As of 2002, Connecticut had 30 municipalities, 149 township governments, 17 public school districts, and 384 special districts. Counties in Connecticut have been geographical subdivisions without governmental functions since county government was abolished in 1960.
Connecticut's cities generally use the council-manager or mayor-council forms of government. The council-manager system provides for an elected council that determines policy, enacts local legislation, and appoints the city manager. The mayor-council system employs an elected chief executive with extensive appointment power and control over administrative agencies.
In most towns, an elected, three-member board of selectmen heads the administrative branch. The town meeting, in which all registered voters may participate, is usually the legislative body. Boroughs are generally governed by an elected warden, and borough meetings exercise major legislative functions.