CMM Intergovernmental Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A regional council of governments (COG) differs from a general-purpose municipality primarily because COGs:
- Have taxing authority and can levy property taxes
- Are voluntary associations of local governments without direct regulatory power over citizens (Correct answer)
- Are established by federal statute rather than state law
- Can annex unincorporated territory
Correct answer: Are voluntary associations of local governments without direct regulatory power over citizens
COGs are voluntary, multi-jurisdictional planning and coordination bodies that lack direct authority over citizens and depend on member governments to implement their recommendations.
Question 2: Which U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that Congress cannot compel state officers to implement federal regulatory programs?
- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
- South Dakota v. Dole (1987)
- Printz v. United States (1997) (Correct answer)
- National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012)
Correct answer: Printz v. United States (1997)
In Printz v. United States, the Supreme Court held that the federal government cannot commandeer state executive officials to administer or enforce federal regulatory programs.
Question 3: When a state imposes an unfunded mandate on municipalities, it requires local governments to:
- Receive and administer a new federal grant program
- Perform a service or activity without providing the funding to do so (Correct answer)
- Transfer a function to a regional authority
- Enter into a cooperative purchasing agreement
Correct answer: Perform a service or activity without providing the funding to do so
An unfunded mandate requires local governments to provide services or comply with requirements without accompanying state financial support, straining local budgets.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes the role of a metropolitan planning organization (MPO)?
- A state agency that approves local zoning ordinances
- A federally required body that coordinates transportation planning in urbanized areas (Correct answer)
- A nonprofit organization that lobbies Congress on behalf of cities
- A special district that provides public transit services
Correct answer: A federally required body that coordinates transportation planning in urbanized areas
MPOs are federally mandated bodies that coordinate transportation planning in urbanized areas with populations over 50,000, ensuring federal transportation funds align with regional plans.
Question 5: A city manager negotiating a service delivery agreement with the county should ensure the agreement addresses which critical element FIRST?
- The political affiliation of county commissioners
- The scope of services, performance standards, and cost allocation methodology (Correct answer)
- The number of full-time equivalents the county will hire
- Whether the agreement will be publicized in local media
Correct answer: The scope of services, performance standards, and cost allocation methodology
Effective intergovernmental service agreements must clearly define scope, measurable performance standards, and how costs will be calculated and shared to avoid future disputes.
Question 6: Under the principle of fiscal equivalence, local government service areas should ideally:
- Match the geographic boundaries of the tax base that funds the service (Correct answer)
- Extend to the full metropolitan statistical area regardless of jurisdiction
- Be determined exclusively by state administrative boundaries
- Follow congressional district lines for federal grant eligibility
Correct answer: Match the geographic boundaries of the tax base that funds the service
Fiscal equivalence holds that the jurisdiction providing a service, the jurisdiction benefiting from it, and the jurisdiction paying for it should be the same, minimizing spillovers.
Question 7: Which of the following intergovernmental tools allows two or more jurisdictions to jointly exercise a power that each holds individually, often for procurement or infrastructure?
- Devolution
- Cooperative purchasing agreement (Correct answer)
- Revenue sharing
- Federal preemption waiver
Correct answer: Cooperative purchasing agreement
Cooperative purchasing agreements allow multiple jurisdictions to pool their buying power, achieving economies of scale while legally exercising their individual procurement authority jointly.
CMM Intergovernmental Relations 3
A regional council of governments (COG) differs from a general-purpose municipality primarily because COGs: