by Brian Bray, Ward III Alderman
 
Have you ever wondered what the mayor of a small city actually does? In Missouri, the mayor of a fourth-class city holds a variety of important powers and responsibilities, all aimed at keeping the city running smoothly. Let’s take a closer look at what the mayor’s job entails and how it intersects with the roles of the city administrator, deputy city administrator, city clerk, and several other key departments.

First off, the mayor is essentially the CEO of the city. This means they’re in charge of making sure all the city’s laws, ordinances, and policies are put into action. They oversee the day-to-day operations and ensure everything is running like a well-oiled machine.

The mayor also has the job of leading meetings of the Board of Aldermen. While they usually don’t get to vote on matters (unless there’s a tie), their role as a mediator is crucial. They guide the discussions and help keep the meetings orderly and productive.

Another key power is the ability to appoint and remove certain city officials, like the city clerk, treasurer, and city attorney. These appointments need the Board of Aldermen’s approval, but the mayor’s choices can significantly impact how the city is managed.

The mayor can also veto ordinances and resolutions passed by the Board of Aldermen. This veto power acts as a check and balance, ensuring that new laws and policies align with the mayor’s vision for the city. Of course, the Board of Aldermen can override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote, but it’s still a powerful tool.

When it comes to the city’s finances, the mayor plays a pivotal role. They help prepare and present the annual budget, working closely with the Board of Aldermen and financial officers to keep the city’s finances in check. Good financial oversight helps make sure the city remains financially healthy and stable.

In emergencies, the mayor has the authority to take swift action to protect the community. Whether it’s a natural disaster or another crisis, the mayor can declare a state of emergency, mobilize resources, and coordinate with other agencies to manage the situation effectively.

As the public face of the city, the mayor represents the community at official functions, events, and intergovernmental meetings. They play a key role in fostering community spirit, building relationships with other government entities, and advocating for the city’s interests at higher levels of government.

The mayor can propose new policies and legislation to the Board of Aldermen. This ability to set the agenda allows the mayor to address key issues and steer the city’s development and growth. By suggesting new initiatives, the mayor can influence the city’s priorities and focus.

Now, let’s talk about the city administrator, who works alongside the mayor and Board of Aldermen. The city administrator is appointed by the Board and often serves as the chief administrative officer. Their job is to handle the day-to-day operations of the city, implementing policies set by the Board of Aldermen and the mayor.

The city administrator’s responsibilities include overseeing city departments, managing staff, and ensuring that city services are delivered effectively and efficiently. They also play a key role in budgeting, financial management, and long-term planning. By coordinating the efforts of various departments, the city administrator makes certain that the city’s strategic goals are met.

Supporting the city administrator is the deputy city administrator. This role is crucial for maintaining continuity and efficiency in city operations. The deputy city administrator assists with the management of city departments and projects, often taking on special assignments or leading initiatives. They act as a second-in-command, stepping in for the city administrator when needed and ensuring that the city’s operations continue smoothly in their absence.

Equally important is the role of the city clerk. The city clerk is the official record keeper for the city, responsible for maintaining all municipal records, including ordinances, resolutions, meeting minutes, and other vital documents. This role is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability in city government.

The city clerk also plays a crucial role in the legislative process. They prepare agendas for meetings, verifies that public notices are posted as required by law, and record the proceedings of the Board of Aldermen meetings. By keeping accurate and comprehensive records, the city clerk helps see to it that the actions and decisions of the city government are well-documented and accessible to the public.

Additionally, the city clerk may handle various administrative tasks, such as issuing licenses and permits, managing elections within the city, and responding to public inquiries. Their work supports the smooth operation of the city government and ensures that residents can easily access necessary services and information.

Beyond these roles, several other departments are essential to city government. Community Development focuses on planning and zoning, ensuring sustainable growth and development. Parks and Recreation manages public parks, recreational facilities, and community events, enhancing the quality of life for residents. The Finance Department handles all financial transactions, budgeting, and audits, maintaining the city's fiscal health. The Police Department safeguards public safety and law enforcement, while the Municipal Court handles local legal matters, including traffic violations and small claims.

In a nutshell, the mayor of a fourth-class city in Missouri has a lot on their plate. From overseeing city operations and leading the Board of Aldermen to managing finances and responding to emergencies, the mayor’s powers are crucial for keeping the city on track. By working together with the Board of Aldermen, the city administrator, the deputy city administrator, the city clerk, and other department heads, the mayor helps assure the city meets the needs of its residents and continues to thrive.

​Understanding the mayor’s role, along with the contributions of the city administrator, deputy city administrator, city clerk, and various departments, can help everyone—from elected officials to everyday citizens—appreciate the complexities of city governance and the importance of effective leadership.

