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vary widely. A few counties elect their board members for a term of one year, but generally these
are the counties that elect board members by townships. More counties elect on a four-year term
schedule with the overlapping of some members, but nearly as many counties elect on a four-year
term schedule with no overlapping. Overlapping terms are less common in counties that have a two
or three-year system. Counties that employ a county court system commonly have a chairman or
“county judge” elected for an eight-year term with a balance of the board elected for a shorter
term, usually four years.
There is no pattern for the name of the governing body, the number serving on it, the term
of office of its members or the method of election. The fact that there is not greater uniformity does
not necessarily mean that this unit of government is poor or inefficient. What is bad is that this
great variance continues to exist without thought or reason, except for habit. This inattention to the
form and structure of county government, coupled with false devotion to archaic methods of
operation, too often prevents the needed and timely modernization of county government, which
would more effectively handle the new assignments it is increasingly being given. For example, the
statutory restriction on the number of successive terms a commissioner may serve in New Mexico
serves to ensure a constant turnover of public officials and a disruption in county government.
Functions of County Government
Many of the duties that have been assigned to the county level of government are
administered by, and the responsibility of, independently functioning boards and committees.
These bodies, while a part of county government, often are not responsible to the county governing
body and many times are not salaried positions, but are filled by volunteers. Nevertheless, when the
general public thinks of county government and its functions, they think of the sum total of the
duties given to this level of government without thought about who has the responsibility for the
proper administration of each function.
The traditional functions of county government, regardless of the unit having administrative
responsibility, include the enforcement of the law, levying and collection of property taxes, conduct
of elections, judicial administration, highway construction and maintenance, recording of legal
documents, and indigent healthcare. In almost every case the county originally served, and in many
instances still serves, as the administrative arm of the state, with some direct responsibility to a
variety of state officials.
As the population grows and demand for new services rise, some state legislatures have
given additional responsibilities to county governments. Sometimes these responsibilities have
come at the request of the counties; many times they have not. The additional responsibilities that
counties may assume, or be mandated to assume, include 1) creation of, construction of and
operation of hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, airports, parks, forests and recreational areas; 2)
provision of general health protection; 3) agricultural aid; 4) weed and predator control; 5) fire
protection; 6) sewer and water systems or other utility services; 7) maintenance of community
mental health facilities; 8) regulation of liquor establishments; 9) recreation and amusement
centers in unincorporated areas; 10) construction and operation of sewer and water systems; 11)
establishment of housing and redevelopment authorities; 12) solid waste management; and 13) civil
defense and emergency preparedness. Counties are also assuming responsibility for long-term
community development using various land use controls (i.e. zoning and subdivision regulation).