Form of Government
Home Rule
City Classification
- The City of St. John operates under the Mayor- 5 Council members form of government.
Home Rule
- All cities in Kansas have home rule powers, the ability to govern themselves without direct involvement from the State. Cities are not required to take any action to obtain home rule powers because they are conferred directly by the Kansas Constitution on all classes of cities. Cities exercise their home rule powers through the passage of an ordinance or charter ordinance.
- Home rule power is not absolute. Cities must comply with state laws that apply uniformly to all cities and must conform to applicable federal laws and to the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas Constitution. In exercising home rule powers, cities may legislate on any subject other than those reserved to the exclusive jurisdiction of the legislature by the Home Rule Amendment itself.
City Classification
- Cities in Kansas are designated by one of three classifications based on the size of their population. In general, there are no advantages or disadvantages to being one classification versus another. This is especially true since the adoption of the Constitutional Home Rule for all cities. However, some Statutes are applied differently based on classification.
- St. John is a City of the Third Class. To become a city of the third class, the city must have a population of less than 2,000. A city must become a city of the second class when its population reaches 5,000.
