Local governments provide citizens with basic services such as education, police and fire protection, water, and sewage and sanitation. Local government is the form of government closest and most accessible to you. Chapter 24 discusses the structure and function of local governments.

Section 1 discusses the structures and functions of counties, townships, municipalities, and special districts.

Section 2 enumerates the services that local governments provide, such as education, fire and police protection, water, sewage and sanitation services, trash collection, libraries, and recreation. It also discusses the most important form of revenue for local governments—property taxes.

Section 3 explores the challenges of urban growth, including housing shortages, inadequate transportation, pollution, poverty, and crime. It also touches on ways cities have tried to stimulate their economic development, namely by revitalization and giving tax incentives to industries that relocate there.