what is a municipality

A municipality is a political unit with a defined territory, corporate status, and usually some powers of autonomous government. It is a primarily urban political unit having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. Municipalities are general-purpose administrative subdivisions, as opposed to special-purpose districts. A municipality can be any political jurisdiction, from a sovereign state to a small village. Municipalities are organized under the applicable state constitution and laws, with powers of government expressly or implicitly conferred by that constitution and laws, and also by charter. Within the municipality, these powers are exercised by a governing body. The term municipality may also mean the governing body of a given municipality.