With the economy in a free fall, many governmental entities no doubt will be discussing placing tax-rate increases before voters this year in an effort to boost their declining revenues.
Given that, a pledge by Lindbergh School District officials not to pursue a tax-rate increase for the next 24 months was a perfect fit for the Call’s No. 1 story of 2008.
Despite a projected $4.1 million deficit for the current school year and slim prospects of additional revenue, Lindbergh Superintendent Jim Simpson said in December the school district will not pursue a tax-rate increase for the next 24 months.
Lindbergh officials are very cognizant of the financial difficulty residents and businesses currently are experiencing.
“… I wanted our community to know that many districts have talked about a tax-levy increase as the summary statement of all this finance talk we’ve done here,” Simpson said. “But we know it is not good for our community to have a tax increase at this time so we take that off the table of even discussing that in the next 24 months.”
Though Lindbergh faces financial challenges as a result of the current economic recession, Simpson said the district’s reserves of roughly $26 million are the reason why the situation is not a crisis at this point. But belt-tightening measures will have to be considered to help reduce the projected deficit this year and in future years.
And in what likely will be one of the top stories — if not the top story — of 2009, the Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors plans to place two tax-rate-decrease measures on the April ballot.
Stay tuned.
County establishes trash districts — Effective Sept. 29, county officials established eight trash districts in unincorporated areas with one trash hauler per district.
Three haulers were awarded bids by the County Council to serve the eight districts with each hauler promised exclusive service in awarded districts.
County officials have said this was done in response to unincorporated residents complaining that their neighborhoods were being serviced by multiple trash companies. They contend that having one hauler per district will result in a more uniform brand of service and lower prices.
But some waste haulers and unincorporated residents, particularly in south county, vehemently have criticized the move because county officials also have stated that the districts likely will force some small haulers out of business due to a lack of competition. With two lawsuits still pending over the trash districts, it’s certain that this story will continue to unfold in 2009.
School districts successful at the ballot box — Both the Lindbergh and Mehlville school districts saw the successful passage of ballot measures in November.
Lindbergh’s Proposition R 2008, a $31 million bond issue, was placed on the ballot with the goal of being able to provide a long-term solution to space concerns at Sperreng Middle School.
Mehlville’s Proposition T will transfer roughly 31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from the district’s debt-service fund to the operating fund and primarily will be used to stabilize the district’s budget.
Jim Simpson becomes superintendent of the Lindbergh School District — The Lindbergh Board of Education announced in February Joplin R-8 School District Superintendent Jim Simpson would become the district’s new superintendent, effective July 1. Simpson replaced Superintendent Jim Sandfort, who retired at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Simpson, an educator for the past 19 years, had served as superintendent of the Joplin School District for seven years.
While filling Sandfort’s shoes would appear to be a daunting task, Simpson is making a seamless transition.
Pension litigation settled — Local 1889 of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors have settled a nearly 3-year-old legal dispute over changes to the district’s pension plan.
The settlement caps a tumultuous year in the district in which former union officials were mired in controversy. With new union leadership in place, perhaps the relationship between the union and the board will change for the better in 2009.
Steve Stenger defeats John Campisi in County Council seat — Democrat Steve Stenger ousted two-term incumbent 6th District Republican County Councilman John Campisi in the November election.
Stenger, an attorney who lives in Affton, received 39,896 votes — roughly 53 percent — while Campisi grabbed 35,203 votes — roughly 47 percent — after an extremely contentious campaign, including a forum that ended with the two candidates shouting at each other.
This is Stenger’s first elective office. With Stenger’s election, the County Council’s Democratic majority now increases to five of the council’s seven members, not including Democratic County Executive Charlie Dooley.
Campisi chalked up much of Stenger’s vote total to the Democratic wave that saw the election of Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon as governor and Democratic Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama as president.
Since his election, Stenger has kept an extremely low profile and has had very little to say about his victory or his agenda for the 6th District.
Jim Lembke prevails over Joan Barry in state Senate race — More than a month after the Nov. 4 election, Republican Rep. Jim Lembke of Lemay officially was declared the next Missouri 1st District senator. A recount of 88,632 ballots cast in the 1st Senate District, which encompasses south county and south St. Louis city, shows that Lembke eked out a 70-vote win over Democratic challenger and former state Rep. Joan Barry of Oakville.
Barry requested the recount after a state-certified margin of 76 votes was reported Dec. 9. State law allows candidates who lose by less than 1 percent to request a re-count. The recount began Dec. 10 and concluded Dec. 12.
A 70-vote margin of victory certainly isn’t a mandate and Lembke may have to adjust some of his stances to truly represent all 1st District residents.
Crestwood mall sold — Two commercial-property companies — Centrum Properties of Chicago and New York-based Angelo, Gordon & Co. — purchased the former Westfield Shoppingtown Crest-wood in March. The sale signaled an end to the Westfield Group’s efforts since 2006 to sell the mall property and a beginning to what Crestwood officials hope is a resurgence of the mall and sales-tax revenue through redevelopment.
When the planned redevelopment of Crestwood Court begins, it may no longer be known as a mall, but as a “lifestyle center.” Jones Lang LaSalle Vice President/General Manager Tony Stephens, whose firm manages the mall, told aldermen in November that mall owners have hired an engineering firm to help design the redevelopment, which last summer was slated to begin in three to five years.
Crestwood voters defeat tax-rate in-crease — Crestwood voters in August overwhelmingly rejected a proposed six-year, 35-cent tax-rate increase on real and personal property. A total of 2,159 residents — 71.66 percent — voted “no” on Proposition 1 while 854 residents — 28.34 percent — voted “yes.”
Reflecting on voters’ rejection of the tax-rate hike, Mayor Roy Robinson said in August that he doesn’t blame them.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t fully in favor of the tax at the time,” Robinson said. “I thought the timing was wrong … And I think the people have too many things that affect their lives on their plate. And if you are not really convincing, they’re going to take the way that costs them the least. And I don’t blame them.”
In November, aldermen voted unanimously to establish a revenue committee comprised of eight residents to study ways of enhancing revenues, which have decreased in each of the last few years while expenditures have increased.
Drew Frauenhoffer and Erin Weber elected to Mehlville Board of Education. — The election of Drew Frauenhoffer and Erin Weber to the Mehlville Board of Education along with the re-election of Karl Frank Jr. enhanced what already was a strong school board.
Perhaps former Board of Education member Dan Fowler said it best when he termed the current school board “the best I’ve ever seen in Mehlville.”
