Elections of the mayor and council members are non-partisan.
Term of office:
The governing body consists of a mayor elected by the city at large and 12 council members elected by wards. Each of the six wards is represented by two council members who serve staggered terms. All city elected officials serve four year terms.
Qualifications to file for office of Mayor or council member:
- Must be a citizen of the United States.
- Must be a qualified elector (registered voter) of Overland Park (18 years of age).
- A candidate for mayor must be a resident of Overland Park at the time of filing for the office of mayor and, if elected, thereafter for the duration of the term.
- A candidate for council member must be a resident of Overland Park and of the ward at the time of filing for the office of council member from that ward and, if elected, thereafter for the duration of the term unless removal from the ward is the result of reapportionment.
Forms:
All candidates for Overland Park offices must complete the following filing forms at City Hall, 8500 Santa Fe Drive:
- Candidate's
Declaration of Intention (.pdf file) – Each
candidate must complete this form, sign it in the presence of the City
Clerk, and file it in the office of the City
Clerk,
during regular business hours. The city will forward a copy of your form to the Johnson County Election
Commissioner and to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
- Statement
of Substantial Interests for Local Office (.pdf
file) – Each candidate
may complete this form, sign and file it at the time of filing of the
Declaration of Intention, or they may complete and return it to the office
of the City Clerk no later than 10 days after the filing deadline. This
form remains in the City's files.
- Filing by Petition (.pdf file) – Any candidate may file by petition in lieu of a filing fee. Please be sure to follow all instructions to be sure that your petition is valid. After the petition form has been completed and properly signed it must be filed in the office of the City Clerk by the filing deadline.
Filing Fee:
First class cities collect a non-refundable $50 filing fee and a non-refundable $35 report fee in two separate checks:
- $50 - payable to the election commissioner
- $35 - payable to the city and then forwarded to the state treasurer's office
Candidates also may file by petition per K.S.A. 25-2110a, Subsection C: Petition signed by 100 qualified electors of the ward or by a number of such qualified electors of the ward equal to not less than 1 percent of the ballots cast in the ward at the last general city election, whichever is less.
City candidates filing by petition also must pay the $35 report fee.
City council meetings:
Council meeting agenda packets are prepared and distributed by 5 p.m. on Thursdays prior to the council meeting and are placed in the council members' mailboxes at City Hall. These also are available on the City's Web site.
Standing council committee meetings:
- There are four standing council committees.
- Standing council committee agenda packets are distributed on the Fridays before the committee meetings and are available on the Web site.
Compensation:
- Members of the governing body receive the following compensation:
- Mayor - $24,000 per year.
- Council President – $14,400 per year.
- Council member - $12,000 per year.
- Compensation is paid monthly.
- Travel expenses are reimbursed according to policy.
Council President:
- The council president is elected by the council members from among the council membership in April of each year.
City Political Sign Information
More information about filing for office can be found on the Johnson County Election Office Web site.