Editing Denton, Texas (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Denton County Courts Building.jpg|thumb|Denton County Courts Building|alt=Fronts picture of a two-story administration building on a cloudy day. The walkway is shown leading up to the building including a circular garden with white flowers forming a star.]]

Denton is the [[county seat]] of [[Denton County]]. From 1914 to 1959, the City of Denton used a [[Mayor-council|mayor–city commission]] system, but a charter adopted in 1959 created a [[Council-manager|council–manager]] form of city government.<ref name="tsha-city" /> Residents elect a mayor, four single-member district council members, and two at-large members. The Denton City Council appoints the city manager.<ref name="tsha-city" /> Council terms are for two years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms, and elections are held each year in May.<ref name=govt>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=58 |title=City Council Members |publisher=City of Denton |access-date=2009-09-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011131127/http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=58 |archive-date=2009-10-11 }}</ref> Denton Municipal Utilities administers utilities; the city provides water, wastewater, electric, drainage and solid waste service. The electric utility, Denton Municipal Electric (DME), has been in operation since 1905. In 2009, DME began providing 40% of its energy to customers through renewable resources. The City of Denton Water Utilities Department serves the city's water demand. [[Atmos Energy]] provides the city's natural gas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=455 |title=City of Denton, TX: Denton Municipal Electric |publisher=City of Denton |access-date=2009-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010231547/http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=455 |archive-date=2009-10-10 }}</ref> Denton is a part of the [[Sister Cities International]] program and maintains cultural and economic exchange programs with its [[sister city|sister cities]], [[Madaba]], [[Jordan]], and [[San Nicolás de los Garza]], [[Mexico]].<ref name="sistercity">{{cite web | url=http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/TX | title = Sister Cities International (Online Directory: Texas, USA) | access-date = 2007-04-09 |publisher=Sister Cities International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210144332/http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/TX |archive-date=2008-02-10 }}</ref>

Denton is a voluntary member of the [[North Central Texas Council of Governments]] association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.