The U.S. Census Bureau

2002 Census of Governments
Government Organization Public Use Files
 
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Contents


COVERAGE

Each of the 87,525 local governments enumerated for the 2002 Census of Governments is represented in the files comprising this dataset. Of these, 38,967 are general-purpose local governments -- 3,034 county governments, 19,429 municipal governments, and 16,504 town or township governments. The remainder, more than half the total number, are special-purpose local governments, including 13,506 school district governments and 35,052 special district governments. In addition to the 87,525 local governments enumerated, 1,508 school systems that are dependent upon their state or local governments are also included.

BACKGROUND

A census of governments is taken at 5-year intervals as required by law under Title 13, United States Code, Section 161. The 2002 Census of Governments, similar to those taken since 1957, covers three major subject fields: government organization, public employment, and government finances.

This data set is a product of the government organization phase of the census of governments, in which a universe list of governmental units, classified according to type of government, is established for use in the remaining phases of the census. Two major activities are involved in this phase: (1) research to update coverage in the universe list of local governments; and (2) the Local Government Directory Survey, to obtain additional information on the characteristics of local governments. These activities are described in detail below.

Updating the Universe List of Local Governments

The universe list of governments is a master file named the Governments Integrated Directory, or GID, that shows for each governmental unit its name, unique identification code, county location, mailing address, and selected characteristics. The universe list is used as the mail and control file for all phases of the Census of Governments. It is also used as the basis for selecting samples of governments for surveys conducted in the years between censuses.

The universe list is updated periodically to add newly established units that meet Census Bureau criteria for independent governments, and to delete dissolved or inactive units. A governmental unit is considered inactive if it currently has no activity, receives no revenue, and has no officers. The procedures used to update the universe list for the 2002 Census of Governments varied according to the type of government.

General-purpose governments
The universe list of county, municipal, and township governments was continuously updated since the 1997 census as these units of governments became established, dissolved, or reorganized. Decisions to add or delete a county, municipal, or township government are made on the basis of information obtained through the annual Boundary and Annexation Survey, conducted by the Geography Division of the Census Bureau.

Public school systems
The universe list of public school systems, including both independent school district governments and dependent school systems, was updated for the 2002 census using the directory file of local education agencies maintained by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Discrepancies between the two files were examined and the universe list was revised as necessary following Census Bureau classification criteria.

Special district governments
The process of updating the universe list of special district governments involved several steps as follows: review of state legislation enacted since 1997 creating or authorizing various types of special district governments; review of published federal, state, and private sources that list public corporations (e.g., Mergent's Municipal and Government Manual; the Bond Buyer, etc.); a mail survey of individual county clerks requesting review of the list of special district governments in their respective counties; and analysis of information provided by respondents to Census Bureau surveys of local government activities.

2002 Local Government Directory Survey

Following the update of the universe list of governments, a Local Government Directory Survey was conducted, in which all local governments were surveyed for the following purposes: to identify and delete inactive units; to identify file duplicates and units that were dependent on (i.e., part of) other governments; to update and verify the mailing addresses of governments; to produce the official count of state and local government units in the United States as displayed in the Census of Governments Volume 1, Government Organization publication; and to obtain descriptive information on the basic characteristics of governments. The survey also obtained data on the area served by each special district and public school system, and on the delivery of services by local governments. This information is used for maintenance of the directory of governments, for presentation in census publications and data releases, and for use in selecting survey samples.

Survey coverage and collection methods used in the Local Government Directory Survey are described below. The definitions applied in the collection of data are presented later in this documentation.

Survey coverage
The 2002 Local Government Directory Survey covered all county, municipal, town or township, school district, and special district governments that met the Census Bureau criteria for independent governments. The survey also covered dependent public school systems. An explanation of these classification criteria appears in the 2002 Census of Governments Volume 1, Government Organization publication, under Criteria for Classifying Governments.

Survey period
The survey was conducted over a 6-month period beginning in November 2001. The final response rate was 70.3 percent.

Limitations of data

Surveys are subject to two types of error, sampling error and nonsampling error. Since the Local Government Directory Survey coverage extended to all governments in the universe, there is no sampling error to be accounted for. However, the data are subject to nonsampling error, which includes all other sources of survey error such as nonresponse, lost or mishandled questionnaires, incorrect reporting, mis-classification of organizations, and inaccurate coding of data.

