All politics, as they say, is local. But the politics in some places (think St. Louis and St. Louis County) are much more local than in other places that have a smaller number of elected officials and governmental entities serving larger populations (think Kansas City and Jackson County).

As a policy analyst who has studied local and municipal government for many years, I know there is solid economic evidence that having too many elected officials often leads to higher levels of spending. On balance, therefore, I prefer the Kansas City/Jackson County system to that of its eastern Missouri rival.

However, that is not to say that Kansas City — or any other metro area — has devised the perfect system. The following are three suggestions for changes to government in Kansas City and Jackson County that I believe would benefit the citizens.

First, at-large elected officials should be truly at-large.

Both Kansas City and Jackson County should do what Independence does, and have their at-large elected officials represent the entire city, or county, without being expected to partly represent districts or wards as well. There are economic studies that demonstrate lower spending in cities with true at-large elected officials.

Though Kansas City and Jackson County councils both elect councilmembers at-large, those at-large officials are also designated to represent certain areas. This mitigates one of the major benefits of electing officials at-large, which is to avoid a situation in which politicians compete to bring home the most pork for their districts. For at-large officials who are truly at-large, every spending decision presents a cost that the entire population bears.

Last year, Kansas City’s The Pitch documented how one district’s at-large councilmembers wanted to spend more than $1 million acquiring new parkland within their district even though (according to the Pitch) the city is having trouble maintaining the parks it already operates.

Second, Kansas City municipalities should privatize their local utilities.

Unlike many of parts of Missouri, most cities in the Kansas City area have municipal water utilities. Independence even has a municipal electric utility. The private sector is entirely capable of providing those services to the public in a more efficient manner than local governments. These municipal utilities should be auctioned off to private companies. That would raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the Kansas City area. At the same time, it would expand the property tax base by putting those assets on the tax rolls; shrink the public-sector workforce; and relieve fiscal pressures on local governments.

Third and finally, Kansas City should reform the manner in which it makes tax incentive decisions such as tax increment financing (TIF).

Kansas City citizens and officials should work with state legislatures to alter how TIF decisions are made in Kansas City. Cities currently dominate TIF commissions, and are generally focused on their own well-being with little thought given to schools and other independent taxing districts. Cities can even override a TIF commission’s rejection of a plan with a simple super-majority vote of the city council. Counties are far better able to look at the big picture, and county officials are responsible to all of the citizens that a TIF affects. Local TIF commissions should be changed and the statewide rules amended so that only counties may enact TIFs. This includes ending the ability of cities to override the TIF commission. This change would likely result in fewer TIFs, with a greater appreciation for their effects on the entire community when they are enacted. In essence, Jackson County, not Missouri’s TIF capitol, Sugar Creek, would be making tax decisions that affect all of Jackson County.

The Kansas City region has generally chosen a government system with fewer elected officials and larger, more efficient governments. That system has served the area well, but these changes could make it even more cost-effective and responsible to the citizens.

David Stokes is a policy analyst at the Show-Me Institute, which promotes market solutions for Missouri Public Policy.