The mayor cannot be the chairman of the council. The municipal or town secretary is an ex-officio member of the local government. Other members are chosen by the mayor with the approval of the council. According to the Government of the Republic Act, among the responsibilities of the county governor are co-ordination of the administrative functions of the central government in the county, management of state property, and the awarding, subject to the authorisation of the Government of the Republic, of administration contracts with municipalities for performance of state obligations. The county governor is accountable to the central government.
Governors have supervisory and advisory functions in relation to local self government.
The increase of local government responsibilities has been hampered by a severe lack of finances. A greater degree of autonomy can only be achieved through financial independence. However, as the structure of local government was reformed, revenue collection remained centralised. Under Soviet administration, which had abolished local self government, financial independence and local income taxes had completely disappeared. In 1988, local budgets accounted for a mere two per cent of the national budget.