two tier government
A two-tier government is one of four forms of metropolitan government discussed on our book. The two-tier government phenomenon will occur as a governmental relationship between a larger government body such a county or state and one or many smaller governments such as cities or counties. A two-tier government, which distributes powers and functions among regional and local levels of government, is theoretically the optimal system of metropolitan governance. Under a two-tier government, local government in theory remain intact and autonomous. A regional tier assumes responsibility for area wide functions, many of which were previously provided at the local level by the individual municipality. A two-tier government also provides the necessary economies of scale to deliver large-scale services such as high cost municipal services and education. In the late 1950’s, the first two-tier government in North America, known as the two-tier federation of Metro Toronto, was put into practice. The concept was initiated in 1953 by the Ontario Province Municipal Board in response to rapid postwar suburban growth and it became the model for future two-tier government attempts. ... Metro Toronto created an upper tier regional government to provide planning, water, sewer, roads, senior housing, regional parks, and school funding.