The following procedures were applied to keep nonsampling errors to a minimum:
1. Review of questionnaires for completeness and accuracy--All questionnaires received were subjected to clerical and computer review of each data item to check for internal consistency (agreement of information from one item to another) and external consistency (agreement of the data with other sources or previously reported data).

2. Review of tabulated data--Final data were compared with other information to verify the reasonableness of each item; significant differences were verified or reconciled where necessary.

Some error in survey results is inevitable despite steps taken to prevent it. For example, some residual nonresponse is beyond practical control, since not all governments will cooperate in a voluntary survey. The following section discusses the impact of nonresponse on the survey results.

Nonresponse
The 26,010 local governments that did not respond to the 2002 Local Government Directory Survey accounted for 29.7 percent of all local governments. Rates of nonresponse, by type of local government, were as follows:

Type of Government Total Non-Respondent Percent Survey Non-Respondent
For Each Type
Local governments 87,525 26,010 29.7
County 3,034 747 24.6
Municipal 19,429 4,027 20.7
Town or township 16,504 5,409 32.8
School district 13,506 2,153 15.9
Special district 35,052 13,674 39.0

These nonresponse rates indicate only that no reply was received for this survey. The Census Bureau attempted, however, to confirm the "active" status of each nonrespondent local government as of June 30, 2002 by researching published state directories of these governments and by performing cross reference checks to other sources, such as the Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey and Education Department listings.

Multiple efforts were used to confirm the "active" status of nonrespondent special district governments. One effort involved a review of special district lists by individual county clerks to identify any districts within their jurisdiction that were no longer active. Additionally, Census Bureau staff reviewed and researched (1) available state listings of special districts, (2) national directories of selected "functional" organizations (e.g., hospitals, public housing authorities, transit authorities, etc.), and (3) any unique sources identified by Census Bureau personnel. Whenever these efforts produced convincing evidence that a particular special district was no longer "active," the district was removed from the final count of active special district governments. When county clerks were unable to comply with the Census Bureau's request to identify inactive special district governments, and no alternative lists, directories, or other sources were available for research, some of the "nonrespondent" special districts were retained in the final count because there was no conclusive evidence available to indicate that they were inactive as of June 30, 2002.

For a small number of individual items, alternative sources were consulted to address nonresponse. County area information maintained continually in the GID system was used to supplement the area-served item for special districts and school systems. Similarly, for non-response to the e-government question that asked whether the government had its central activity information available on an Internet website, the field was set to yes if there was a website already listed within the Directory. Finally, the taxing authority items in the special district data were set to yes for survey nonrespondents if tax revenue information was reported in the public finance survey phase of the 1997 Census of Governments.

FILE DESCRIPTIONS AND RECORD LAYOUTS:

2002 Census of Governments: Government Organization Files

Note - The Local Government Directory Survey served as the primary source of information for many of the items below. In some cases of survey or item nonresponse, alternative sources were used. "Flag" fields associated with these items identify the data source.

General-Purpose Public Use Output (Types 1,2,3 Governments - G26/G28):

FileName = 2002GovOrgDirectory_GP.exe - a self-extracting Zip file, which, when executed, opens into 2002GovOrgDirectory_GP.txt
Record_Length = 204 characters
Record_Count = 38,967
Format = Fixed-Length ASCII Text

 
Character Locations: Field Name: Description:
001 - 014 14-digit Government ID 2-digit State Code
1-digit Type Code
3-digit County Code
3-digit Unit Code
3-digit Supplement Code
2-digit Sub Code
015 - 078 Government Name  
079 - 108 Political_Description
109 - 112 Fiscal_Year_End MMDD
113 - 121 Population right-justified, blank fill
122 - 122 Webcheck Central activity information on Internet website
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
123 - 123 Webcheck_Flag ' ' - Survey Non-Response and No alternative source used
'G' - Webcheck value = '1' based on web address information in GID
'C' - Directory Survey Response
124 - 124 Public_Communicate Public can communicate or transact business via Internet, e:mail or other electronic means
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
125 - 200 Public Services Provided or Contracted 19 Services*4 character fields

Char. Service:
01-04 Airports
05-08 Ambulances
09-12 Cemeteries
13-16 Corrections (jails)
17-20 Electric utility
21-24 Fire protection
25-28 Gas utility
29-32 Health (other than hospitals)
33-36 Hospitals
37-40 Housing and community development
41-44 Law enforcement (police)
45-48 Libraries
49-52 Nursing homes
53-56 Parks and recreation (including stadiums and convention centers)
57-60 Public transit
61-64 Sewerage system
65-68 Solid waste management (include landfills, dumps, resource recovery, refuse collection)
69-72 Streets, roads, highways, bridges
73-76 Water utility

