Monett City Council triggers election on changing government, ‘long been needed’

The Monett City Council put the change of government into motion at its Oct. 14 meeting, and gave the first official approval to Monett Main Street’s plan for a dog park.
The change of government proposal, addressed repeatedly in council work sessions, finally reached ordinance form. Council members approved placing two questions before voters: “Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter?” and which persons shall be chosen, from a list of candidates yet to file for consideration, to frame a charter?
This is the step West Plains followed to trigger its switch away from a commission form of government in 2013. Monett’s original government shift to a commission form was started by a citizen petition and not by the standing city council.
Mayor Randy Burke said, “With a town the size of 10,000, I think everyone realizes we need more people [to run the government]. We need to be more representative.”
The charter format Burke cited would enable the city to “write our own constitution. That gives us a lot of flexibility,” he continued.
The only comment from the audience on the plan came from former city council candidate Deborah Schoen, who said, “It’s long been needed.”
“That’s exactly the way we feel,” said Commissioner Darren Indovina.
What happens next
Candidates for the commission forming the charter can file for those positions between Dec. 9 and  Dec. 30. The top 13 vote-getters will qualify for the panel. That group will review other cities’ charters, determine how many people should serve on Monett’s council, their terms of office, if the council will select its own mayor or have one elected by the public, as well as the structure of the government. That includes what authority the city council will have, or will it designate a city administrator to run all the business of the city, leaving the council only the power to create policy but not control over how the business of the city is conducted. Presently, council members have authority over individual departments and can manage the department heads.
Whatever charter the commission creates will have to go before the public a second time, in April 2027, before the changes are adopted. If the charter is not adopted, no change will take place in the city government.