ABSTRACT
Seemingly the levels above municipal governments are county governments and special districts. While these two types of governments are quite different, the author have chosen to address their roles in metropolitan governance together because both play relatively limited roles in the broad sweep of public policy making. In theory, the structure of most county governments reflects an idealized notion of citizen government. The commissioners serve as both legislators and administrators, making sure the interests of the citizens are protected, while the election of the row officers guarantees closeness of the administration to the public. The idea of a two-tiered government configuration is most closely associated with the United Kingdom. Both local and metropolitan governments have been active participants in shared services efforts. In northern, Virginia forming the western part of metropolitan Washington, DC, there were two small governments, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. The most common special district model is the small, geographically distinct overlay model.
