Tagged: Jackson County

A lot more people in the Kansas City area could be voting on a mass transit plan as soon as this August. 

There's a new twist in the Kansas City transit debate, and that's not the only thing going on in Jackson County.

Most Jackson County legislators will return to their seats after last night's primaries, with the exception of the legislature's chair.

Newcomer Crystal Williams defeated incumbent Henry Rizzo 50 to 43 in the second district at-large. Williams said she thinks people were ready for a change.

"The discussions that I had with the people of Jackson County about openness and transparency in county government is something that really resonated with folks," Williams said.

Jackson County voters will decide whether to approve revisions to the county charter on Tuesday's primary ballot. The amended charter was developed by a task force chaired by former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes.

Primaries for the Jackson County Legislature don't usually draw enough much money or attention to even run ads. But no Republicans are running this year for the at-large seats, so those races will be decided by voters on Tuesday, August 3, and the races have become pretty contentious.

The candidates hear this question a lot: "So . . .what does the Jackson County Legislature do, exactly . . . besides collect property taxes?"

Kansas City, MO – The head of the panel redrawing proposed changes in Jackson County, Missouri's charter sees new opportunities to fight discrimination at the courthouse.

Voters will decide worthiness of charter changes when they cast ballots in the August election. Changes range from ending no bid contracts, to eliminating automatic pay hikes for elected officials to limiting the county executive's power over the sheriff. And there is hiring staff to investigate discrimination and ethics breaches.