Joplin council creates Charter Review Commission, appoints nine members

The Joplin City Council voted to form a nine-member Charter Review Commission and named four former mayors and five community members to the panel, with a final report due Dec. 1, 2025.

Mayor Keenan T. Cortez presented Resolution 2025-009, saying a periodic review of the city charter helps keep governance current. Councilmember Jackson moved to remove a sentence that would have prohibited the commission from recommending changes to the form of government; that motion failed 3–5 with one absence. The council then approved the resolution 8–1.

Council members discussed the commission's scope at length. Councilmember Jackson urged removing guardrails to allow the commission latitude to examine petition and ballot-access rules, and others said the council ultimately controls what goes before voters. The council appointed Phil Stinnett, Ryan Stanley, Mike Seibert and Melody Colbert Keane (former mayors) and named Chuck Brown, a former city attorney, as the commission chair. Additional seats were filled by Dan Pekaric, Rob O'Brien, Morris Glaze and Diane Reed Adams following paper-ballot votes.

The resolution sets the commission's deadline so the council can consider proposed charter changes for placement on the April 2026 ballot. Council members emphasized the commission is advisory: any ballot measure would still require council action to appear before voters.

The council will return later with details about staff support and any specific questions the commission should examine.