States Without County Government

Two of our bordering states, Connecticut and Massachusetts have virtually eliminated county government. Connecticut eliminated county government in the 1960's and Massachusetts in the 1990's. Rhode Island also has no county government.

Massachusetts

The State of Massachusetts eliminated most of the county government in 1998.

The following factors led up to the abolishment of county government.
Factors that led up to the abolishment of county government.

• Duplication and Inefficiencies
• Rising Costs
• Corruption, Patronage and Mis-management
• New Legislative Leadership and Political Will
• Cooperation of All Political Parties

How It Was Accomplished

• County transferred the administration responsibility and cost of Welfare/Social Services to The State
• County transferred the administration responsibility and cost of the Court System and County Clerk Function to The State
• A State Wide Referendum Was Passed That Limited the Counties Taxation Power to 2 1/2% Per Year.

The referendum virtually put the county government in financial trouble which forced them to eliminate themselves.

Six of the fourteen county governments remain with limited government.

Where The Prior County Government Functions Were Placed

• County parks and recreation facilities were transferred to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation
• County clerk and court functions were transferred to the state
• The responsibility for airports in the counties were transferred to the Ma. Port Authority or privatized.
• Bus operations were transferred to regional authorities
• County road maintenance and cleaning was transferred to local authorities with some roads coming under the Ma. Highway Department.
• Board of election was never a county function and the local towns and cities handled the process.
• County hospitals were basically closed and sold.
• Community Colleges were under the control of state Board of Education
• County police functions were eliminated and or absorbed into the state or local town/city police departments.
• State legislators work with local government to establish the needs and the budget for local projects.

Connecticut

The following will cover the elimination of county government in Connecticut

The 8 Connecticut counties never had their own executive, legislative or judicial functions

The main county functions were to:

• Maintain court buildings
  
• Weight and Measure compliance
  
• Liquor licensing
  
• Agriculture Assistance
  
• Some limited welfare functions
  
• Adjustments of road disputes
  

There was no personnel recruitment system and political patronage was relied on to appoint commissioners and other employees.

Counties received support from their county legislative delegation to the State General Assembly. All requests to fund projects would be handled by the delegation.

In 1960 all county functions were transferred to the state.

Subsequent to the transfer, some functions were transferred back to a regional authority.

The following was posted on Phil Reisman's blog (www.lohud.com)

A How-to Book on Abolishing County Government

July 8 2008

For all of you who embrace the idea of abolishing Westchester County government, here's a book for your summer reading list. The title is "County Government in Connecticut. It's History and Demise" by Rosaline Levenson (1966).

You frequently hear people say if Connecticut can get by without county government, then why can?t Westchester. Well, this book goes into how Connecticut did away with the county system.

Here are some excerpts:

"On the day that the counties ended their near 300 year existence, it is doubtful if many persons other than public officials and political figures were aware of the occasion. For the most part, the passing of Connecticut's county governments occurred quietly and unnoticed by most people." (pg 2-3)

"criticisms of conduct ranging from secretiveness with which county operations are sometimes carried out to actual acts of malfeasance." (pg 10)

James Bryce in the American Commonwealth in 1888: "Counties are the dark continent of American politics."

There was strong re sistance from some politicians because it "provided a lucrative source of patronage to whichever political party controlled the General Assembly."

Abraham Rubicoff, the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1954, described the counties as a "governmental fifth wheel that is neither efficient nor representative" and existed "for purely political purposes of power, prestige and patronage." (pg 118)