Home Rule Charter Amendments on June 2 Ballot

City of West Plains’ voters will have the opportunity to vote to accept or reject the proposed amendments to the Home Rule Charter at the June 2election. The Home Rule Charter was approved by citizens in 2014 and serves as the constitution for the City. Every 10 years, the Charter must be reviewed to ensure our local government works efficiently to serve the community.

In 2019, a committee of 9 citizens was chosen and began the process to amend the Charter. After review and recommendation to the City Council, the proposed amendments will allow for the City to operate more efficiently. The final amendments are now available online, https://westplains.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/charter-amendments... or at City Hall, 1910 Holiday Lane.

The major updates to the Charter are:

-The proposed update to Section 3.13 (e) will require that all ordinances that are not considered an emergency will be read at two open Council meetings before final passage.

-The proposed update to Section 7.5 (a) will require that the City Council will communicate via the City website and multiple media services a summary of the general budget and a notice stating the location of the proposed and adopted budget for the two most recent fiscal years.

-The proposed update to Sections 9.2 and 9.3 for Petitioner’s Committee and Petition states that petitioner’s committee members must be voters of the City to obtain signatures. Other changes are made to Form and Content, Notarized Affidavit of Circulator, and Timing.

For questions about the amendments to the Home Rule Charter, contact City Hall at 256-7176.