In local government in the United States

Local government in the United States

Local government in the United States is generally structured in accordance with the laws of the various individual states. Typically each state has at least two separate tiers: counties and municipalities. Some states have their counties divided into townships...

, sole commissioner government is a county commission

County commission

A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...

 with only one seat. The sole commissioner typically holds all legislative

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 and executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

 powers in the county. Even though with one commissioner there is no voiced debate

Debate

Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...

 among the commission, sole commissioners typically hold public meetings to allow public input on decisions.

Though the structure was historically more widespread, now Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 is the only state in the United States to have counties governed by a sole commissioner. Debates over the establishment or removal of a sole commissioner government generally hinge on efficiency versus representation and debate.

Most counties with sole commissioners are small and rural. However, Bartow

Bartow County, Georgia

Bartow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 100,157. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2009 estimate, the county's explosive growth resulted in a population of 96,217, a 26.5% increase in less than ten years...

 (part of exurban metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta

The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...

) and Walker

Walker County, Georgia

Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 18, 1833 from land formerly belonging to the Cherokee Indian Nation. As of 2000, the population was 61,053. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 64,554...

 (part of metro Chattanooga) are notable exceptions.

Currently in Georgia

• Bartow
  Bartow County, Georgia
  Bartow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 100,157. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2009 estimate, the county's explosive growth resulted in a population of 96,217, a 26.5% increase in less than ten years...
  
  
• Bleckley
  Bleckley County, Georgia
  Bleckley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 11,666. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 12,306. The county seat is Cochran.- History :...
  
  
• Chattooga
  Chattooga County, Georgia
  Chattooga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 28, 1838. As of 2000, the population was 25,470. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 26,797. The county seat is Summerville.-Geography:...
  
  
• Murray
  Murray County, Georgia
  Murray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 36,506. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 40,664. The county seat is Chatsworth.It is part of the Dalton, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area....
  
  
• Pickens
  Pickens County, Georgia
  Pickens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census showed a population of 22,983. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 30,488...
  
  
• Pulaski
  Pulaski County, Georgia
  Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 9,588. The 2010 U.S. Census reports the population at 12,010, with a growth rate of 25.3% from 2000 to 2010, while surpassing Georgia's change of 18.3%., making it one of Georgia's fastest growing...
  
  
• Towns
  Towns County, Georgia
  Towns County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on March 6, 1856. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,319. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 10,894. Its county seat is Hiawassee.-History:...
  
  
• Union
  Union County, Georgia
  Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 17,289. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,968. The county seat is Blairsville.Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001....
  
  
• Walker
  Walker County, Georgia
  Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 18, 1833 from land formerly belonging to the Cherokee Indian Nation. As of 2000, the population was 61,053. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 64,554...