Location Within Each Service:
01 - Does Not Provide or Contract Service
02 - Directly Provides Service
03 - Contracts Privately for Service
04 - Contracts with another Government for Service

Response Codes:
' ' - Item Non-Response (did not provide a response for that service)
'0' - No
'1' - Yes

201 - 201 Source ' ' - Directory survey Non-Response
'0' - Mail Questionnaire Response
'1' - Internet Response
202 - 204 Form# G26
G28
' ' - Indicates government added after survey mailout

Special Districts Public Use Output (Type 4 Governments - G29/G30):

FileName = 2002GovOrgDirectory_SD.exe - a self-extracting Zip file, which, when executed, opens into 2002GovOrgDirectory_SD.txt
Record_Length = 152 characters
Record_Count = 35,052
Format = Fixed-Length ASCII Text

Character Locations: Field Name: Description:
001 - 014 14-digit Government ID 2-digit State Code
1-digit Type Code
3-digit County Code
3-digit Unit Code
3-digit Supplement Code
2-digit Sub Code
015 - 078 Government Name  
079 - 082 Fiscal_Year_End MMDD
083 - 084 Function Code  
085 - 089 Operations Multiple selections per Function code allowed:
085 Directly provides program or services using your own employees
' ' - Item Non-Response -
Did not respond to Operations item
'0' - No
'1' - Yes
086 Indirectly provides program or services by contractual arrangements
' ' - Item Non-Response -
Did not respond to Operations item
'0' - No
'1' - Yes
087 Constructing public facilities either by contract or with own employees
' ' - Item Non-Response -
Did not respond to Operations item
'0' - No
'1' - Yes
088 Financing public facilities or services by issuing public debt
' ' - Item Non-Response -
Did not respond to Operations item
'0' - No
'1' - Yes
089 Leasing public buildings or facilities to others
' ' - Item Non-Response -
Did not respond to Operations item
'0' - No
'1' - Yes
090 - 090 Property_Tax_Authority '  ' - Survey Non-Response
'0' - Item Non-Response
'1' - Yes
'2' - No
091 - 091 Property_Tax_Authority_Flag ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'F' - Updated from tax revenue information from the 1997 Census of Governments Finance phase
'C' - Directory Survey Response
092 - 092 NonProperty_Tax_Authority '  ' - Survey Non-Response
'0' - Item Non-Response
'1' - Yes
'2' - No
093 - 093 NonProperty_Tax_Authority_Flag ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'F' - Updated from tax revenue information from the 1997 Census of Governments Finance phase
'C' - Directory Survey Response
094 - 094 Area_Served Code ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'0' - Item Non-Response
'1' - An area with exactly same legal boundaries as one county
'2' - An area with exactly same legal boundaries as city, town, township
'3' - An area with legal boundaries within one county, and not exactly the same as city, town, village
'4' - An area with legal boundaries in 2 or more counties
095 - 095 Area_Served_Flag ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'G' - Area_Served from 1997 GID area served
'C' - Directory Survey Response
096 - 100 Lgl_Bnd_Code1 State/County codes (SSCCC)
101 - 105 Lgl_Bnd_Code2 State/County codes (SSCCC)
106 - 110 Lgl_Bnd_Code3 State/County codes (SSCCC)
111 - 115 Lgl_Bnd_Code4 State/County codes (SSCCC)
116 - 120 Lgl_Bnd_Code5 State/County codes (SSCCC)
121 - 125 Lgl_Bnd_Code6 State/County codes (SSCCC)
126 - 130 Lgl_Bnd_Code7 State/County codes (SSCCC)
131 - 135 Lgl_Bnd_Code8 State/County codes (SSCCC)
136 - 140 Lgl_Bnd_Code9 State/County codes (SSCCC)
141 - 145 Lgl_Bnd_Code10 State/County codes (SSCCC)
146 - 146 Webcheck Central activity information on Internet website
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
147 - 147 Webcheck_Flag ' ' - Survey Non-Response and No alternative source used
'G' - Webcheck value = '1' based on web address information in GID
'C' - Directory Survey Response
148 - 148 Public_Communicate Public can communicate or transact business via Internet, e:mail or other electronic means
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
149 - 149 Source ' ' - Directory survey Non-Response
'0' - Mail Questionnaire Response
'1' - Internet Response
150 - 152 Form# G29
G30
' ' - Indicates government added after survey mailout

