Discovering the Value of City Government

Abstract

Its goal of providing local services leads city government to define itself by whatever it happens to be doing. But thinking about city government in this way brings city officials no closer to a framework from which they can manage the organization’s activities effectively. City government is not a water bill, a building permit, a business license, or an emergency service call. City government is not whatever the city government happens to be doing. City government is the institution that protects us so we can plan our days, choose our careers, and live our lives. And city government is the institution that ensures that we can move about our cities and pursue our own goals. Residents and business owners need a city government that acts, not as an end in itself, but as a means to their ends. Communities need an authority designated to resolve conflicts among residents and businesses. Communities need that authority to apply the legislative and enforcement powers of government to define and enforce personal and property rights to assure residents’ and business owners’ freedom to engage in personal and commercial activities. This is why we establish local governments.