By Jerry Haferkamp
“Help is on the way!” This catchy little phrase was used by the Republican Party in the first Bush campaign and by the Democrats in the second. Now we would like to use it in reference to Councilman Hoepfner’s campaign to do what PSCF’s name implies.
One of the PSCF issues was that citizens were tired of playing “second fiddle” to any tourist that made a wrong turn on I-70 and was sucked into that tax vacuum known as South Main Street. Our Mayor and her previous rubber stamp Council couldn’t find enough ways to spend millions in order to entice that tourist to spend a few bucks in St. Charles. While our streets are tossing out large chunks of concrete from freezing in the cracks, the Queen took monies from the crack sealing program and diverted them to repave the Boathouse parking lot for those tourists who may spent a few hundred dollars during their visit. Earth to Mayor! Your residents who are driving over broken streets and picking chunks of concrete from their yards spend millions in this City each year, including your salary. While the tourists are treated like royalty, our Mayor, in her answer to the residents’ plight, seems to be saying a version of Marie Antoinette’s “let them eat cake”. Remember, flippant little Marie was beheaded for her indifference.
Now enter our “knight in shining armor” in the personage of Senator Chuck Gross. Senator Gross is introducing legislation that will require some of the casino revenue the City receives to go to a direct reduction of our property taxes. Yes, Councilman Hoepfner, we now have a Senator who has had enough and is attempting to administer a little “tough love” to get this City off the addiction to casino receipts.
The voters approved the gaming issue expecting to see the revenues used for capital improvements and maybe a little relief in taxes. Much has been used for the nice improvements to our city like Hackmann Road, Randolph, Muegge Road, Old South 94, Friedens Road and other projects.
Other money has been used for ongoing everyday expenses, salaries and benefits. That was never the intention and Councilman Hoepfner has been leading the battle to pull the City, kicking and screaming as she might be, back into fiscal responsibility. He is achieving some success along with this Council, but we would like to see more help in this area. Under the previous Council, it would have been impossible. They had an addiction to spending that would seem similar to heroin addiction. The worst part is they let things like the deteriorating sewer system continue. After all, in their opinion, that money could better be used on the afore mentioned tourists.
The current Council has done much to get the financial house in order and is even considering giving something back to the residents in the form of free trash service. It is a step in the right direction.
A St. Louis paper quoted our City Finance Director as saying that the effects of Senator Gross’s bill being passed would be “ugly”. I agree, but seeing a heroin addict go through withdrawal is also ugly. The result would be worth it.
Senator, good luck in your effort to rehabilitate addicted cities. At the risk of being accused of political incorrectness, God bless you.
By the way, a little town named New York, New York filled a police chief vacancy in less than a week. We have been thwarted in getting a chief for a little longer than that. What’s up with that? Could it be their Mayor isn’t in political debt to their police union? Maybe up there the unions don’t get to pick bosses. Maybe when the Mayor of New York was presented with an obviously superior candidate, he knew he should do what was best for the residents. Maybe it was easier because New York is only the largest city in the U.S., not the “Center of the Universe”. ………. Just maybe.
Next meeting Feb 17th, 7pm at the Linneman Library.
Has Steve Powell been fired yet? Why not?
