Section 1.16 General Classification Scheme

• Library: Local Government Deskbook (2017 Ed.)

1. (§1.16) General Classification Scheme

Since 1875, the Missouri Constitution has directed the General Assembly to provide for up to four general classifications of cities and towns and to define the powers of each class by general laws so that “all such municipal corporations of the same class shall possess the same powers and be subject to the same restrictions.” Mo. Const. art. VI, § 15; Mo. Const. of 1875, art. 9, § 7. The Constitution has also directed the General Assembly to permit any city, town, or village existing by virtue of any special or local law—the practice before the enactment of the 1875 Constitution—to elect to become subject to the general laws relating to municipal corporations.

Following this direction, the General Assembly established four classes of cities, using population as the base. The original population thresholds were as follows:

1. First Class—more than 65,000 inhabitants

2. Second Class—between 27,500 and 100,000 inhabitants

3. Third Class—between 3,000 and 30,000 inhabitants

4. Fourth Class—between 500 and 3,000 inhabitants, special law towns with less than 500 inhabitants, and unincorporated villages with more than 200 inhabitants

Cities falling within a given population range could elect to become a city of the appropriate...