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| City Charter changes –
Aug. 8, 2006 Election Q & A |
Background
Live election coverage
 Tune in to KCCG-TV2
on Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
for coverage from the
City Communications Office. Results will be posted on the Web
site as they are received.
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On Aug. 8, 2006, the voters of Kansas City will be presented with the opportunity to adopt a revised
City Charter or to continue operating under the current charter. In addition to
this question, five
potential amendments will be presented,
and voters will be asked if they wish to authorize the sale
of the vacant and unused building at 22nd Street and Gillham Road.
These questions and answers are provided to explain the impact of the proposed changes on how Kansas City government operates and what they might mean to its residents and businesses.
To read the ordinances in their entirety, you may contact the City Clerk’s Office, 25th floor of City Hall, 414 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106, (816) 513-3360, or view them online at www.kcmo.org.
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Q
U E S T I O Nt 1 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by allowing the sale, upon competitive bidding, of approximately 1.7 acres of park property generally located at 22nd Street and Gillham Road, including the vacant and currently unused building commonly known as the Fire Alarm Exchange Building, contingent upon use of any proceeds from the sale for the restoration of the Women’s Leadership Fountain located at 9th Street and The Paseo? Ordinance No. 060511
 Find out how this question impacts you
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U E S T I O Nt 2 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City, originally enacted in 1925, be reduced in size by repealing its
current twenty articles and enacting thirteen new articles to read as provided in Second Committee
Substitute for Ordinance No. 050953 to reflect the home rule authority granted to the City by the
Missouri Constitution to adopt ordinances providing the power to engage in municipal functions;
to authorize the establishment of new park districts; to require the establishment of debt and
economic incentive policies and a code of ethics; to allow a contracting code to be enacted; to
require a person completing a term of a recalled official to receive a majority of the votes cast; to
require review of the Charter every ten years; and to provide for organization of the City’s
administration by the City Manager or Council? Ordinance No. 050953
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q U E S T I O Nt 3 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by increasing the mandatory retirement age of Municipal Judges from 65 to 70 years of age? Ordinance No. 051254
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q U E S T I O Nt 4 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by requiring a committee of petitioners seeking
the recall of the Mayor or a Council member to state a reason for the recall that must relate to malfeasance, misfeasance or misconduct, and by conducting a single election at which a person
would be chosen to serve the remainder of the term of the official subject to the recall petition; and
permitting the official subject to the recall petition to also be a candidate to continue in office? Ordinance No. 051253
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q U E S T I O N t5 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by authorizing the Mayor to vote for a candidate to fill
a vacancy on the Council only in the event of a tie? Ordinance No. 060508
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q U E S T I O N t6 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by enacting a three consecutive term limit for the
Mayor and Council members effective with the current Mayor and Council? Ordinance No. 051255
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q U E S T I O N t7 |
Should the charter of Kansas City be amended by repealing its current two consecutive term limit for
the mayor and councilmembers? Ordinance No. 060549
Find out how this question impacts you
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Q
U E S T I O Nt
1 |
| Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by allowing the sale, upon competitive bidding, of approximately 1.7 acres of park property generally located at 22nd Street and Gillham Road, including the vacant and currently unused building commonly known as the Fire Alarm Exchange Building, contingent upon use of any proceeds from the sale for the restoration of the Women’s Leadership Fountain located at 9th Street and The Paseo? (Ordinance No. 060511) |
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Why do voters have to approve
this sale? |
Have voters ever approved sales of
park property? |
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| What is this property? |
What will happen to the property? |
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What will happen with the money from
the sale? |
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U E S T I O Nt
2 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City, originally enacted in 1925, be reduced in size by repealing its
current twenty articles and enacting thirteen new articles to read as provided in Second Committee
Substitute for Ordinance No. 050953 to reflect the home rule authority granted to the City by the
Missouri Constitution to adopt ordinances providing the power to engage in municipal functions;
to authorize the establishment of new park districts; to require the establishment of debt and
economic incentive policies and a code of ethics; to allow a contracting code to be enacted; to
require a person completing a term of a recalled official to receive a majority of the votes cast; to
require review of the Charter every ten years; and to provide for organization of the City’s
administration by the City Manager or Council? (Ordinance No. 050953) |
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What is the city charter?
