City Government for Kids

ABCs - City Departments


There are many departments that make up a city government. These departments are necessary to operate the city and to provide services to its citizens. Not all cities provide the same services or have the same departments. The services, and ultimately the structure of the city government, are decided upon primarily by the residents of the city.

Some of the most common city departments are:

* Utilities - provides water and wastewater treatment (a few city departments provide other utilities like electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses).
* Public Works - provides for garbage pickup, traffic lights, streets and road maintenance, and city building maintenance.
* Planning - implements plans for the future growth and development of the city.
* Finance - prepares payments for running the city, invests city revenues and handles the budget.
* Parks and Recreation - provides recreational programs and activities for residents, such as sports, arts and crafts, and special events; staff also maintain city facilities, parks and playgrounds.
* Police - makes sure that all laws are obeyed; keeps citizens safe and protects their property. Many police departments have programs/staff in schools to help students, such as the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, Officer Friendly and school resource officers.
* Fire - provides fire protection to the community; also has fire prevention programs to make people aware of fire hazards and teach what to do in a fire emergency.

Other city departments might include: public information center, building inspections, engineering, information services, code enforcement, and animal control.

Student Activities

2nd Grade
* Introduce the terminology of the appointed city personnel. Describe their duties to the students and how their positions are different from elected positions. If at all possible, have the actual city staff come for a visit to the classroom.

3rd Grade
· Students can research the different appointed city positions available through history. Presentations can then be made to the class.

4th Grade
· Students can research the appointed city positions through Colonial times as compared to current practices, identifying the specific functions of the positions. Field trips or classroom visits by city personnel would be appropriate.

5th Grade
· Students can develop their own appointed positions in the classroom. They must have job descriptions in order to fill the city positions appropriately through the hiring process.
· Reports and/or interviews can be done about the specific city positions.

Student Questions:
1. Why are some city officials elected and others appointed? What positions are appointed in your city (or a nearby city)?

2. What types of appointed city officials are needed to provide the wide range of city services? How do these positions compare to jobs at other places within the community?






City of Grand Forks
255 N 4th Street * Grand Forks, ND 58203 * Phone (701) 746-INFO