School Systems Public Use Output (Type 5 Independent School Districts and Dependent School Systems - G32):

FileName = 2002GovOrgDirectory_SCH.exe - a self-extracting Zip file, which, when executed, opens into 2002GovOrgDirectory_SCH.txt
Record_Length = 152 characters
Record_Count = 15,014 (Note - includes Dependent School Districts (Type Code = 0,1,2,3) )
Format = Fixed-Length ASCII Text

Character Locations: Field Name: Description:
001 - 014 14-digit Government ID 2-digit State Code
1-digit Type Code
3-digit County Code
3-digit Unit Code
3-digit Supplement Code
2-digit Sub Code
015 - 078 Government Name  
079 - 082 Fiscal_Year_End MMDD
083 - 091 Enrollment right-justified, leading blanks
092 - 093 School_Level Code '  ' - Non-Response
'01' - Elementary
'02' - Secondary
'03' - Elementary and Secondary
'04' - Higher Education
'05' - Vocational / Special Education
'06' - Non-operating
094 - 094 Area_Served Code ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'0' - Item Non-Response
'1' - An area with exactly same legal boundaries as one county
'2' - An area with exactly same legal boundaries as city, town, township
'3' - An area with legal boundaries within one county, and not exactly the same as city, town, village
'4' - An area with legal boundaries in 2 or more counties
095 - 095 Area_Served_Flag ' ' - Survey and Supplemental Sources Non-Response
'G' - Area_Served from 1997 GID area served
'C' - Directory Survey Response
096 - 100 Lgl_Bnd_Code1 State/County codes (SSCCC)
101 - 105 Lgl_Bnd_Code2 State/County codes (SSCCC)
106 - 110 Lgl_Bnd_Code3 State/County codes (SSCCC)
111 - 115 Lgl_Bnd_Code4 State/County codes (SSCCC)
116 - 120 Lgl_Bnd_Code5 State/County codes (SSCCC)
121 - 125 Lgl_Bnd_Code6 State/County codes (SSCCC)
126 - 130 Lgl_Bnd_Code7 State/County codes (SSCCC)
131 - 135 Lgl_Bnd_Code8 State/County codes (SSCCC)
136 - 140 Lgl_Bnd_Code9 State/County codes (SSCCC)
141 - 145 Lgl_Bnd_Code10 State/County codes (SSCCC)
146 - 146 Webcheck Central activity information on Internet website
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
147 - 147 Webcheck_Flag ' ' - Survey Non-Response and No alternative source used
'G' - Webcheck value = '1' based on web address information in GID
'C' - Directory Survey Response
148 - 148 Public_Communicate Public can communicate or transact business via Internet, e:mail or other electronic means
    ' ' - Survey Non-Response
    '0' - Item Non-Response
    '1' - Yes
    '2' - No
149 - 149 Source ' ' - Directory survey Non-Response
'0' - Mail Questionnaire Response
'1' - Internet Response
150 - 152 Form# G32
' ' - Indicates government added after survey mailout

Census State - County Area to Name Cross-Reference File:

FileName = 2002CountyAreas.txt
Record_Length = 71 characters
Record_Count = 3,136
Format = Fixed-Length ASCII Text

Character Locations: Field Name: Description:
001 - 002 Census State Code 01 (Alabama) - 51 (Wyoming)
003 - 005 Census County Code  
006 - 040 Census County Name  
041 - 069 Political Description These are county or county-equivalent areas:
Terms include:
County, Census County,
Parish (Louisiana),
Borough (Alaska),
City (where no county exists)
070 - 071 State Abbreviation  

DATA FIELD DEFINITIONS:

  1. 14-digit Government ID code structure
    • State code
        The state code is in positions 1 and 2 of the identification code. This ID is assigned alphabetically (01 being Alabama, etc.)
    • Type code
        The type code is in position 3 of the identification code.
          0 = state
          1 = county
          2 = municipality
          3 = township
          4 = special district
          5 = school district
    • County code
        The three-digit county code is in positions 4 through 6 of the identification code. County area codes are usually in alphabetical order within a state.
    • Unit code
        The three-digit unit code is in positions 7 through 9 of the identification code. The unit code identifies a specific government within the state, county, and type of government. For the counties themselves, the unit code is usually the same as the county code.
    • Supplement code
        The three-digit supplement code occupies positions 10 through 12 in the identification code. The supplement code identifies different dependent agencies of the same parent state or local government (for example, universities). Every supplement must have a parent. The parent government will have the same first nine digits but its supplement code will be 000.
    • Subsidiary code
        The two-digit subsidiary code occupies positions 13 through 14 in the identification code. No subsidiary units are included in these files; the subsidiary code is 00 in every record.

