Charter Review Commission

In accordance with Section 14.2 of the Lee’s Summit City Charter, the Charter Review Commission completed its review of the City’s Charter and formally presented the final report to the Mayor and City Council at the regular meeting in July 2007.

The Commission, made up of three Commissioners from each of the City’s four Council districts, began meeting in July of 2006. Two public forums were held to gather initial public comment input and suggestions. There after, they met twice a month to receive additional testimony, review the Charter, and deliberate on various suggested changes. In the end the Charter Review Commission proposed six separate recommendations, each were placed on the November 2007 ballot and submitted to the voters. All six proposals passed.

The first recommendation will bring the Charter into conformance with certain state laws and administrative procedures. The second recommendation presents a number of operational changes that will add clarity to the language of the charter and enhance city governance and operations. The third recommendation will provide for the office of the Mayor Pro-Tempore to appoint City Council committees and City Council liaisons to City boards and commissions instead of the Office of the Mayor. The fourth recommendation is a proposal for term limits for both the office of the Mayor and the office of the City Councilmembers. The fifth recommendation is for minor changes to the procedures for initiatives, referendums, and recalls to provide greater clarity to the process. And, the sixth recommendation is to provide that statement of cause for the recall of a City elected official be placed at the top and bottom of each petition form. To view the Charter Commission’s Final Report or appendixes, select from the menu on the right.