Public Policy & Administration Flashcards
7 cards from real CMO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Public Policy & Administration flashcards as text
Which doctrine holds that when state law and local ordinance conflict on the same subject, state law prevails?
Answer: State preemption
State preemption holds that state statutes supersede conflicting local ordinances on the same subject matter.
A neighborhood group formally organized to provide input on a proposed highway project is an example of:
Answer: Citizen advisory committee
Citizen advisory committees give organized community input into government decisions, helping administrators understand public preferences.
Which concept describes the phenomenon where public agencies tend to expand their budgets and staff beyond what is necessary to achieve their mission?
Answer: Bureaucratic pathology / Parkinson's Law
Parkinson's Law (a form of bureaucratic pathology) holds that work expands to fill available time and resources, leading agencies to grow beyond efficiency.
A municipality seeking to fund a major infrastructure project without a general tax increase could use which financing mechanism backed by future project-related revenues?
Answer: Revenue bond
Revenue bonds are repaid from the specific revenues generated by the financed project (e.g., toll fees, utility charges) rather than general tax revenues.
Which administrative process allows citizens who believe they have been harmed by a government decision to seek formal review and remedy?
Answer: Administrative appeal / quasi-judicial hearing
Administrative appeals and quasi-judicial hearings provide affected parties a formal process to challenge agency decisions and seek remedies.
When a municipality benchmarks its service delivery costs against peer cities, the primary goal is to:
Answer: Identify best practices and measure relative efficiency
Benchmarking compares performance metrics against peer organizations to identify gaps, learn best practices, and drive efficiency improvements.
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that municipalities maintain a general fund reserve equal to at minimum:
Answer: Two months (approximately 17%) of annual expenditures
GFOA recommends maintaining an unrestricted general fund balance of at least two months (approximately 17%) of regular general fund operating revenues or expenditures.