It takes the Missouri legislature to un-make a village law.
The way Missouri’s village law was passed last year is what has steamed several lawmakers and the state association of counties. House Speaker Rod Jetton put the provision into a big local government bill without going through the usual legislative process. It lets any individual petition to establish hisproperty, however large or small it might be, as a village–an area outside of county planning, zoning, or land use ordinances.
It has not gone unnoticed that Jetton friend Robert Plaster had his paperwork ready to go on the day the law went into effect, hoping to set apart his property on Table Rock Lake. The effort is now in court because the Stone County denied his petition.
Other counties are starting to see village petitions. Camden County has four of them, the most recent from a man who wants to turn his four lots into a village so he can use a small horse or a mule for weed control. He says he’s getting older and his knees aren’t what they used to be. Senate leader Michael Gibbons says that’s where the process is going if the law remains.
The Senate has approved a repeal of the so-called "Jetton’s Law" and has sent the bill to the House, where Jetton remains as the Speaker. But he has indicated a repeal bill would get a hearing. Although some legislators and county officials say the village law could lead to chaos in the counties, Jetton says the bill is good for economic development.
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