Belize

Belize is a unitary constitutional monarchy and bicameral parliamentary democracy with two levels of government: a state government and a single-tier local government. There is no constitutional provision for local government and the main governing acts are the Belize and Belmopan City Council Acts 1999, the Village Councils Act 1999 and the Inferior Courts Act 2003. The Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development is charged with overseeing the administration of three systems of local government in Belize. There are seven town and two city municipalities, 181 village councils, and 12 community councils. There are also 84 alcaldes (a legally constituted form of traditional governance predominantly practised among the indigenous communities of the Toledo district). As well as receiving subvention from central government, both village and municipal councils can raise revenue from licence fees and fines for failing to comply with by-laws. Municipal councils also raise approximately one-third of their total revenue from property tax. Municipal and village councils’ responsibilities include: maintaining streets and drains, sanitation and waste disposal, parks, markets
and cemeteries. Rural councils ensure that sound environmental practices are adhered to by all persons within the village or community and have several other areas of responsibility.