If voters say yes in April, the City of Ozark will take steps to become a charter city, a decision that could reshape its local government.
On April 7, Ozark residents will have the option to vote on whether or not a commission should be formed to draft a city charter and who should serve on that commission. If the measures are approved, the 11 candidates on the ballot will be appointed on April 20. Two others would be needed to bring the number of citizens on the commission to 13.
Members would be given nine months to draft a charter, which is a local constitution that affects how government operates. Voters would then decide on adoption of the proposed charter in April 2027.
Tuesday night, the City of Ozark held an informational meeting about the ballot measures.
Ozark Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Galloway explained that, under a charter form of government, a citizen commission decides how the city's government should function. For example, members could allow the mayor to vote on Board of Aldermen agenda items, which they currently cannot do as a 4th class city under Missouri rules. The mayor can only vote if there's a tie. The commission could also decide how wards are divided up, the number of elected officials, whether to include at large elected officials and determine term lengths.
The commission could include language to give citizens more control. For example, many city charters allow for initiatives, which give voters the ability to place local issues on the ballot; referendums, which give voters the ability to repeal or reject local ordinances passed by the local government; and recall, which gives voters the provision to remove any elected official from office.
"A charter is a form of city government that allows citizens to create their own local constitution and organize city operations to fit their communities' needs and priorities," said Galloway. He said it "puts the structure of government in the citizens' hands."
Questions Tuesday night included one about whether or not the charter would allow the city to impose taxes without a vote of the people. City Attorney Amanda Callaway said any tax increases would have to be placed on a ballot. A charter, she said, is largely about the structure of government.
