Selected Population Characteristics of

Unicounty and Multicounty SMSA's, by Size Class: 1970

CC Pop. Growth (% change 1960-70)

44.0

.75

32.4

3.7

37.3 14.1

157.7

6.2

14.2 12.1

UC MC 14.5

UC MC

UC

MC

UC

MC

4.0

22.1

2.7

20.1

15.2

13.3

32.2

even more apparent when other demographic factors are considered. As Table IV-5 notes, central cities of unicounty SMSA's still experience considerable increases in white population, exhibit substantial population in-migration, and are about 10 percent nonwhite. These trends stand in contrast with central cities nationwide, many of which are undergoing precipitous declines in white population, heavy net out-migration of population, and rapidly increasing concentrations of non-whites.

The growth and demographic patterns of central cities in unicounty SMSA's differ, then, from those of multicounty metropolitan areas. Not to be overlooked are the contrasts in the nature of their respective suburban areas. As both Tables IV-4 and IV-5 show, the "outside central city" (OCC) portions of most unicounty metropolitan areas tend to be of a lightly urbanized or rural nature. In the smaller unicounty metropolitan areas, one-half to three-quarters of the OCC population is of a rural character. Moreover, in the 112 unicounty SMSA's for which population data are available, 46 suburban areas experienced lower population growth rates than central cities, 17 had actual population declines between 1960 and 1970, and 37 showed net outmigration during the same period.

The suburban portions of most multicounty SMSA's are more urbanized than those of unicounty metropolitan areas. In the large SMSA's, less than 30 percent of the suburban population resides in rural areas. In the smaller multicounty areas, however, one-third to three-fourths of the OCC population is rural. Thus, smaller SMSA's tend to have similar rural population characteristics regardless of whether they are of a single-county or multicounty nature.

In summary, most single-county metropolitan areas tend to have relatively small populations; growth rates above the national average; central cities which continue to be predominantly white; and suburban portions more frequently rural than urban. In short, unicounty SMSA's are apt to be more central-city dominated and to exhibit urbanrural rather than urban-suburban population differentiations, though this varies with population size and geographic location.

GOVERNMENTAL PROFILE

Thirty-nine percent of the 127 single-county SMSA's have county boards with an appointed administrator or a county manager, and 8 percent have elected chief executives. Fifty-four percent have a commission form of government with no recognized administrator. In 13 States all of the singlecounty SMSA's operate under the commission system. 18

Modernized county government structures are

found in larger population areas. Of the 38.2 million people residing in unicounty SMSA's, 57 percent are governed under a council-administrator plan and 9 percent under an elected county executive system. Thus, even though 54 percent of the single-county SMSA's have. a traditional commission form of government, they serve only 34 percent of the unicounty metropolitan area population.

Use of the county administrator form of government is confined to a few States. Twenty-three of the 49 counties having this system are located in seven States, including 12 of the 13 counties in California, both of Georgia's unicounty SMSA's, and one each in Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota, Virginia, and North Carolina. The county manager plan is more dispersed geographically, appearing in California, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Florida. 19

The form of government and its legal basis in single-county SMSA's differ sharply from those of counties in general. A 1970 ACIR-NACO-ICMA mail survey of all counties revealed that of the 993 responding (about 34 percent) 80 percent reported having the plural executive or commission form of government, compared to 45 percent of the singlecounty SMSA's. Only 20 percent of the participating jurisdictions used the county administrator county executive plan, in contrast to 46 percent of the single-county SMSA's.

or

A follow-up to the 1970 survey aimed exclusively at unicounty SMSA's revealed some additional aspects of their legal basis. 20 Table IV-6 shows that the State constitution provided the basis for the form of government in 19 of the 39 counties without a recognized administrator, and for eight of the 34 county commissions with an appointed administrator. State enabling legislation was the legal basis for county organization in all forms except the county executive, which usually is a result of a county charter. The low degree of reliance on charter provisions reflects the fact that home rule is still not a widespread phenomenon in county governments; according to the National Association of Counties, 15 States currently have charter counties, although others authorize varying degrees of county home. rule in structural, functional, or fiscal matters. 21

Central and fringe county governments in multicounty SMSA's also derive their legal basis from State constitution or statute. Like unicounty SMSA's, their infrequent use of charter provisions or county ordinances reflects the limited application of home rule.

Governmental Density

Single-county SMSA's exhibit somewhat less governmental fragmentation than the average metropolitan area. As of 1967, the average uni

Population Characteristics

Selected Demographic Characteristics of

Unicounty and Multicounty SMSA's, by Size Class: 1970

county SMSA had 10 municipalities, 6 townships, 14 school districts, and 19 special districts. This compares with an average of 22 municipalities, 14 townships, 31 school districts, and 22 special districts in the typical metropolitan area. 22

Governmental fragmentation in unicounty SMSA's follows established regional patterns. It is most pronounced in California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania and least evident in several southern States - Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia - where the local governmental structure is relatively simple.

