Monett govt. change process begins

Candidates for panel to write charter to gather petitions
 
The Monett City Council took the first official step to change the city government at its Nov. 13 meeting and has prepared a packet available for candidates explaining how to file for the panel that will prepare the charter under which the city may operate.
During a work session on Nov. 5, council members sat down with attorney Holly Dodge from the Lauber Municipal Law firm to review details on the next step in moving away from the commission form of government, voted into place in 1913. Dodge gave an overview of forming the charter commission that will draft what has been called a constitution for the city.
Candidates will be able to file for that panel from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30 at Monett City Hall, the official filing period for the April 7 vote, and not at the county courthouses, though the county will oversee the election. No write-in candidates will be allowed. To qualify, candidates must gather public signatures to place their names on the ballot. The number of signatures needed is 68, based on 2 percent of the votes in the most recent election, falling back to November 2024. The county clerks will determine if the signators on the petitions are qualified Monett voters. The petitions will be viewed under the law as an official “nomination” of the candidates.
There is no limit to the number of candidates who may file. Polling places will be determined by the county clerks. The top 13 candidates in the public vote on April 7 will then organize, set their own schedule, and set to work.
The formation of the commission to write a charter will also depend on a separate issue placed on the ballot by the Monett City Council in the ordinance passed on Nov. 13. That proposition states, “Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter [for the City of Monett]?” Council members authorized that election in an ordinance passed on Nov. 13.
If that question does not receive a majority vote, the entire issue of changing the city government will become void and the election of a commission will be nullified.
The ordinance passed by the council to organize a charter commission had two unusual sections added in case any part of it did not hold up to a court challenge. If any part was deemed invalid, the remaining sections would remain in place, the ordinance stated.
A packet for potential candidates became available on Nov. 14 from City Clerk Kelley McMillan.
Mayor Randy Burke noted the Monett City Council is not naming the commission to write the new charter, but the voters. The new commissioners will have “about a year” to complete their work before a second vote is held in April 2027 over whether or not to accept the charter the panel created. Those rules will include the size of the next city council, terms of office, whether the city goes to a city manager, city administrator, or other leadership structure, and whether a mayor will be chosen by the council or by public vote.
Commissioner Ken Gaspar pointed out that vote next April in itself will not change Monett’s form of government. The present commission form of government could continue as one of four options, even if the number of city council seats expands.
Commissioner Darren Indovina called the move to discuss how the city government runs “very opportunistic.” He added, “Welcome to city government.”
Fliers have been created explaining the government change options, detailing the advantages of Home Rule, running under locally passed laws rather than solely under the statutes of the State of Missouri. The flier will be distributed widely in the city.