Aldermen Agree to Pursue Possible Home Rule Charter for Wentzville

Wentzville's new City Administrator, Mike McDowell, brought up the topic of home rule at Wednesday night's board work session, asking for a definite thumbs-up or thumbs-down. 

READ MORE: Aldermen to Discuss Possible City Classification Change

The board had discussed the topic at their strategic planning session last month, McDowell said, "but a clear direction was not established."

If the board's intent was to move forward with the change from a fourth class city to a charter city (known in Missouri as home rule), a significant amount of work would be involved, McDowell said. 

Either the board of alderman would make a decision to initiate the process, or a petition from citizens could initiate it. At that point, an election is called to get voter approval, McDowell said.

"If secured, a charter commission is elected from among the citizenry," he explained. Typically, the commission has 15 members. The commission writes the charter, which sets the structure, power and authority of the city.

"It's conceivable but unlikely that commission could develop a structure similar to what exists now," McDowell said.The charter would also have to approved by voters, and then it wouldn't take effect until the first officials under the charter are elected.

Since that means three referendums would need to go to the voters, the earliest McDowell said he could see it happening would be in April of 2014. Time would needed to explain the process to the residents and to recruit interested citizens to serve on the charter commission.

"We Don't Have to do it Tomorrow"

Ward 3 Alderman Rick Stokes said that he could see a Wentzville of the future with "60, 70, 80,000 people." 

"Citizens deserve this discussion," he said.

Ward 1 Alderman Cheryl Kross said that she supported discussion also, but was concerned about the amount of work it would take. The city was in the middle of a project to build three new parks and in the process of hiring a public works director and a finance director, she said.

The new city administrator was also very busy, Kross said. "He’s just learning his job."

Mayor Nick Guccione asked for more information about the pros and cons of home rule.

Charter cities have more authority with their internal structure, to set up their administrative operations, and in the ways they’re financed and budgeted, McDowell said. "But it's incorrect to suggest you escape what happens in Jefferson City."

Home rule gives a city more discretion on a local level, he said. "It puts local voters much more in control."

Chris Gard, Ward 2 Alderman, said that it was interesting to read other cities' charters and see what they kept and what they changed. "The citizens who sat on those commissions made some interesting changes to their local government," he said. "But we don’t have to do it tomorrow."

Gard said that that with all the new growth in Wentzville, he liked the prospect of those new citizens being able to affect change and have direct involvement in creating a new government.

City staff will work on a possible timeline for the home rule process.

An interesting final note came from Historical Society President Larry Marshall. "The village was founded in 1855," he said. "Twenty years later, they wrote the charter to become a town. Thirty years later, in 1903, it was proclaimed a fourth class city."

"110 years ago," he said. "I imagine it can wait a few more months."