Reforms such as alternative executive forms of government have apparently had no relationship with the amount of governmental proliferation. As Table IV-7 indicates, even those States that have experienced the greatest success in adopting the county executive and manager forms of government (California) still face a jurisdictionally fragmented environment exceeding that of States where there has been more reliance on traditional forms of county government (Texas). Of course, State law is often a prime factor in this situation.

Performance of Functions

One basic test of a metropolitan county as an areawide government is the extent to which it performs urban and regional services. Another yardstick is whether such services are provided only in unincorporated areas or on a countywide basis.

Urban or municipal-type services include fire protection, refuse and garbage collection, libraries, parks and recreation, hospitals, and parking. Regional services include mass transit, airports, junior colleges, solid waste disposal, and air and water pollution abatement. Traditional county services include the coroner, jails and detention homes, public welfare, natural resources, conservation, licensing, tax assessment and collection, administration of courts and prosecution, election administration and record keeping, and public works and road and highway maintenance.

Types of County Services. Data on the functional responsibilities of the metropolitan counties surveyed indicate that as of 1970 upwards of 60 percent of all responding single-county SMSA governments performed the following traditional county services. 23

Public Safety

Police Protection
Coroner's Office

Corrections

Jails and Detention Homes

Probation and Parole Services

Public Welfare

General Assistance

Medical Assistance

Transportation

Maintenance of Roads and Highways

Health

Public Health

Mental Health

Financial Administration

Tax Assessment and Collection

General Court Administration

Courts

Prosecution

Public Defender

Other, less traditional responsibilities assumed by under two-fifths of the reporting unicounty jurisdictions included junior colleges, special educational programs, mosquito abatement, ambulance service, cemeteries, central purchasing, and data processing.

A number of unicounty SMSA's also performed regional services. At least two-fifths, for example, were responsible for solid waste disposal and air and water pollution control.

Turning to urban services, more than half the single-county metropolitan areas played a role in libraries, crippled children care, and parks and recreation. However, fewer than 40 percent administered fire protection, airport, sewers, or sewage disposal programs. Moreover, one-fifth or less were responsible for mass transit, parking, refuse collection, public housing, urban renewal, and industrial development.

A randomly selected sample of 166 ACIR-NACOICMA survey respondents from unicounty SMSA's and the central and suburban fringe jurisdictions in multicounty metropolitan areas provides a basis for comparing their involvement in the performance of urban, regional, and traditional functions. Clearly, in 1970 the service delivery systems in the bulk of the counties sampled were heavily oriented to traditional functions.

As shown in Table IV-8, libraries and parks and recreation were the urban services typically found in both single-county and multicounty areas. Fire protection also was often furnished by counties in both kinds of metropolitan area, particularly unicounty jurisdictions. Hospitals tended to be provided more by county governments in multicounty SMSA's, especially suburban counties.

Solid waste disposal was the most common

regional service delivered in single- and multicounty SMSA's. Counties in the former also were involved in air pollution abatement. With respect to the latter, central counties were active in sewers and sewage disposal and in water pollution abatement, while suburban jurisdictions were responsible for airport development.

Law enforcement and criminal justice administration (jails, courts, coroner's office, probation, and police) predominated among the traditional services offered by unicounty SMSA governments, although central counties in multicounty SMSA's also were heavily involved in jails and detention homes; suburban jurisdictions were active in the probation, police, and coroner areas. In addition, health care appears to be a common county function in multicounty metropolitan areas.

Area of Service. Turning to the areal dimension of service delivery, Table IV-8 illustrates that most functions were performed by unicounty, central, and suburban county governments on a countywide basis. Three in particular, however, tended to be provided by several of each type of jurisdiction only in unincorporated areas-police, fire protection, and road and highway maintenance.

Table IV-9 gives a clearer picture of the range of services provided by counties. Based on a random sample of 162 survey respondents, it reveals few significant differences among metropolitan counties in the degree to which they furnish services on a countywide or less than countywide basis.

In terms of countywide services, 16 percent of the unicounty area governments provided more than 33 distinct county services, compared to 13 percent of the central counties and 9 percent of the suburban fringe jurisdictions. On the other hand, 42 percent of the single-county SMSA's provided 18 or fewer countywide services, compared to 31 percent of the central and 35 percent of the suburban counties. Multicounty SMSA county governments also were much more likely to furnish from 22 to 32 services than were unicounty jurisdictions.