| Chapter 2: | Government Consolidation |
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Figure 2.1. U.S. consolidation attempts via referendum since 1970.
Substantial variation exists in the types of local government consolidations that have occurred in the United States. The most extreme form is structural consolidation, in which one level of government is completely absorbed into another level of government. This type of consolidation is rare. More common is functional consolidation, in which bodies performing certain functions of government, such as school districts, parks departments, or library districts, are consolidated. Although no comprehensive count of the number of functional consolidations in the United States exists, this type of consolidation is fairly widespread.
Though many functions of government are consolidated in these mergers, there are usually some functions that are not. Typically, city- or county-owned utilities are not included in the consolidation. In most cases, the largest city in the county is consolidated with the county and their boundaries become coterminous, but often other smaller