On April 7, South County voters in the general municipal election passed eight propositions in South County. In case you missed it, here is The Call’s round-up of voter-approved propositions in the cities of Sunset Hills and Crestwood, the Bayless School District and the Affton and Lemay fire districts.
Sunset Hills: Proposition P
Voters in Sunset Hills passed Proposition P with 77.53% approval (1,156 votes). Proposition P will impose a sales tax of one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) for stormwater control or local parks, or both. There were 1,491 total votes counted.
Before the election, opponents of the proposition were most concerned about the lack of a sunset date on this sales tax. Adding a 20-year sunset date, as has been modeled in the past, would have allowed voters in 2047 to vote again on whether to continue this sales tax. Candidates for all four wards of Sunset Hills were vocally supportive of the taxes, though some emphasized the importance of adding a sunset date.
Crestwood: Propositions 1-4
The city of Crestwood had four propositions on the April 7 ballot, each proposing an amendment to the city charter. Voters passed all four propositions, which were suggested by the Charter Review Commission last year.
“I’m pleased with the Charter Review Commission’s hard work,” Mayor Scott Shipley said. “They took a thorough look at our charter, identified opportunities to improve how Crestwood operates and presented those changes in a clear, understandable way. The city also did a great job making information accessible so residents could make informed decisions. That combination made a real difference.”
Proposition 1 will fix misspellings and errors in the city charter. This proposition passed with 89.78% approval, with 1,616 of 1,800 total votes.
Proposition 2 will “enable the city government to run more efficiently,” according to ballot language, by allowing the Board of Aldermen to make decisions on mayoral absences, meeting start times, budget cycles and extensions on auditing services. This proposition passed with 76.67% approval, with 1,367 of 1,783 total votes.
Crestwood’s Proposition 3 will put ballot items from special elections on April ballots, instead, “to avoid costs that could be incurred for special elections.” This proposition passed with 86.21% approval, with 1,538 of 1,784 total votes.
Proposition 4 will change mayoral and aldermanic terms from three- to four-year term lengths, which would keep staggered terms. This proposition passed with the narrowest approval of the four ballot items, but it still received 58.94% voter approval, with 1,052 of 1,785 votes. Four-year mayoral and aldermanic terms will begin in 2028.
Bayless: Proposition I
Voters in the Bayless School District passed Proposition I with 80.53% approval (848 votes). Bayless will issue a $23 million bond for safety and security, building upgrades and learning space improvements. This proposition will not raise the current tax rate of $0.6320 per $100 of assessed valuation. There were 1,053 total votes counted.
“We are incredibly grateful for the strong support from our community, with 80.5% of voters saying yes to Proposition I,” Superintendent of Schools Amy Ruzicka said. “This outcome reflects a shared commitment to our children and the future of Bayless. These improvements will allow us to address critical infrastructure needs, enhance safety and create modern learning environments that support student and staff success for years to come.”
Affton and Lemay fire protection districts: Proposition F
Voters in the Affton and Lemay fire protection districts both approved Proposition F at the April 7 election. Affton voters passed the proposition with 52.28% approval, with 1,722 of 3,294 total votes. Lemay voters passed it with 54.94% approval, with 439 of 799 total votes.
Proposition F will impose a sales tax of one percent, in order to fund fire services. Property taxes in the respective district will be reduced each year to partially offset the amount collected from the sales tax.
