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a board appointed by the state board of regents. Two towns, Glocester and Foster, manage schools only through elementary school. The other seven towns, which are more rural, have joined to form regional school districts to manage their entire school system, namely, Bristol-Warren, Exeter-West
Greenwich, and Charlestown-Richmond-Hopkinton. For the purposes of managing their common middle school and high school, the Foster-Glocester Regional School District has also been established.
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authorities (Bristol and Kent). The cities of
Providence and East Providence also have urban development commissions. The Capital Center Commission in Providence manages parking, transportation, and streetscaping in downtown Providence. The East Providence Special Development District Commission manages development in the waterfront area of the city.
151:, county government was abolished in the state in 1842. Since that time, counties in Rhode Island have had no associated governmental structures. All local government in the state is vested in its 39 municipalities. Counties are still generally used as both geographic regions and also as judicial districts.
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With a few exceptions, the city and town governments of Rhode Island are generally responsible for education management within their jurisdiction. Twenty-nine of the thirty-nine cities/towns manage their own school systems from pre-kindergarten to high school. One city, Central Falls, is governed by
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Rhode Island state law does not distinguish between a city and a town. Cities are simply municipalities that acquired their charter through a special act of the Rhode Island
General Assembly. In practice, however, all eight of Rhode Island's incorporated cities have at least 20,000 people. Any
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that have been established throughout the state for various purposes. Most such districts in the state, including fire, water, lighting, street maintenance, garbage removal, and utility districts are established by a special act of the
General Assembly. There are also two county-wide water
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consists of a Senate and a House of
Representatives. The state is divided into thirty-eight senatorial districts and seventy- five representative districts. Both sets of districts are set up such that each is roughly equal in population.
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Rhode Island is divided into four judicial districts that correspond to county groupings of towns, with the exception of
Bristol County, which is part of the jurisdiction associated with Providence County.
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In addition, cities and towns in Rhode Island also perform functions commonly assigned to counties in other states.
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municipality (whether a city or a town) is free to adopt whatever form of government they choose.
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The primary political subdivisions of Rhode Island are its cities and towns.
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Administrative divisions of U.S. states, territories, and federal district
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Administrative divisions of the United States by state and territory
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Political and administrative divisions of the state of Rhode Island
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Rhode Island
Official State Website (Office of Secretary of State)
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Local government in the United States by political division
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While Rhode Island is subdivided geographically into five
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is divided for political and administrative purposes.
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58:"Administrative divisions of Rhode Island"
181:, with powers comparable to those that a
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
204:Imposing property taxes on its residents
161:List of cities and towns in Rhode Island
123:administrative divisions of Rhode Island
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185:in other states would normally have.
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
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1022:Local government in Rhode Island
291:"Rhode Island Facts and Figures"
143:List of counties in Rhode Island
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34:needs additional citations for
264:Special districts and agencies
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248:Rhode Island General Assembly
125:are the areas into which the
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169:are conceptually similar to
213:Hiring and firing personnel
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196:Powers of cities and towns
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270:special-purpose districts
986:Northern Mariana Islands
635:Northern Mariana Islands
216:Entering into contracts
201:Exercising police power
175:municipal corporations
242:Legislative districts
268:Rhode Island has 91
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996:U.S. Virgin Islands
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222:Enacting ordinances
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99:December 2018
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991:Puerto Rico
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1011:Categories
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277:References
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