Local Governments

In Tennessee, the state constitution allows for the creation of county governments as well as "consolidated" metropolitan governemnts. The state government usually allows local governments to create laws that are necessary in one particular part of the state, but state governements will not allow the creation of a law that is beneficiary to one individual. The state government often uses a population criteria to define the location of statutory coverage. The ability of the Tennessee's state government to allow local governments to create laws based on necessity is one a the major strengths of Tennessee's local governments. One of the weaknesses of Tennessee's local governments is that the General Assembly is allowed to provide alternative forms of government when approved by majority voters of the county.