City Charter

Official Charter, Archives, and History
City Charter (Rev. June, 2020)
Printed copies may be purchased for $1.00 each in the City Clerk's Office.

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 (13) vote-getters in the election. The top two vote-getters were subsequently named Chairman and Vice Chairman, Don Shinkle and Clyde Lear, respectively. The Commission then elected Carolyn McDowell as Secretary.

City of Jefferson Charter Commission - official portrait

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 had already been taken.

Individual Charter Commissioners

Richard Wilson	Patricia Sanders	Ed Rackers	Steve Weber	Fred Vogel	Thomas Graham
Paul Schleer	Charles Weber	Thomas H. Benton	Thomas Rackers	Don Shinkle	Clyde Lear
		Carolyn S. McDowell	Kenneth Wildhaber

The Finished Product
A letter outlining the final charter document was written to the citizens of Jefferson City by the Commission, signed by all thirteen Charter Commission members, and the charter was placed on the ballot for final voter approval on February 7, 1986. The voters of the City approved the City Charter by a vote of 5,525 to 1,070.

A history of the Charter, and all amendments approved by the voters since its approval, has been compiled by the City Clerk. A "How-To" document is also available for those wishing to learn how Charter amendments can be submitted for voter approval.