Countyship

Second-level administrative divisions of Kiravia (Kiravic: Idotorūix astrotheśkæ Kiraviá) are those administrative-territorial formations existing directly below the provinces of the Kiravian Federacy. They are known generically as countyships (Kiravic: amtra), though in some provinces they bear the formal designation of raion (Kiravic: raīon).

All Kiravian federal subjects, even those which are uninhabited, comprise at least one nominal countyship-at-large. Most states and territories in mainland Great Kirav are divided into betweeb twenty (20) and forty (40) countyships/raions.

Terminology
The generic Kiravic term for Kiravian second-level administrative divisions is amtra, usually translated into Ænglish as "countyship" or simply "county". In federal subjects where Kiravic is not the traditional or official language, local terms such as kintra, dunlév, or astroguv, are used instead, but are almost always translated to amtra in Kiravic. Some federal subjects with multiple classes of second-level divisions other than countyships use deneþuriguv (variously translated as "bailiwick" or "magisterial district") as the official generic term.

Under the Kiravian Union, the term amtra, thought to evoke premodern and feudal connotation, was replaced with raīon, from the Burgittan rayon, meaning "honeycomb cell". After the Federal Restoration, (Kiravian Reunification) this change was reversed in most cases, but a few provinces and home-rule countyships nominally retain the title of raīon for themselves, whether out of nostalgia for the Kiravian Union or simple inertia. This difference in title has no governmental significance. The raīon most notably remains in place in Sydona.

Classes
Most provinces have only one class of second-level division, the countyship.

Provincial laws sometimes define other classes of second-level administrative divisions distinct from but hierarchically equivalent to countyships. The most common of these is the free city (víutisar), which is typically a populous, thoroughly urbanised municipality of special significance that is beyond the jurisdiction of any countyship. Free cities exist in Ventarya (X such cities), Hanoram (two cities), Suderavia (one city), Valtéra (one city), Asperidan (one city), Sydona (one city), and the District of Coīnvra (one city).

Some sparsely-populated areas or frontier regions may be designated as districts (distriktuv) or peripheries (rymnivera). This is usually indicative of a smaller, weaker governmental apparatus with greater dependency on the provincial government than the subject's countyships. Districts exist in Verastia Territory, West Rhuon, and various parts of Kiravian Crona.

The East Arctic Mandate is divided into raīon and vestra ("boroughs"), with the latter being functionally equivalent to independent cities.

Grades
Five unofficial grades of countyships may be defined, based on their degree of self-governance: autonomous countyships, home rule countyships, standard countyships, limited or departmental countyships, and non-governing countyships.

Autonomous countyships have special status, enjoy wide-reaching structural, functional, and fiscal autonomy, and enjoy exemptions from generally applicable state laws. Currently, all autonomous countyships are designated for Urom communities or National Minority populations, though there have been proposals to create autonomous countyships for other purposes, such as to govern the Holden Island bistate condominium or to expand casino gambling.

Home-rule countyships are self-organised (the countyship government is a fiscally and legally independent corporate entity from the provincial government, though functioning within the parameters of provincial laws and charged with administrative responsibilities by the province), and enjoy significant structural, functional, and fiscal latitude, in contrast to standard countyships, which have their structures fully and functions significantly defined by province-wide law and are fiscally accountable to the provincial government. Standard countyships are by far the most common type, followed by home rule countyships. Together, standard and home-rule countyships account for the vast majority of Kiravian second-level divisions and contain almost the entirety (>96%) of the Kiravian population. In some provinces, such as Hanoram State, all countyships are home-rule by default. In others, such as Cascada, home rule is granted on an individual basis by the legislature.

In some provinces, and for some specific countyships in other provinces, the countyship government does not exist as an entity distinct from the provincial government. These are classified as limited countyships. County-level powers are exercised by provincial agencies and appointees, usually in the absence of locally-elected officials or councils. In Itaho-Falkaria, for example, several sparsely-populated countyships are administered directly by the Territorial Forestry Service. In Sydona, Destran Raion is a "raion of republican subordination" administered by a Department of Metropolitan Affairs.

Some countyships have no government of their own, but nonetheless exist on paper and may be used as a judicial, statistical, and administrative district by other government agencies. In some cases, such non-governing countyships arose through attrition, as responsibilities of a previous county government were devolved to municipal governments and/or resumed by the state. This has occurred in several countyships in Fariva, the X cantons of Valēka (each of which is a countyship of Kiygrava State), and all countyships of Bissáv, all of which still have county courts and county registrars. In most cases, however, non-governing countyships are created in areas where no previous county-level government existed, such as islands with no permanent civilian population or small provinces whose territory is coterminous with a single countyship (Interlacunal District, Fanlin Island). There have been several instances in Kiravian history when entire counties have been depopulated by war, crop failures, or other exceptional circumstances. In Kyllera, individual countyship governments can cease to function for extended periods due to unrest (usually involving the Síruku urom people) and disease. In Daridia, it is not uncommon for certain rural counties to elect councils with hardline libertarian majorities that either vote themselves out of existence, refuse to carry out any business, or fail to convene at all.

Functions
The two quintessential countyship-level institutions are the county court and the county registry.

Courts
Countyship courts are the courts of first instance for the overwhelming majority of judicial proceedings in Kiravia, both criminal and civil. Jurors are selected from among the residents of the countyship.

Registry
The countyship registry is the repository for a wide range of official records and documents. The countyship Registrar may be directly elected or appointed by the County Commission.

The county registry certifies and records titles and deeds and produces the county's cadastral map. It maintains the thramdastraterion ("household registry"), and issues and stores certificates of birth, death, and marriage. Where offered, domestic partnerships and civil unions are normally recorded at the county level. The county registry maintains (but does not always administer) the electoral rolls and election returns. are typically organised and registered at the county level, and in some provinces other non-corporate business entities - such as partnerships and registered associations - are registered at the county level as well.

Other Functions and Services
Other functions and public services for which countyships are often responsible are:


 * Policing
 * Jails
 * Emergency services and response
 * Electoral administration
 * Health clinics


 * Spatial planning
 * s and s
 * Utilities contracts
 * Waste management
 * assessment


 * Animal control
 * Library systems
 * Park systems
 * Ag' halls
 * Ag' halls

Policing
[Role of amtra in policing]