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Understanding the top things that make special districts special

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Special districts California are separate local governments that deliver public services to designated areas. They can be distinguished by their characteristics: governed by a board, which is a form of government that provides facilities, and services and have defined boundaries.



Competing demands and inadequate tax bases for existing taxes make it difficult for counties and cities to provide all the necessary services their citizens want. When landowners and residents want higher levels of existing services or new services, they can form a district to pay for them.



Irrigation districts, fire districts, and pest control districts are available today because taxpayers were ready to pay taxes for public services they needed. Special-purpose districts localize the benefits and costs of public services. They also allow locals to obtain the services they need at a price they are comfortable with and willing to pay.

So what is special about special districts? Special purpose districts are types of local government that deliver specific services within the defined boundaries. Special purpose districts deliver diverse services such as closed captioned television, water, mosquito abatement and fire protection. A lot of special districts serve a single purpose such as the treatment of sewage and so on.



Others are formed to address a lot of needs and can offer sixteen different services. The service areas of special purpose districts can range from single city blocks to vast areas which cross county and city lines.



Special districts also enjoy a lot of the same governing powers as other counties and cities. They can also enter into written agreements, acquire real estate property through domain or buy and employ workers. They can also collect taxes, levy assessments, issue debts, and more and they charge fees for their services. Special purpose districts, like other forms of government, can be sued and they can also sue. They can adopt a seal and change it at will.



They have tax power and corporate power but rarely police power. Corporate power typically is the ability of the district to do things such as constructing public projects such as sewers and dams. It is the power of delivering recreation programs and collecting garbage. The tax power, on the other hand, is the authority of the district to raise money from the public to pay for these services and projects.



The police power is very different – it is the authority of the district to regulate private behavior in order to accomplish a certain public objective. Governments that create rules and have them enforced use police powers – requiring business licenses, zoning property, or setting limits.



Special purpose districts rarely have police powers. They instead build public facilities and provide the necessary services that the people want. When special purpose districts have police powers, they are related to some corporate power.



What special districts are not?



Now that we know what special districts California are, it is crucial to know what they are not. They are not state governments because they are local agencies that provide dedicated services to specific communities. They are also not county and city governments.

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