ABSTRACT

In history, rural political interests that were antithetical to those of urban areas dominated legislatures. This chapter discusses how Reynolds v. Sims changed that by introducing the one-person, one-vote concept to legislative districting. It examines the intergovernmental dynamics of regional and metropolitan governance as seen through the dark lens of continued assertions of state control over local governments. The chapter discusses fiscal relations, interorganizational service agreements, legal frameworks for intergovernmental partnerships, annexation, city-county partnerships, and formal multijurisdictional purposive and governing structures. One of the preferred mechanisms for interorganizational service agreements is through intergovernmental partnerships. While it would seem that the states would have little stake in city-county partnerships, even city-county consolidation, the reality is that legislatures are reluctant to sanction such efforts.