Regional Overview
Published as part of the 2002 State of the Region Progress Report, the Regional
Overview reviews the Buffalo Niagara region's demographic, economic, geographic,
and political attributes. It is intended to serve as a foundation of undestanding
for the project's performance assessments.
Governance
Western New York and So. Ontario Jurisdictions
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The Buffalo Niagara region takes in parts of two nations (the United States and Canada), one state (New York), and one province (Ontario). The region has 280 local or regional governments encompassing the entire land area; there is no unincorporated territory outside towns or cities (see map, Western New York and So. Ontario Jurisdictions). The Western New York portion of the region contains 8 counties, 11 cities, 164 towns, and 77 villages, together totaling 260 of the Buffalo Niagara region's 280 local governments. Western New York also contains 101 school districts, 95 independent fire districts, and 79 independent special-purpose governments, including housing authorities, municipal library districts, industrial development agencies, and soil and water conservation districts.
Counties have jurisdiction over all of Western New York except for the area's five Indian Reservations: Tuscarora, Tonawanda, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Oil Springs. Cities and towns are independent of one another, while villages exist within a surrounding town government and are subject to town taxes for general government functions. All three general government types have similar powers and functions.
The Southern Ontario portion of the region contains 20 local governments:
one regional municipality, eight cities (one amalgamated), and 11 towns.
The governance system operates as a two-tier federation with a division
of responsibilities between an upper regional tier (the regional municipality
or the amalgamated city) and the lower local tier (local cities and towns
in the case of the regional municipality). Many functions, including planning,
roads, water and sewer, and parks, are shared between the two tiers, with
the regional municipality responsible for broader policies, and local governments
providing services to their own residents. The regional municipality administers
most social services and police functions, while local governments provide
fire protection services. The City of Hamilton provides all formerly regional
or local services at the amalgamated city scale.
Download a PDF of the 2002 Regional Overview