Local government in Connecticut facts for kids

Connecticut is one of the six states in New England. It has a special way of organizing its local government, which is different from most other states. For a long time, from 1666 to 1960, Connecticut used to have county governments. These governments had limited powers given to them by the state's main law-making group, the Connecticut General Assembly. But in 1960, these county governments were officially ended. The state also had sheriffs' offices until October 2000, when they were also removed.

Counties in Connecticut

Connecticut is divided into eight geographic areas called counties. However, these counties do not have their own governments anymore. The Connecticut General Assembly stopped all county governments on October 1, 1960. Counties continued to have sheriffs until 2000. Then, the sheriffs' offices were replaced with state marshals. This change happened after a public vote during the 2000 presidential election.

Today, counties are mostly used as boundaries for the state's court system. They also mark areas for the state marshal system. Most court areas still follow the old county lines. However, Fairfield, Hartford, and New Haven counties are different. They have many court areas because they have a lot of people.

From 1666 to 1960, county governments in Connecticut had limited powers. Each county had a three-member County Commission. These members were chosen by the General Assembly. Also, each county had a Sheriff who was elected by the people.

At first, county governments were in charge of things like:

• County courts (these moved to the State Judiciary in 1855)
• Building and taking care of county jails
• Solving disagreements about roads between towns
• Building and keeping up bridges that connected towns
• Providing safe places for children who were not cared for properly

County governments could not directly collect taxes. They got their money from state and local taxes. In the early 1900s, the state slowly took over the counties' jobs. The General Assembly moved powers from the county commissions to the state government or to individual towns. By 1960, the only job left for county commissions was to manage county jails. After counties were ended, the state Department of Corrections or local police departments took over these jobs.

Councils of Governments

In the 1980s, the state government created fifteen regional councils. These groups are called Councils of Governments, or COGs. They bring together towns that are similar in size and population. This helps with planning for the region, instead of using the old county system. In 2014, the number of planning regions was reduced from fifteen to nine. This happened because some groups joined together, and two regions were removed.

Since 2015, Connecticut has recognized COGs as similar to counties. This means they can apply for money and grants that county governments in other states receive. In 2019, the state suggested to the United States Census Bureau that the nine COGs replace counties for counting people and statistics. The Census Bureau agreed in 2022. This change will be fully in place by 2024.

Towns in Connecticut

In Connecticut, towns are the main units of local government. Unlike many other states, there are no areas in Connecticut that are not part of a town. The 169 towns in Connecticut have full local government powers.

These powers include:

• Being able to act as a legal body
• The right to take private property for public use (with fair payment)
• The power to collect taxes
• Providing public services (like affordable housing, trash removal, fire, police, ambulance, street lights)
• Managing public works (like highways, sewers, cemeteries, parking lots)
• Making rules (like building codes, traffic laws, animal control, public health rules)
• Protecting the environment
• Helping with economic growth

Towns get their powers from state laws and the state constitution. However, in Connecticut, towns have a long history of being very independent. They have a lot of freedom in how they govern themselves.

Many towns traditionally used a town meeting form of government. Some of the 169 towns still use this system today. Under Connecticut's Home Rule Act, any town can create its own local charter. This allows them to choose their own government structure. The three main types of town government are:

• The selectman–town meeting system
• The mayor–council system
• The manager–council system

Nineteen towns in Connecticut are also officially called cities. One town, Naugatuck, is also officially called a borough.

A town can combine with a city or borough that covers the same area. The 20 combined borough-towns and city-towns are counted by the Census Bureau as both minor civil divisions and incorporated places. The other 149 towns are counted only as minor civil divisions. Some larger towns are also counted as census-designated places.

Cities in Connecticut

All cities in Connecticut are part of a town. This means they are located within and are under the authority of a town. However, almost all cities in Connecticut have combined their city government with their town government. Towns in Connecticut can choose to have a city-style government without needing to officially become a city. Connecticut state law treats a combined town-city the same as a regular town.

There are currently twenty official cities in Connecticut. Nineteen of these cities cover the same area as their towns. Their city and town governments have also combined. One city, Groton, only covers part of its town. The Census Bureau counts all cities as incorporated places, no matter how they are set up.

Boroughs in Connecticut

Besides cities, Connecticut also has a type of local government called a borough. Boroughs are usually the busy centers of towns. People in these areas decided to form a borough to have more local government services. When a borough is formed, it is still part of and depends on its town. There are currently nine official boroughs in Connecticut. One borough covers the same area as its town and has combined its government with the town. The other eight boroughs only cover a part of their town. The Census Bureau counts all boroughs as incorporated places. Since 1989, the Census Bureau has also listed Groton Long Point as a borough. However, it is not an official borough. It is a special service district within the town of Groton.

Villages, Neighborhoods, and Sections of Town

Connecticut also has many communities that are not officially incorporated. These are known locally as villages (often in rural areas), neighborhoods, or "sections of" a city or town. "Villages" in Connecticut do not have their own separate legal government. However, a special taxing district or a volunteer fire department might exist for specific services in that area. People who live in a village often identify more with their town than with the village itself. Some villages and named sections used to be incorporated as boroughs. Some villages are linked to historic districts. These districts help protect the older, well-preserved parts of the area.

Some village and section names are also used for post office names. They can also be the basis for naming census-designated places (CDPs). However, the area for mail delivery or the CDP is often much larger than the actual village or section. Some examples of villages, neighborhoods, and sections that have given their names to post offices or CDPs are Falls Village, Mystic, Niantic, Quaker Hill, South Kent, Stafford Springs, and Whitneyville.

Special Purpose Agencies

Special Tax and Service Districts

Special tax districts are different from cities or boroughs. They are not general governments. Instead, they provide extra services to a part of a town. These services might not be available to residents outside the district. Examples of services include police and fire protection, road maintenance, or public recreation facilities. They can also provide various utilities. A special tax district can collect taxes on property within its borders. This tax is in addition to any taxes owed to the main town. It is formed when people in the area ask to create it and vote for it. The main town cannot simply get rid of it.

A special service district can also provide similar services. But it is created by a rule from the main town. It gets money from the town's general budget. Or, the town might collect a tax on property within the district. In some Connecticut towns, special tax districts are what replaced boroughs or cities that combined with the main town.

Quasi-Public State Agencies

Connecticut has many special state agencies that are called "quasi-public." This means they operate somewhat outside the main state government. These organizations provide services for the whole state or for specific regions. They are created to be more flexible than regular government agencies. Such agencies are organized under CGS § 1-120(1). Examples include the Capital Region Development Authority. This group gives loans and grants to help private development around Hartford, CT. Another example is the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, which manages lottery games in the state.

Here is a list of some Connecticut quasi-public agencies:

• Access Health CT
• Capital Region Development Authority
• Connecticut Airport Authority
• Connecticut Green Bank
• Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority
• Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
• Connecticut Housing Finance Authority
• Connecticut Innovations, Inc.
• Connecticut Lottery Corporation
• Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority
• Connecticut Port Authority
• Connecticut Retirement Security Authority
• Connecticut Student Loan Foundation
• Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority
• State Education Resource Center