  2. Area_Served Code
      Indicates service coverage area; this field applies to special districts and public school systems only.

  3. Area_Served_Flag
      Source of multicounty service area information.

  4. Enrollment
      For most elementary-secondary public school systems, enrollment is as of the 2001-2002 school year; this field applies only to public school systems and local higher-education institutions.

  5. Fiscal_Year_End
      The month and day the government's fiscal year ends.

  6. Form# (Local Government Directory Survey)
      G26 = county governments
      G28 = municipal / township governments
      G29 = special district governments that were members of the 1997 finance survey sample
      G30 = all other special district governments
      G32 = public school systems

  7. Function Code
      Indicates type of service provided; this field applies only to special districts.
    • 01   Air transportation (airports)
        Provision, operation, construction, and support of airport facilities serving the public-at- large on a scheduled or unscheduled basis.
    • 02    Cemeteries
        Development, maintenance, operation, and support of public cemeteries.
    • 09    Education
        Financing and construction of educational facilities for leasing to public school systems. These are school building authorities.
        Entities that directly provide education are either school districts (if they are independent) or dependent school systems. They do not have function codes.
    • 24    Fire protection
        Prevention, avoidance, and suppression of fires, and provision of ambulance, medical, rescue, or auxiliary services provided by fire protection agencies. Entities that provide ambulance services exclusively are classified under code 32, other health.
    • 32    Other health
        Provision of services for the conservation and improvement of public health other than hospital care and financial support of other governments' health programs. Includes ambulance service if provided separately from fire protection services, mosquito and pest abatement (also called vector control), regulation of air and water quality, etc.
        Pest abatement programs that directly affect agriculture are assigned function code 59. These are typically cotton, rice, or fruit pest control districts.
    • 40    Hospitals
        Financing, construction, acquisition, maintenance, or operations of facilities providing in-patient medical care and institutions primarily providing the care and treatment of the handicapped that are directly administered by a government, including those operated by public universities. This function code also includes direct payments for the acquisition or construction of hospitals regardless of whether the government will operate the completed facility. Entities that are financing debt for the purpose of building private hospitals are assigned this function code.
    • 41    Industrial development
        Includes industrial development authorities, business district authorities, downtown business district authorities, and economic development authorities that are determined to be independent special districts.
    • 42    Mortgage credit
        These are typically called "housing finance authority" or "housing finance corporation."
    • 44    Highways
        Maintenance, operation, repair, and construction of highways, streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, tunnels, ferry boats, viaducts, and related structures.
    • 50    Housing and community development
        Construction, operation, and support of housing and redevelopment projects and other activities to promote or aid public and private housing and community development.
    • 51    Drainage
        These districts vary by name from state to state including: drainage, slough, slough drainage, ditch, tax ditch, special drainage, drainage improvement, water control, conservancy, and water management.
    • 52    Libraries
        Establishment and provision of libraries for use by the general public, and the technical and financial support of privately operated libraries.
    • 59    Other natural resources
        Conservation, promotion, and development of natural resources (soil, water, minerals, and so forth) and the regulation of industries that develop, utilize, or affect natural resources other than those categorized as codes 51 drainage, 63 flood control, 64 irrigation, 86 reclamation, or 88 soil and water conservation.
    • 60    Parking facilities
        Provision, construction, maintenance, and operation of local government public parking facilities (parking lots, garages, parking meters).
    • 61    Parks and recreation
        Provision and support of recreational and cultural-scientific facilities maintained for the benefit of residents and visitors. Includes golf courses, playgrounds, tennis courts, public beaches, swimming pools, play fields, parks, camping areas, recreational piers and marinas, galleries, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, auditoriums, stadiums, recreational centers, exhibition halls, and so forth. Also includes forest preserves.
    • 63    Flood control
    • 64    Irrigation
    • 79    Public nursing homes
    • 80    Sewerage
        Provision, maintenance, and operation of sanitary and storm sewer systems and sewage disposal and treatment facilities.
    • 81    Solid waste management
        Collection, removal, and disposal of garbage, refuse, hazardous wastes, and other solid wastes and cleaning of streets, alleys, and sidewalks.
    • 86    Reclamation
    • 87    Sea and inland port facilities
        Provision, construction, operation, maintenance, and support of public waterways and harbors, docks, wharves, and related marine terminal facilities and the regulation of the water transportation industry. Ports may have airports, provide fire protection, be part of an economic development plan, build highways, affect natural resources, provide parking facilities, and maintain a police force - they are still assigned function code 87 if their major function, ports, is 80 percent or more of their activity.
    • 88    Soil and water conservation
    • 89    Other and unallocable
        Activities that are not applicable to any of the other codes.
    • 91    Water supply
        Operation, maintenance, and construction of public water supply systems including the production, acquisition, and distribution of water to the general public or to other public or private utilities for residential, commercial, or industrial use. The acquisition and distribution of water for the irrigation of agricultural lands are classified as 64 irrigation.
    • 92    Electric power
        Operation, maintenance, and construction of public electric power systems including the production, acquisition, and distribution of electricity to the general public or to other public or private utilities for residential, commercial, or industrial use.
    • 93    Gas supply
        Operation, maintenance, and construction of public gas supply systems including the production, acquisition, and distribution of gas to the general public or to other public or private utilities for residential, commercial, or industrial use.
    • 94    Public mass transit systems
        Operation, maintenance, and construction of public mass transit systems including subways, surface rails, and buses. Ferry systems are classified as 44 highways.
    • 96    Fire protection and water supply - combination of services
    • 97    Natural resources and water supply - combination of services
        Includes drainage, flood control, irrigation, reclamation, soil and water conservation, watersheds, and groundwater management districts that also supply water.
    • 98    Sewerage and water supply - combination of services
    • 99    Other multifunction districts
        If an entity has multiple functions, but less than 80 percent in any one function, the entity is assigned this function code.

