The organization and performance of the bodies of local self-government in both Russia and in the Republic of Crimea are far from being perfect ranging from the electoral system and organization of work to the powers in the field of managing the property that is taxed in favor of local government. Based on the experience of our predecessors, the question arises concerning the necessity to maintain a huge bureaucratic apparatus of the Republic of Crimea at the expense of the state budget, the order of formation of the central regulatory legislative and executive bodies, profits and expenses, retirement payment provisions and organization of work in various sectors of economy management. The author made an attempt to carry out a historic and legal research of organization and performance of Tauride Provincial Zemstvo as a local government authority for the first twenty years of its existence from 1866 to 1886. The author believes that the experience of our predecessors can be useful for modern self-government bodies in many aspects of their work.