HOME RULE PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, on November 8, 1960, the voters of Kansas approved a constitutional amendment granting cities home rule authority. The Home Rule Amendment took effect in Kansas on July 1, 1961. Home Rule gives local government, specifically cities, the power to make decisions at the local level based on the unique needs and values of their residents; and 
WHEREAS, cities across our great State manage differing opinions and views on issues ranging from zoning to funding for local services and programs. Home Rule keeps control of the community in the hands of local residents; and 
WHEREAS, the Home Rule Amendment empowers cities to determine local affairs and government actions including the levying of taxes, fees, charges and other exaction; and 
WHEREAS, the City of Oswego and the League of Kansas Municipalities cities continually work to educate and engage municipal officials, the legislature, and the general public about the importance of Home Rule and local decision making; and 
WHEREAS, the 60th anniversary of the passage of constitutional Home Rule is a fitting time for all municipalities to engage their residents to about the Kansas Constitution and local laws, so that all Kansans may continue to receive the many benefits of Home Rule.
NOW THEREFORE I, Mayor Daniel J. Chapman, have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Oswego to be affixed this 11th day of October, 2021 and proclaim “Home Rule Day” in our city.