  8. Government Name
      Official name of the government or school system.

  9. Lgl_Bnd_Code1 through Lgl_Bnd_Code10
      Identifies the state and county area of each county in the government's service area; these fields apply only to special districts and public school systems with multicounty service areas. If there are more than 10 counties in the service area, the last 3 digits of Lgl_Bnd_Code10 = 999; also, if a county area could not be identified, the last 3 digits of the Lgl_Bnd_Code = 999. If a state could not be identified, the Lgl_Bnd_Code = 99999.

  10. NonProperty_Tax_Authority
      Indicates whether or not the government is legally authorized to impose taxes other than property taxes; this field applies only to special districts.

  11. NonProperty_Tax_Authority_Flag
      Source of the nonproperty tax authority information.

  12. Operations
      Indicates service delivery method(s); this field applies only to special districts.

  13. Political Description
      The political description of the governmental unit (e.g., county, city, town); this field applies only to general-purpose governments.

  14. Population
      Population as of April 1, 2000; this field applies only to general-purpose governments.

  15. Property_Tax_Authority
      Indicates whether or not the government is legally authorized to impose a property tax; this field applies only to special districts.

  16. Property_Tax_Authority_Flag
      Source of the property tax authority information.

  17. Public_Communicate
      Ability of citizens to interact with the government through computer-based systems, such as e-mail or the Internet.

  18. Public Services Provided or Contracted
      See list of services under General-Purpose Public Use Output, above; this field applies only to general-purpose governments. Descriptive information about these services is included in the Census Bureau's Government Finance and Employment Classification Manual, chapter 4, on-line at http://www.census.gov/govs/www/class.html

  19. School_Level Code
      Indicates level of education provided; this field applies only to public school systems.

  20. Source
      Indicates survey nonresponse, response by mail, or response by Internet.

  21. Webcheck
      Existence of a website containing information about at least the central activities of the government, where the information is maintained or controlled by the government.

  22. Webcheck_Flag
      Source of the Webcheck response information.

SOURCES and CONTACTS:

For information about these data files, or the 2002 Census of Governments Local Government Directory Survey, users should contact :

       Program Evaluation Branch
       E:Mail - govs.org@census.gov

      The telephone number is 301-763-1586.
      The address is:

      Program Evaluation Branch
      Governments Division
      U.S. Census Bureau
      Washington, DC 20233-6800

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division
Created: November 21 2002
Last revised: April 20 2007