Jackson County legislators are on ballot Aug 2. What do these local officials do for you?
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KCQ Votes: Answering questions on August primaries
The Star’s Service Journalism team is providing information you need to know about issues, voting laws and election procedures for Kansas, Missouri and the KC area.
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As you head to the polls for the Aug. 2 primary election, you’ll have the fate of countless candidates in your hands. Some are running for well-known positions like U.S. Senate, but others are vying for lesser-known roles. Among these are the nine seats on Jackson County’s legislature.
“People do not pay close enough attention to the votes at the county level,” said current county legislator Crystal Williams, a Democrat who represents the second district-at-large but is not running for re-election. “The county has very important functions. They just have a tendency to be sort of hidden functions until a problem flares up.”
Who serves in the Jackson County Legislature?
Nine members comprise this legislative body, which meets once a week to debate and pass ordinances and resolutions.
Six of these roles are district-specific, and can only be chosen by voters in their own district. The other three roles run for bigger “at-large” districts, and are chosen by all the voters in the county. Here’s how to find out which districts you live in.
This means that Jackson County voters will choose four legislators at the polls: one from their own district, and three to represent the districts-at-large.
What does the Jackson County Legislature do?
The legislature, along with the county executive, decides how to spend the county’s budget.
“I can have an effect over how money is spent through the county budget… as long as the county executive agrees with me on it,” Williams said.
This partnership prevents the legislature from spending money on new projects that aren’t already in the budget, she added.
Some of the legislature’s responsibilities over the county’s budget include:
Public works (like road maintenance) outside of incorporated cities like Kansas City or Independence
Issuing countywide rules such as mask mandates
Levying countywide sales taxes
Running the assessment office that assesses property values for property taxes
Funding the sheriff’s and county prosecutor’s offices
Owning University Health and running the county health department along with the county executive
Funding development projects like a new jail or the proposed new Royals stadium
The legislature works alongside the county executive to collect taxes and distribute funding to community programs at the county level.
Agendas and minutes from every Jackson County Legislature meeting are available online. Here’s a look at what legislators discussed during their most recent meeting on Monday, July 18.
The county also handles municipal services for areas outside of cities, like Kansas City or Independence.
City governments have their own budgets and can make their own local laws, but often rely on county funding for things like development projects.
Who is running for Jackson County Legislature?
The legislator positions in all six districts and three districts at large are up for grabs this year. You’ll see four of them – your own district’s legislator, plus the three at-large positions– on your ballot.
Below are candidates’ responses to The Star’s voter guide survey. You can see the rest of the candidates on your ballot and where they stand on issues important to you in the full voter guide here.
Do you have more questions about the role of local government in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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