Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 2-21-18

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LSL animal control ordinance now
allows more pets, backyard burials
By BRIAN FLINCHPAUGH
Lake Saint Louis now has an ordinance
in place that allows residents one cat or
dog more than its prior animal control
ordinance did – and if a pet dies, its final
resting place now can be the homeowner’s
backyard.
The city’s Board of Aldermen approved an
ordinance 5-0 with Alderman Gary Turner
[Ward 3] absent. The new ordinance cleans
up an agreement with St. Charles County,
which now provides animal control services
to a number of county municipalities.
A few years ago, St. Charles County
municipalities decided that providing their
own animal control services had gotten
very expensive. As a result, they entered
into contracts with the county to provide
that service. County already had an animal
control staff and kennels for housing runaway
or lost dogs and cats. City residents
now call the county if their dog is missing
or a stray is seen in the neighborhood.
The cities pay an annual fee for this service.
But in agreeing to the service, cities
have to agree to adopt the county’s ordinance,
which sets animal control rules. As
Lake Saint Louis residents and officials
found out, some of the county’s rules
are different than the rules the cities may
have had or liked. So, at its Feb. 5 meeting,
the Lake Saint Louis board repealed
and replaced aspects of its previous animal
control ordinance to match the county’s
precepts.
USE TAX, from page 10
rapid expansion of e-commerce/internet
sales, traditional local sales tax revenues
could continue to decline, St. Charles
County officials warn.
In a budget message last year, County
Executive Steve Ehlmann said declining
sales tax revenue makes it imperative that
county government “lives within its means.”
Sales tax revenue is 58 percent of revenue
for the general fund, which supports
most of the county’s administrative departments.
County Finance Director Bob Schnur
told the County Council at its Feb. 12
meeting that despite higher employment
and better economic news, the county’s
growth rate in sales tax revenue has continued
to drop the last four years. He said
internet sales are taking their toll on how
much sales tax is generated.
In 2014, the county’s rate went up by
7.41 percent, in 2015 the increase was 5.21
percent, in 2016 sales tax was up by 3.81
Passage now allows Lake Saint Louis
residents to do some things related to animals
they couldn’t do before the county
took over the service, such as a backyard
burial when Fido passes away. Before the
county took over animal control, burying
pets in the backyard was frowned on,
explained Lake Saint Louis City Administrator
Paul Markworth.
“We had people concerned if they were
allowed to bury pets in their backyard. If
you’re living on a residential street and if
you have a big dog and decide to bury it
in your backyard, you could have some
big problems,” Markworth said. But the
county’s ordinance allows pets to be buried
on residential property, so now Lake Saint
Louis residents can follow suit.
City residents also are legally allowed an
additional pet. The city’s prior ordinance
limited any combination of dogs, pets and
other animals to three. The county’s ordinance
allows four.
The county’s ordinance did allow electronic
fences to confine animals to a yard
or property, which the city’s old ordinance
also allowed.
Changing to meet the county’s standard
simply made economic sense, Markworth
said. It would be too expensive for the city
to set up its own animal control because
contracting out for kennel services and
developing trained personnel to pick up
and handle animals probably would be
more than the $19,000 or so the city annually
pays to the county for animal services.
percent and 2017 it was up just 1.66 percent.
Schnur said the only thing the county
can do is keep eye on spending. He and
other county officials say the Supreme
Court may revisit its earlier decision on
internet sales tax, possibly as early as April.
Councilmember Mike Klinghammer
[District 6] said trends in internet sales may
continue and may affect how services such
as 911 emergency services are funded. The
911 system is currently funded from sales
taxes on telephone landlines. “They are
going the way of the buggy whip and we
cannot charge enough sales tax on buggy
whips to make any real amount to provide
necessary services,” Klinghammer said.
Meanwhile, revenue for the county’s
dedicated use tax for county parks was
up 12.5 percent. The use tax for parks was
approved by voters in 1997 and is largely
charged to businesses buying out-of-state
equipment.
• • •
[Editor’s note: Reporter Nathan Rubbelke
contributed to this story.]
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February 21, 2018
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