A local government is a political subdivision of the state, established by law, and may or may not have substantial or significant control over local affairs. “Under the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, all powers not granted to the federal government are reserved to the states and the people. All state governments are modeled after the federal government and consist of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The U.S. Constitution requires that all states support a “republican form” of government, although the three-branch structure is not required” (State and Local Government 2014). Therefore, local governments exercise some basic powers such as police power and the power to implement social services so as to best serve the interests and promote the general well-being of their respective inhabitants. For local government autonomy to work, the national and/or federal government provides the power to delegate authority to the state which then transfers these core powers to local governments to allow for the inclusion of its constituents in governmental and local affairs by of what we call decentralization. The state government often divides power among local governments, which usually include two divisions: municipalities and counties. Counties usually represent the largest and most extensive geographic area and yet include many local governments; a county's power is very minuscule compared to city government. Generally in North Carolina, local governments do not have the power or authority to do anything unless it is explicitly granted or enumerated in the state constitution. Even though cities have a wide range of delegated authority and counties have fewer, the state government will still exercise...... middle of paper......a. The concept is quite consistent with the already established idea that all functions of local governments are and should be provided by a municipal government or a county government. Without city-initiated annexation proceedings and annexation powers, most city services desired and required by citizens would have to be provided by Guilford County. Finally, as a level of local government in North Carolina, nearly all governmental responsibilities have been placed on municipal and county governments, which are two types of general government units. Local government spending in North Carolina is done through cities and counties, while in many other states special districts are much more important. The result of this is that urban areas in North Carolina are not as likely to overlay units elsewhere.