West Newsmagazine 11-15-17

8 I NEWS I
November 15, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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A rendering of the proposed police station in Creve Coeur.
news
briefs
CHESTERFIELD
Bid accepted for
Wilson Road culvert
Work on replacing a culvert on Wilson
Road is expected to begin soon following
the Chesterfield City Council’s Nov.
6 approval of the low bid received on the
project.
After design work was completed early
in 2015, the project has been on hold due
to difficulties in acquiring the necessary
easements. With that issue now resolved,
the city sought bids and has awarded the
contract to Pavement Solutions, LLC, a
firm based in St. Peters.
In addition to the successful bid of
$419,792, Jim Eckrich, Chesterfield
public works director and city engineer,
asked and received council approval for a
15-percent contingency to account for any
change orders, bringing the total amount to
$485,000.
Chesterfield normally includes a 10-percent
contingency in such contracts, but
Eckrich asked for a higher amount because
of the delay and the possibility that field
conditions now may differ from those factored
into the original design.
Weather permitting, the project should
be completed by late spring 2018, Eckrich
noted.
While the total cost is higher than the
$420,000 originally projected, no budget
amendment is needed primarily due to
another public works project this year
coming in about $80,000 under budget.
In a related development, the council
also authorized a $105,000 contract with
Sweetens Concrete Services, LLC, of Wentzville,
for crack sealing in concrete and
asphalt pavements, curbs and driveways in
22 miles of city streets. The contract total
includes the company’s low bid of $86,025
and an allowance for extra work that may
need to be done.
Resident found guilty
of embezzling
A Chesterfield resident
who pleaded guilty
in July to one count of
felony mail fraud was
sentenced on Nov. 6 to
41 months in prison.
According to CMS
Luina
Communications Inc.
records, Ramon “Trey” Luina III embezzled
about $280,000 from the company
each year for 10 years beginning in 2006.
CMS Communications is based in Chesterfield.
In addition to jail time, Luina was
ordered to pay restitution in the amount of
nearly $2.3 million, according to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of
Missouri.
Using the stolen money, Luina reportedly
financed the construction of his lake
house, purchased vehicles for private use,
paid rent for other business ventures, and
paid for professional services and vacations.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, he also used wire transfers and
ACH payments to make payments to his
personal credit cards.
Additionally, Luina used payments to
fictitious vendors as a way to direct funds
from the company and increased his salary,
thereby inflating his 401K match and
bonuses, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Luina
also falsely took partnership disbursements
for CMS although he never completed the
process of partnership.
Chesterfield earmarks
$1.5 million for debt service
Faced with uncertainties about future
sales tax receipts used for paying off previously
issued bonds, the Chesterfield City
Council has earmarked $1.5 million from
general fund reserves to add to its debt service
account in its 2018 budget.
The action came after a lengthy discussion
at a Nov. 6 meeting of the council’s
Finance and Administration Committee of
the Whole, meaning all councilmembers
participated.
The $1.5 million represented a compromise
between differing suggestions on
how much should be set aside for bolstering
funds available for debt service. The
discussion had included amounts ranging
from approximately $1 million to $2 million.
Although Proposition P approved by
voters in St. Louis County earlier this
year will boost total sales tax receipts
in 2018, the additional income will go
primarily for law enforcement needs. At
the same time, revenues from specific
sales tax levies for capital improvements
and parks are expected to dip in coming
years; however, the amount needed to
retire debt from previous bond sales to
finance city hall construction and for
improvements to the city’s parks system
will increase.
The latest data on sales tax revenues
show the downward trend continuing and
has led the city to lower 2018 budget projections
on what it expects to receive from
that source.
An unknown in the financial scenario
is the outcome of Chesterfield’s stillpending
lawsuit challenging the legality
of how sales tax revenues are distributed
to St. Louis County communities. Passage
of a bill in the state legislature last
year has modified that system somewhat
but Chesterfield businesses still generate
much more sales tax revenue than what
the city actually receives under the county
formula.
No matter how the lawsuit is decided,
the outcome will be “a game changer,”
predicted City Administrator Mike Geisel.
Until a decision is made, Chesterfield can
make its financial plans only on the basis
of what is known now.
Council policy calls for maintaining general
fund reserves at 40 percent of expenditures
from that fund. Moving $1.5 million
to the debt service account is not expected
to put that financial cushion in jeopardy
because the reserve has been running well
above the council’s policy goal.
Final action on the 2018 budget is
expected in December.
CREVE COEUR
Designs for police
station unveiled
Creve Coeur officials have unveiled
updated schematic designs for the new
25,000-square-foot, two-story police station
to be located on New Ballas Road
north of the existing Government Center.
The City Council reviewed the designs on
Nov. 13.
The architect, ArchImages, completed
the first renderings in July and presented
them to the Planning and Zoning Commission
in August. The commission made
several suggested changes as conditions
of approval, which the updated renderings