West Newsmagazine 7-5-17

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municipalities discuss City-County merger
Ellisville approves ballot measures to
gauge public opinion on reunification
July 5, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 13
By JESSICA MESZAROS
“It’s not a remarriage, it’s a shotgun wedding.”
That statement, made by Ellisville
Mayor Adam Paul, came at the June 21
City Council meeting in regard to a proposed
merger of St. Louis City and County.
“It is our understanding and position that
leadership in both the Missouri House and
Senate, who have received large campaign
contributions from billionaire mega-donor
Rex Sinquefield, wish to address the citycounty
merger issue by changing the Missouri
State Constitution by placing this
issue on a statewide ballot,” a pre-meeting
press release issued by Ellisville stated.
In response, the council discussed and
unanimously approved the mayor’s bid to
place two nonbinding measures on Ellisville’s
April 2018 ballot to counter the possibility
of a city-county merger at this time.
The nonbinding measures aim to gauge
residential response on two city-county
merger possibilities: either a city-county
merger or the city of St. Louis entering St.
Louis County as its 89th municipality.
“That decision, whether it’s a re-entry or
a full merger, should be made by [St. Louis
City] and St. Louis County,” Paul said. “If
the legislature moves to put this on a statewide
ballot, we lose. People from Kansas
City and Joplin will be dictating the fate of
the St. Louis region.”
The St. Louis City and County separated
in 1876 in an event dubbed “the Great
Ellisville residents at the city council meeting.
Divorce.” Historians say the separation
was spurred by tax-related issues and city
residents not foreseeing expansion past
Grand Boulevard.
In 1926, a possible reunion was opposed
by county voters, but favored by city voters.
It ultimately failed. In 1930, a group of
local leaders proposed a merger that would
allow St. Louis to operate within a borough
system, but that proposal also was rejected.
Another plan promoting the use of districts
failed in 1959.
Officially, Ellisville has taken a stance
against any potential merger and has
rejected studies produced by Better
Together St. Louis, which identifies as
an unbiased data collection organization
aimed at helping local leaders make
informed decisions. Better Together is
backed by the Missouri Council for a
Better Economy, a nonprofit initially bankrolled
by Sinquefield.
“Better Together is not an unbiased tribunal,”
Paul said. “It’s a lynch mob being
funded by a billionaire [Sinquefield] to
lower his taxes and essentially raise ours.
“Rex wants two things. He wants to
privatize St. Louis Lambert Airport, and he
wants to eliminate the 1 percent St. Louis
earnings tax. The only way that can be
accomplished is through a merger or reentry.
He’s donated millions of dollars into
Better Together and also toward pay-toplay
politicians to push this agenda.”
According to Paul, Ellisville would consider
studies regarding a possible merger
in the future, if statistics were provided
by a government-sanctioned study, and if
the financial impact of a merger on local
government and taxpaying citizens were
addressed.
“Until we have a government-sanctioned
study that drills down the benefits, both
positive and negative, on the taxpayer and
looks at the costs and benefits, we don’t
have anything to base our decision off of,”
Paul said.
Advocates of a merger believe that
combining jurisdictions might create cost
savings, attract development projects,
combine and increase metropolitan population
and average out St. Louis’s crime
rate. Other individuals dislike the idea of
a merger on the grounds that a statewide
vote would explicitly alter the guidelines
of the Missouri Constitution and usurp the
opinion of local voters.
“I am appalled at the fact that Missouri
state legislature leadership is thinking
about changing the constitution to allow
a statewide vote on what is really a local
matter,” resident Liz Schmidt said at the
meeting. I don’t think we should allow this
to happen, and a non-binding advisory referendum,
at this point, seems like the only
way we can have our voices heard if this is
fast-tracked through the state legislature at
the next session.”
The ballot language and wording of the
nonbinding measures will be discussed
at the city’s July 19 council meeting. The
results of those measures will be provided
to state legislators for the 2018 Missouri
legislative session.
“St. Louis is hurting, and I’d like to see
a study on how St. Louis can make better
decisions and get out of the slump that it’s
in,” Paul said. “That’s what I want a study
on, not on how we can combine services
and put a Band-Aid on the real problems
that we’re facing.”
Wildwood considers opposition resolution
By MARY SHAPIRO
Wildwood’s City Council plans to vote
July 10 on a resolution opposing any
merger of St. Louis City and County.
After former Wildwood Mayor Tim
Woerther made the suggestion during
public comment at the June 26 council
meeting, councilmembers said they also
would consider a ballot item to let residents
have their say on the issue.
During an update report in the council’s
June 26 work session, Jon Dalton, of AT
Government Strategies LLC [whom the
council hired as a state lobbyist, effective
June 1], said a proposed statewide vote
is “the most pressing statewide issue” for
county municipal governments.
“I believe we could see action in the next
state legislative session [in 2018],” said
Dalton, who also serves as mayor of Town
& Country. “In my opinion, that shouldn’t
be statewide – it’s a decision that should be
dealt with locally. But the Better Together
group and organizations that support it
feel a statewide ballot is the best way to
advance their interests.”
During the work session, Councilmember
Marc Cox [Ward 4] suggested the need
for a resolution to “forcefully oppose” any
reunification or re-entry of the city into the
county.
“There’s no way to overestimate the risk
a merger poses for Wildwood,” Cox said.
“Proponents plan for a state ballot to override
the wishes of St. Louis County voters.
A lot of powerful people and money are
behind this effort. Whatever form [a ballot
initiative] takes, it would fly in the face of
the reasons why Wildwood was founded.”
In June, the Ellisville City Council unanimously
approved Mayor Adam Paul’s suggestion
to put two non-binding measures
on the April 2018 ballot to allow residents
to have a say, in advance of any state initiative,
on whether they support a city-county
merger and whether the city should enter
the county as a municipality.
Cox praised Ellisville’s efforts as “a
good first step.” However, Councilmember
Dave Bertolino [Ward 5] wondered if
“we want to plant our feet and say no to
everything” about the plan. “There might
be some elements of unification that could
benefit all of us,” Bertolino said.
Councilmember Larry McGowen [Ward
1] agreed there might be ways the county,
city and other areas could look at efficiencies
of operation on a regional basis, and
he favored doing so. “But that could be
done without a complete merger or reunification,
because that entanglement would
be the worst thing we could do,” he said.
Councilmember Tammy Shea [Ward 3]
said she thought Wildwood might be better
served by devising talking points to support
its position – “to combat the propaganda
machine of Better Together, which is not
an independent group” – and that a resolution
could be premature. Councilmember
Jerry Porter [Ward 6] said he would oppose
a city resolution now, “because I’d like to
see what comes out of Jefferson City first
before we take a stance.”
But Woerther insisted that a resolution
wasn’t strong enough, saying, “I implore
you to go to residents for a vote as soon as
possible.”
Mayor Jim Bowlin asked Cox to draft
a resolution for the July 10 meeting, with
other councilmembers providing input on
talking points.