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Why don’t we just keep using the
current charter? |
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| What types of things would be eliminated from the current charter if the proposed charter is adopted by the voters? |
Does Question 2 change the petition process
for initiative petitions, referendum, or recall? |
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Does Question 2 change the qualifications
for people who run for mayor or
councilmember? |
Does Question 2 change the term limits
that are now applied to the mayor and
councilmembers? |
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Will Question 2 change our election days? |
Will people still take office on April 11,
just a few days after they are elected? |
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What happens to the current mayor and councilmembers if the next term doesn’t begin until May 1?
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Are there any changes made to the Municipal
Court by Question 2? |
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| What happens to the Housing Court? |
What happens to the current City departments
if Question 2 passes? |
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What will happen to the Neighborhood
and Community Services Department? |
If departments won’t change, does the
proposed charter do anything with the
organization of City government? |
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Are departments given new duties by the proposed charter? |
Are the City’s contracting procedures
impacted by the proposed charter? |
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What about the City’s financial management? Are changes proposed?
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Does the proposed charter deal with how
the City confronts questions about debt
and economic incentives? |
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| What about government ethics? |
Will the Board of Parks and Recreation
Commissioners still exist and set policy for the Parks and Recreation Department? Are there any changes in the scope of the Board’s authority? |
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| Does the proposed charter change any taxes or other charges? |
It has been more than 80 years since the
current charter was passed. Is there a way
to require more frequent consideration of
the charter? |
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Separate Charter Questions
In addition to the major changes in the City Charter proposed by Question 2, there are six additional questions that address specific detailed matters. The votes cast for each of the questions are independent of the basic charter. It is possible that the basic proposed charter could be adopted, but none of the separate items. Likewise, it is possible that the basic proposed charter could be defeated but one or more of the separate items could be adopted. If that happens, the 1925 charter will be amended to reflect the specific question that is adopted. |
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Q U E S T I O Nt 3 |
| Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by increasing the mandatory retirement age of Municipal Judges from 65 to 70 years of age? (Ordinance No. 051254) |
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Is there a mandatory retirement age for
other judges?
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Do other municipal judges have mandatory
retirement ages? |
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| What is the current retirement age? |
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Q U E S T I O Nt 4 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by requiring a committee of petitioners seeking
the recall of the Mayor or a Council member to state a reason for the recall that must relate to malfeasance, misfeasance or misconduct, and by conducting a single election at which a person
would be chosen to serve the remainder of the term of the official subject to the recall petition; and
permitting the official subject to the recall petition to also be a candidate to continue in office? (Ordinance No. 051253) |
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What is the current recall procedure?
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How does the proposed separate ballot issue
change this procedure? |
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What is “malfeasance, misfeasance
or misconduct”? |
What if an official commits a crime, but it is
not related to their official duties? Can that
official be recalled? |
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Q U E S T I O N t5 |
| Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by authorizing the Mayor to vote for a candidate to fill
a vacancy on the Council only in the event of a tie? (Ordinance No. 060508) |
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How are vacancies now filled?
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What does authorizing the mayor to vote only
if there is a tie do to the process? |
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If the mayor doesn’t vote unless there is a
tie, will there ever be a tie? |
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Q U E S T I O N S j6 a n dj 7 |
Should the Charter of Kansas City be amended by enacting a three consecutive term limit for the
mayor and councilmembers effective with the current mayor and Council? (Ordinance No. 051255)
Should the charter of Kansas City be amended by repealing its current two consecutive term limit for
the mayor and councilmembers? (Ordinance No. 060549) |
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Why are there two term limit questions on the ballot?
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Must I vote for one or the other? |
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| What do these two propositions do? |
When was the current rule enacted? |
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What was the rule prior to the
1990 change? |
When would these rules go into effect? |
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What if both propositions pass? |
What if both propositions fail? |
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Access
to the election ordinances
Ordinances
can be obtained from the City
Clerk’s Office for a fee. The address is:
City Clerk’s
Office
City Hall, 25th floor
414 E. 12th St.
Kansas City, MO 64106
Phone: (816) 513-3360.
Live election coverage!
Tune in to
KCCG-TV2
on Aug. 8, for election coverage provided by the
City Communications Office (City Manager’s Office) beginning at 7:30
p.m.
Election results will be posted on this Web
site as they are received.
For
more information, contact the City Communications Office
Phone: (816) 513-1349
Fax: (816) 513-1351
E-mail: communications@kcmo.org |
