Did you know that special districts are the most common form of government in the United States? The employees in our special districts work hard to provide safe, accessible services that increase our quality of life, yet, the average American doesn’t know much about what special districts are or what services they provide. One group is working hard to change that and spread the word not just to the public, but also on a federal level.
The National Special Districts Coalition is an organization that “represents and advocates for all special districts at a national level.” The group formed in 2018 from five statewide groups (including the California Special Districts Association, of which Verdin is a proud member), and it now consists of many associations and businesses that work either as or for special districts nationwide. One of the NSDC’s main advocacy platforms: national definition of special districts.
What are special districts? Refining a broad definition from the ground up.
Let’s start from the beginning: What are special districts, anyway? As participants and members, we need a good elevator pitch here! According to the NSDC, there are more than 30,000 of these groups in the United States:
“Special districts are local governments created by the people of a community to deliver specialized services essential to their health, safety, economy and well-being. A community forms a special district, which are political subdivisions authorized through a state’s statutes, to provide specialized services the local city or county do not provide.”
Accurate, but still a little tough to parse! Let’s look at just a few examples to see if that helps:
- Agriculture and irrigation groups
- Environmental conservation groups
- Fire and water services groups
- Healthcare groups
- Library groups
- Parks and recreation districts
- Public works departments
- Tourism groups
As you can see, these cover a huge range of industries, but what they have in common is that they provide some service or benefit to their communities on a relatively small or regional scale. This local responsibility over local services and infrastructure is at the heart of most special districts. Many special districts are independent from any governing body other than their own, and some are associated closely with other governmental groups such as city councils.
In California, where Verdin operates and where many of our clients are headquartered, we also have Business Improvement Districts, or BIDs, which are special districts that focus on enhancing the desirability, vibrancy and safety of cities by improving public services and reviving downtown commercial areas without raising general taxes. The funding process for special districts varies across states, but in general relies on a share of property taxes or other assessments approved by constituents directly affected by the services and who would pay the assessment.
Because there’s so much variability between the structures of different special districts around the nation, the NSDC is working with groups across states to make sure all are well represented. The group is also working closely with the U.S. Census Bureau in data collection.
Why is the NSDC working toward federal recognition?
The NSDC’s recent efforts toward federal recognition have two main motivating factors:
- Securing Funding: Because special districts are not formally recognized, they are not allowed to receive federal funding in many cases, even if their missions align with those outlined by various federal programs. Once defined, districts may be eligible for grants, technical assistance, congressionally dedicated funding (aka earmarked funds) and other benefits that have been disallowed for decades.
- Preserving Local Leadership: At their heart, special districts are all about serving their communities on a local scale, by the people who live within those communities. The NSDC “seeks to preserve local control of public services and prevent privatization, which leads to community disenfranchisement over its collective services.”
How does special district marketing fit in?
At Verdin Marketing, where many of our clients are special districts related to tourism and other community services, we aim to do our part to spread the word about these critical groups. Educating our own friends and followers about this ubiquitous but not-so-obvious form of government is a piece of the overall puzzle in improving the communities we serve. That’s why we write blog posts like this one!
We hope you have a better handle on special districts in general after reading this. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Mary at [email protected].