Special purpose governments

and the perceived inefficiencies.   Mosquito abatement, West Nile Virus.....necessary but effective?   If the wages and pensions are more than the insecticide, that is the question!   Illinois is featured in its prominence with the most local governments.   More than any other state.   The article refers to these as feifdoms that provide handouts to a select few.   There is a chart to look at the other states as comparison across the nation.   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/reagan-revolution-misses-tax-fiefdoms-flourishing-in-u-s-.html

Fragmented local governments

A good source for data about numbers of governments by states, as well as historical growth of these governments. These are called special districts, or special purpose districts 
http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/local-government-consolidation-fragmentation.html