Update on the county charter study by the League of Women Voters

Just as many of us are getting back into the swing of work in this new year, Cape Girardeau's League of Women Voters is wrapping up its study of the county charter issue.

A quick recap: The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's government and public policy committee has been talking about a county charter for more than 18 months. In August, chamber president John Mehner ask the League of Women Voters to produce a county charter report outlining the steps to get a county charter.

"The League's part was to do an objective study, and we're close to completing that," said Mary Ellen Sharp, League co-president, along with Jan Miller. "What the chamber committee decides to do with that is up to them."

Sharp said her group looked at "the nuts-and-bolts of the operation of a charter county. We weren't talking about the pros and cons. If they decide to pursue it, that's when pros and cons would be relevant."

The League of Women Voters committee assigned to the charter study will meet Thursday with the chamber of commerce charter committee.

"The intent of the group has been to have a better understanding of what a charter form of government is," said Marsha Haskell, who for the last year has been chairwoman of the chamber's government and public policy committee and the county charter subcommittee. "One of the policies of the committee is to educate ourselves on various forms of governments impacting the state of Missouri. We really didn't have a good understanding of what a charter form of government was."

Haskell said from what she's seen so far, which includes reviews of county charters for St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Charles, "the League has not only done an exemplary job in helping us understand what this means, but that have some background in researching charter issues."

The League of Women Voters was also tapped to research whether the city of Cape Girardeau should pursue a charter, which eventually happened.

"Basically what I've learned is that [the charter option] really gives the citizens a stronger voice in governing themselves. The people who could ultimately write a charter are the ones who can determine what best suits the needs of the county," Haskell said.

In previous "Lost in Main Street" columns, others have warned that county charters lead to excess spending, but Haskell said that doesn't appear to be the case for counties she's studying, because "it all depends on how the charter is written."

When the group meets Thursday, Haskell will turn over her chairmanship to Jim Lawrence, of Saint Francis Medical Center, though she expects to continue participating as a member of the committee.

In the meantime, Jefferson County bears some watching. The charter initiative that Jefferson's county commission fought against for five years was approved in November by voters, with a margin of 67,636 votes to 32,961 (67.23 percent to 32.77 percent).

"It's an interesting concept, and I definitely think it's something Cape County needs to look at, since we are growing and have been a first-class county for so long," Haskell said.

Questions, suggestions or tips for Lost on Main Street? E-mail pmcnichol@semissourian.com or call 573-388-3646.