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A HISTORY
OF THE
CITY CHARTER
CHARTER COMMISSION ELECTED
On February 5, 1985, voters in the City of Jefferson voted to elect a Commission to draft the City’s
Charter. To be elected to the Commission, those who filed petitions to have their names placed on the ballot
had to be among the top thirteen vote-getters in the election. The top two vote-getters were subsequently
named Chairman and Vice Chairman.
A letter outlining the final charter document was written to the citizens of Jefferson City by the
Commission, and the charter was placed on the ballot for final voter approval on February 7, 1986. The
letter, signed by all thirteen Charter Commission members, follows this synopsis.
The voters of the City approved the Charter by a vote of 5,525 to 1,070.
HISTORY OF COMMISSIONERS
During his term on the Commission, Chairman Don Shinkle resigned to move out of the state of
Missouri, leaving Clyde Lear to step into the position of Chairman, with Thomas Rackers, the next highest
vote-getter assuming the office of Vice-Chairman. The next high vote-getter in the Charter election, Mr.
Kenneth Wildhaber, was then installed to assume the position left vacant by Mr. Shinkle, but not until after
the above portrait was taken.
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CHARTER AMENDMENTS
From the date of its adoption in 1986 until this publication, the City Charter has been
amended as approved by the voters, and outlined below:
1. Sec. 6.4. Firemen’s Pension Fund (Ordinance 10987)
2. Section 3.2 (d) and Section 4.1 (b) Limitation on Terms. (Ordinance 11 858)
3. Section 9.4 (d) Time for Filing Referendum Petitions (Ordinance 12179)
4. Section 5.1 (c) and Section 6.5 (c) Compensation (Ordinance 12194)
5. Article XV - Gambling Prohibitions (Ordinance 12344)
6. Section 15.1 Activities Outside Jurisdiction Not Prohibited (Ordinance 12414)
7. Non-partisan elections: Sections 8.2(a), (b); 3.6(c); 6.6(d); 6.7(b)(3) (Ordinance 13179)
8. Section 6.4(a) Allowing Firemen’s Pension Fund more than one pension method
(Ordinance 13832)
9. Section 4.4 Clarifying President Pro Tempore’s voting powers in the event of tie vote
(Ordinance 13833)
10. Section 3.2 (d) Clarifying Council term limits following mid -term appointment (Ordinance
14610)
11. Section 4.1(a) and (b) Clarifying language pertaining to qualifications for Mayor
(Ordinance 14610)
12. Sections 6.3, (1) Removing political partisanship requirement from Police Personnel
Board members, (4) establish that Police are will employees, and (5) granting Police
employee choice of public or closed hearing before Police Personnel Board. (Ordinance
14610)
13. Section 8.2(b) Establishes primary election if three or more candidates for same office
(Ordinance 14893)
14. Section 5.2 (b) Removes Council from hiring and firing of personnel below Department
Heads; and Section 6.3 (b)2, Removes Council from hiring and firing P olice personnel
below Chief (Ordinance 14894)
15. Section 8.2 (b) Eliminates primary election and, therefore, candidate receiving the most
votes at the general election wins the office (Ordinance 15093)
16. Sec. 6.4. Firemen’s Pension Fund Removed (Ordinance 15759)
17. Section 3.2(d) and Section 4.1(b) Removing the lifetime limit of eight years of service,
and instead prevent any person who has served four (4) consecutive terms from serving
again until a break of service of at least one two-year councilmember term or one four-
year mayor term, respectively, has elapsed (Ordinance 15872)
18. Section 6.6 (f), (g) The City Prosecutor may be removed from office by a four-fifths vote
of the council for lack of qualifications, violation of the charter, convic tion of felonies or
misdemeanors involving moral turpitude, default to the City, neglect of office, or
incapacity; and to provide that the procedure for removal of the city prosecutor may be
established by ordinance (Ordinance 15873)
19. Section 12.1 Section title change to “Conflicts of Interest”, and prohibits certain action
constituting a conflict of interest where a City official or employee as also serves on the
governing body of any voluntary board, non-profit corporation, or political subdivision
(Ordinance 15874)
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20. Approving an amended and restated charter of the City by repealing certain language
and enacting additional language to make certain corrections, alterations, and
clarifications to various provisions including the use of gender-neutral language, and
amending provisions related to the time of judging candidate qualifications, computation
of time, bill procedures, and the offices of mayor, councilmember, city administrator, and
city counselor (Ordinance 15990)
21. Section 12.2, Adding new Subsections (c) and (d) relating to prohibitions and
incompatible offices (Ordinance 15998)
22. Section 3.8, Section 5.1 (e), and Section 6.5 (a) relating to residency requirements for the
city administrator, city clerk, and city attorney (Ordinance 15999)
23. Section 3.11 (e) relating to legislative proceedings (Ordinance 16000)