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When Clay County voters head to the polls, they'll see Proposition A on their ballots. The proposition is a single yes-or-no vote, but it encompasses several proposed changes.
Mandy Richards voted Wednesday afternoon and had questions after she cast her ballot.
"I wasn't very familiar with Proposition A," Richards said.
She wasn't alone.
KSHB 41 News Northland reporter Fernanda Silva spoke with voters who told her Proposition A was difficult to understand, even after they read it multiple times.
"It is hard to understand, and I'm still not sure," Dorene Updike told Silva.
David Tyrell agreed Proposition A was complicated.
Debra Leiter, an associate professor of political science at UMKC, said the measure is a challenging read.
Leiter explained the proposed changes were recommended by the Clay County Constitution Review Commission.
If approved, Proposition A would change several parts of the Clay County Constitution: nine different things packed into one vote.
Here's a breakdown:
Start with the money
If approved, the proposal would allow Clay County Commission members to receive all the benefits available to other county employees.
It would also set the prosecuting attorney’s salary at the same level as a Missouri circuit judge.
For the sheriff, it would raise the salary benchmark from 75% of a Missouri associate circuit judge’s salary to 100%, according to the county.
"These are all issues that will increase the cost to Clay County voters for the cost of government," Leiter said.
Changes to elections and power
The proposal would also change how elections work when only a few candidates run for an office.
"It used to be that if there was just one candidate on the ballot, you didn't have to have an election," Leiter said. "Now, regardless of how many candidates there are on the ballot, they have to have an election."
The county's website explains a sole candidate is now declared the winner without an election. When a primary is held, "a candidate receiving a majority is deemed elected, and no general election is held for that office."
"With one or two qualified candidates, there would be no primary, but the candidate or candidates would appear on the general election ballot," Clay County's website states. "With more than two qualified candidates, a primary would still be held, and the two highest-vote candidates would advance to the general election, even if one received a primary majority."
The measure would also shift some decision-making power from the presiding commissioner to the full County Commission.
That includes decisions about nominations to county boards and commissions, appointing the presiding commissioner pro tem, and calling special meetings.
"What these changes do is move a lot of power from the presiding commissioner to the whole commission," Leiter said.
According to the county's website, the Presiding Commissioner could still call special meetings, but the proposal would also allow "any two of the remaining Commissioners" to call a special meeting.
Another change would grant additional authority to the county administrator, as approved by the County Commission.
"One of the most important things is the county administrator, who's a professional, is now able to enact and pass through contracts," Leiter said. "This seems to be an efficiency issue to make sure that there's somebody responsible for those county contracts."
The county's website says the presiding commissioner's existing signing provision would remain in the Constitution and that "the proposal would expressly authorize the County Administrator to execute contracts and other County government documents if authorized by law or the Commission."
The proposal also would allow each county commissioner to appoint one member of the county's Re-Districting and Constitution Review Commission.
"Most of these changes, I'd say, are administrative, changing who has authority, who can call meetings, who has the power to engage with contracts," Leiter said.
For Richards, seeing the full scope of the measure was eye-opening.
"I'm glad you showed this to me, and I'm glad you explained it to me, all that it entails," Richards said.
Voters will decide whether to approve or reject the entire package.
"They have to take everything or nothing," Leiter said.
What officials are saying
I reached out to the Clay County Constitution Review Commission to ask why the changes were proposed and whether officials had estimated how much they could cost taxpayers if approved.
The commission was not available for an interview, but provided a statement from its chair, Anthony Bologna.
In the statement, Bologna said the commission proposed the changes after multiple public meetings and a review of how the county’s constitution has worked in practice.
The commission’s full statement reads:
"The Clay County Constitution requires a review five years after taking effect, providing an opportunity to assess how its provisions have worked in practice and identify potential improvements. Our Review Commission, composed of county residents with diverse backgrounds and experience, proposed the suggested changes following multiple public meetings. The recommended changes reflect that review and our goal of ensuring county government serves residents effectively.
Per the current Clay County Constitution, we are presenting the changes as one ballot question for voters to consider the Review Commission's recommendations as a complete document arising from this review. Ultimately, the decision rests with Clay County voters."
The full ballot language
PROPOSITION A
"Pursuant to the Clay County Constitution, the County Commission is required to appoint a Constitution Review Commission whose duties are to consider any necessary and appropriate amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution Review Commission has met and recommends a number of amendments to the Constitution. Shall Clay County adopt the proposed amendments to the Clay County Constitution? The proposed amendments shall require the County to conduct a general election even when only one candidate has filed for office, transfers the authority to nominate members of County Boards and Commissions from the Presiding Commissioner to the entire County Commission, transfers the authority to appoint the Presiding Commissioner pro tem from the Presiding Commissioner to the entire County Commission, allows the County Commission to call a special meeting of the County Commission, allows members of the County Commission to receive all benefits available to other employees of the County, sets the Prosecuting Attorney's salary at the same level as a Missouri Circuit judge, sets the Sheriff's salary at the same level as Missouri Associate Circuit Judge, grants additional authority to the County Administrator, as approved by the County Commission, and allows each County Commissioner to appoint one member of the County's Re-Districting and Constitution Review Commission."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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