois townships in the northern part of the state are active in providing public services -- such as road maintenance, after-school care, and senior services -- whereas townships in southern Illinois frequently abandon these services in favor of the county. Most townships in Illinois also provide services such as snow removal, senior transportation and emergency services to households residing in unincorporated parts of the county.

Civil townships in these states are generally not considered to be incorporated, and nearby cities may annex land in adjoining townships with relative ease. In Michigan, general law townships can incorporate as charter townships, a status intended to protect against annexation from nearby municipalities and which grants the township some home rule powers similar to cities. In Wisconsin, such regions are known as "towns" rather than townships, but they are essentially the same thing. In Minnesota, state statute refers to such entities as towns yet requires them to have a name in the form "Name Township". In both documents and conversation, "town" and "township" are used interchangeably. Minnesota townships can be either Non-Urban or Urban (giving the township government greater power), but this is not reflected in the township's name.



Pennsylvania and New Jersey
A Pennsylvania township is a unit of local government, responsible for services such as local road and street maintenance outside of cities or boroughs. Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to forty square miles (10–74 km²). New Jersey township is a form of municipal government equal in status to a village, town, borough, or city.


Northeastern states
In New England and New York, counties are further subdivided into towns and cities, the principal forms of local government. Some residents of these states do not generally recognize the word "township" as applying to their local governments, although the U.S. Census Bureau treats them identically. (Even though towns in these states are legally equal to cities in status, the Census is more concerned with patterns of settlement and development than the means of government; New England and New York towns are similar to townships in the northern Midwest in typically having one or more small built-up central districts surrounded by a much larger area of less intensive development. However, cities in New England may have this development pattern as well.) In sparsely settled portions of Maine and New Hampshire, county subdivisions that are not incorporated are referred to as townships.


Southern states
In the South, outside of cities and towns there is generally no local government beyond the county. As these states were surveyed prior to the Northwest Ordinance, there are generally no survey townships, either, although there are in Alabama, as Alabama Territory was relatively late in being established.

North Carolina is an exception to this rule, and even the towns have townships due to extraterritorial jurisdiction. Numerous independent townships also exist, as every county is divided into townships as mandated since the North Carolina Constitution of 1868. Some urbanized counties such as Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) now number their townships (i.e. "Township 12") rather than using their real names. Townships all over the state used to have some official organization and duties, but now are only considered ceremonial divisions of each county, used on land surveys and other real estate documents.
缩省并县,省县直辖,县下设市,市镇平等
地域平等,市镇平等,设市平等(见头像)
省—县—适域市(5万起)、小广域镇,B、C。。。市
省—县域市(城市几乎充满县域,100万起)A市
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