Various items on tap for Tuesday's Joplin municipal election

(From the City of Joplin)

Joplin’s General Municipal Election is being held on April 8, 2014, and the ballot has several issues that will be decided by voters. This includes three City Charter amendments, an advisory vote on a citywide residential curbside recycling program, and the City Council election of five seats.

The City Charter amendments that are being posed are:

Amendment 02

“Shall Section 2.02 of the Charter of the City Joplin, Missouri, be amended to reduce the time a person must be a resident of the City from four (4) years to two (2) years in order to qualify for election to the Joplin City Council and further amended to require that a person be a registered voter for two (2) years immediately prior to election to the Joplin City Council.”

Amendment 03

“Shall Section 2.03 of the Charter of the City Joplin, Missouri, be amended to establish a salary of one hundred dollars per month for each council member while serving on the Joplin City Council?”

Amendment 04

“Shall Section 7.01 and Section 7.02 of the Charter of the City Joplin, Missouri, be amended to remove the requirement that the public works director be a registered engineer and identifying the position responsible to become the city engineer in the event the public works director is not a registered engineer?”

Voters will mark either Yes or No on each individual amendment. If receiving a majority vote (51% of the voters) in favor, the Charter amendments relating to residency and the Public Works Director qualification would take effect immediately. The Charter amendment regarding a salary payment to the City Council would not take effect until April 12, 2016 to avoid a constitutional conflict of a Council member’s salary being raised during their current term.

Each amendment stands alone and is not affected by the others. Also, the amendments do not have to be revisited by the Joplin City Council for its passage or failure to take effect.

Proposition A

The Joplin City Council also has placed an advisory vote on the question of whether to implement a citywide curbside recycling program for residents. It is listed on the ballot as “Proposition A” and reads as:

“Shall the City of Joplin, Missouri, institute a residential curbside recycling program as provided in Ordinance Number 2013-147 passed by the Council of the City of Joplin, Missouri on the 17th of June, 2013?”

This question is not a binding question, but merely gives the Council an indication on the voters’ wishes to implement such a program. If and/or when residential curbside recycling is brought forward for their consideration, Joplin City Council members may review these results for the voting public’s desired outcome.

City Council Election

There are also five Council seats up for election on Tuesday, including three general seats and Zone One and Zone Four seats. Nine candidates have filed for these positions. Citizens vote for both general seats and zone seats of Council, regardless of where they live.
The candidates for City Council are: (listed as they appear on the ballot)

Zone One: Incumbent Gary Shaw (unopposed)

Zone Four: Incumbent Jack Golden (currently holds a General Seat)

Incumbent Mike Seibert

General (3): Incumbent Trisha Raney

Jim West

Harvey Hutchinson

Miranda Lewis

Ryan Stanley

Incumbent Mike Woolston

All registered voters in Joplin have an opportunity on April 8, 2014 to voice their opinions on these questions and the election of the Council. If needing information about polling locations, voters should contact Jasper County Clerk at 417-625-4307.