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Unlike most County governments in Missouri, Jackson County's government is not governed by a three member administrative "Court" and independently elected officials heading administrative departments. In 1970, the voters of Jackson County adopted a constitutional Home Rule Charter government for Jackson County. The charter preamble states: We, the people of Jackson County, Missouri, in order to perfect the structure and enlarge the powers of our county government to insure that it is just, orderly, efficient, and fully responsible to the people, and to secure the benefits of home rule and self-government for Jackson County to the fullest extent possible under the Constitution of the State of Missouri, do adopt this Charter as the fundamental law for the government of this county. The Constitutional Home Rule Charter provides for a separation of the legislative and executive functions. The heart of the Charter is a strong elected executive, accountable to all the voters, who has the power to appoint the administrative officers of his government, the power to veto legislation, and both the responsibility and the means at hand with which to operate an effective, efficient county government. The legislature is given broad legislative power and is so construed as to be truly representative of all of the people of Jackson County. To insure efficient, effective and fair relationships between the county employees and the citizens of the county, a merit system and prohibition against conflicts of interest are provided. After one hundred fifty years of usage, the voters of Jackson County replaced the old structure of county government with a new structure as authorized by law. The new Jackson County form of government is one designed for the years of the 1970's, 1980's, and the 1990's and beyond, with the opportunity for the people of the county to make changes in Jackson County rather than in the State Capitol. Click here to view a copy of the county charter.
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