Could you run a succesful town?

I thought I could but speaking to a Parish Counsellor (the lowest level of management in the UK all counsellors at this level work voluntarily) and asked why they had put up the parish counsel precept by so much (the amount of money they add to the local tax). I was informed that the next level of management up had transferred responsibility for the checking of trees to make sure they were safe to the parish. It wasn't something they could resist but instantly there was a financial impact on them from nowhere. I suspect this happens a lot in public management and not just in the UK.
Sorry this answer is so tedious but it highlights the problems that town and city management can incur without doing anything wrong.