Under our Constitution, people cannot be held against their will for very long without charges being brought against them. Accused persons are also guaranteed a speedy trial. The prosecuting attorney is responsible for filing criminal charges and bringing these cases to trial in a timely fashion. There are numerous other services counties can provide. The public administrator, for example, handles the business affairs for some incapable of doing so themselves.
State law authorizes every county to enact planning and zoning.
Less than ten percent of the counties engaged in both county-wide planning and zoning as of this writing, however. Some streets within City limits are maintained by the Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation. Sometimes streets within a city are privately-maintained. Most city streets, however, are maintained by the city government. As any who have ever been involved in this can attest, this is an expensive and never-ending task.