Comune

The comune, in Italy, is the basic administrative division that constitutes the local government. It covers a city, town, or village and surrounding territories. It is the level at which residents interact with public administration for daily services. The borders and responsibilities are defined by national law and regional statutes.

Governance:

Each comune is governed by a mayor (sindaco) and a municipal council (consiglio comunale), elected by residents. The mayor heads the executive body, the giunta comunale, which appoints assessors. The council adopts budgets, local regulations, and plans, while the mayor ensures implementation. The Ufficio dello Stato Civile handles civil records. The comune may employ civil protection and local police (polizia locale) for enforcement and service delivery, within the limits of national law.

Responsibilities:

The comune manages civil registries, urban planning and building permits, maintenance of local roads and public spaces, waste collection, schooling up to certain levels, social services, cultural activities, and local economic development. It issues certificates, licenses, and permits required by residents and businesses.

Subdivisions and cooperation:

Municipalities can include frazioni or districts; smaller comuni may form unions (unioni di comuni) to share services such as waste management or schooling. Some municipalities designated as "comuni montani" have special status due to mountain geography. Large cities participate in metropolitan cities (città metropolitana) which coordinate areas across multiple comuni.

Origin and usage:

The term comune is Italian for municipality and is used in Italy as the fundamental local government unit. Similar concepts exist in other countries under different names.