Which are the four functions of the county?

• A. Roads, Medical Examiner, Prosecutor, County Tax Board
• B. Streets, Police, Fire, Schools
• C. Courts, Libraries, Parks, Health
• D. Zoning, Taxation, Elections, Public Works

Answer: (A)

Counties organize services that cover a wide area and require specialized offices to operate effectively. Maintaining roads and other public works ensures transportation is consistent across many towns and municipalities within the county. A Medical Examiner handles death investigations that cross local boundaries, so this function is naturally arranged at the county level. The Prosecutor, or District Attorney, prosecutes crimes across the entire county, not just within a single city. And a County Tax Board or equivalent tax authority handles revenue collection that funds county-wide services, making taxation a core county function.

Other options mix functions that are more commonly handled by cities, school districts, or state systems in different places, such as municipal policing or fire services, school administration, or state-level oversight, which means they don’t represent the four defining county responsibilities as typically defined in many jurisdictions.