I was having a conversation with a constituent a while back and we got on the topic of how the City of Grain Valley’s government works.  I answered a few questions to the best of my ability and the resident was surprised to learn a few things. I don’t fault them at all for not knowing these things are there are a lot of things I had assumed prior to holding office that also aren’t true and lot of things I had just never really considered. 

We started to discuss that further and both concluded that maybe a primer of sorts would be beneficial to others. Maybe a small series of articles, Civics 101 “An Intro to small town government”.  I held on to this idea for a while debating with myself on whether I wanted to undertake the effort since there is a lot of pieces that would need to be covered and I was still relatively new to the Board of Aldermen.  But now I believe that time has come that I feel confident enough to start this.

So, without further procrastination, this will be the first installment of what I hope will be a series of essays explaining the who, whys, what’s, and how’s of municipal government. I appreciate any feedback and will do my best to answer any questions.

Part 1 – Municipalities and how are they structured.
In the State of Missouri, state statues describe how a municipality is formed. There are two basic types of cities: Charter Cities and Statutory Cities. Grain Valley is a Statutory City so I will mostly focus on that. Charter Cities are less common and are usually larger in size like Kansas City and St. Louis. These cities have their own constitutions and a little more freedom to self-govern.

Statutory Cities are further broken down by population size. Grain Valley is a Fourth-Class City, as are most cities in the state. These classifications also determine which set of statutes dictate their governance structures and powers. Fourth-Class cities like Grain Valley operate under Chapter 79 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, and typically have a mayor-council form of government. 

We operate as a Mayor/Board of Aldermen, which is like a city council with some small differences. Aldermen represent wards instead of districts or being at-large representatives. Grain Valley is divided into 3 wards, and each ward has two representatives or aldermen.  Those aldermen are elected by the residents of the ward they represent and serve a term of 2 years. They are also elected in alternating years, so each year you get to elect or re-elect 1 alderman.

This is done to keep continuity on the board and not cause a possible total reset every two years. The mayor is elected by all residents every 2 years. In addition to this, and I will cover this in more detail in future articles, the board then nominates one of the aldermen to be mayor pro-tem as well as assigns various aldermen to committees or to liaison with other city boards like planning and zoning or park board.

Beyond the Board of Aldermen, there are many other people involved. Grain Valley has a City Administrator, Assistant City Administrator, City Clerk, and various department leads that handle the day-to-day functions of the city. These individuals all ultimately serve the board to carry out the direction and decisions made by the board. The Board serves the community.

I’m going to lightly dive into the responsibilities of each role today but plan to revisit and dive a little deeper as these articles go on.

Part 2 – Board Powers and Duties

The Board of Aldermen meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month unless otherwise noticed to the public. During our meetings we serve two primary functions. We adopt or reject resolutions and we adopt or reject ordinances. However, each has a different voting requirement to be adopted

Resolutions are a formal expression of the board's opinion, will, or intent. They are not laws and have a lower threshold to pass. An example of a resolution would be to declare that Company XYZ will hold a 1-year contract with the city to provide a service, or that we will hold a community wide hazardous waste disposal day. To pass a resolution, it is read into record then voted upon. There must be a majority agreement amongst all present aldermen.

Ordinances become law so the bar is a bit higher. Ordinances are read into record twice, usually, but not always, during different meetings. On the first read, the board will vote to accept the ordinance and bring it back at some point in the future for a second read. Upon passing the vote on the second read, the ordinance becomes a bill and that bill becomes law. The voting requirement for an ordinance is that the majority of aldermen must be in agreement. This is why we require a quorum to be present for a meeting to be held. 

In the event that either a resolution vote or ordinance vote ends in a tie, the mayor will be the tie breaking vote.  The mayor also has a veto power, but we will cover that later.

After each election cycle the Board of Aldermen will nominate and elect a mayor pro-tem or acting president. You might think of this position as being the vice-mayor. The mayor-pro tem will preside over meetings and other functions when the mayor is absent, they still maintain all of their powers and responsibilities of an alderman, including their seat and vote. When presiding over a vote, the mayor pro-tem still votes on the issue and in the event of a tie will be tie breaking vote.

It is important to understand that the board of aldermen is elected to make decisions in the best interest of the city. Individual aldermen are elected to represent their ward and should advocate and propose ideas that are in the best interest of the residents of the ward they represent. But once the vote is called, the decision becomes the whole board and city’s decision.  Even if an alderman disagrees with the outcome, they are bound to respect the outcome of the vote.

I hope this provides a little bit of insight into how the Board of Aldermen and city operates. Next time, I will dive into the powers of the mayor and what that role includes, as well as some of the other positions in the city government.