IT’S A BAD BILL
Last week we published a story about Senator Chuck Gross (R) St. Charles, and a bill he sponsors which could be harmful to the City of St. Charles and all taxpayers. In typical government form, Gross has decided to take gaming funds from the City of St. Charles and force the City to spend gaming on one time capital costs. He is trying to sell the idea by tying our property taxes to the bill. This is typical of Gross.
Gross passed the Homestead Act which allows tax relief for seniors but didn’t tell anyone it hadn’t been funded and may not ever be funded. Gross tied the property tax relief to his gaming bill which only affects St. Charles for a reason. I believe Gross thinks we will not figure out he is trying to give the appearance of tax relief and fiscal responsibility when in reality he doesn’t understand the City’s budget. He fails to understand how it will affect the little guy. You and me. Gross believes we are not getting the full benefit of gaming dollars and it is dangerous for the City to become dependent on gaming for recurring costs. I ask Senator Gross: If you believe so wholeheartedly in not using gaming money for ongoing expenses, why do you pass budgets at the State level that use gaming for all kinds of ongoing expenses? What plan do you have to protect the State taxpayers if the Casinos leave the area? Truth be told, the State would be hard pressed to find the money without drastic cuts in needed services.
Gross knows the City of St. Charles has not increased resident’s tax rates since the Casino came to town. In fact, the Council is in the process of decreasing the utility tax year by year. This reduction is being done in a sound, fiscally responsible way.
Tuesday night we heard the State is cutting funds to the Seniors of our area. The City will most likely offset these cuts by picking up what the State cuts. So has the State really cut taxes? No, they simply shifted the burden to the local level. There is strong evidence demonstrating how many Cities are hurting. According to a survey done by the National League of Cities, 75 percent of cities are less able to meet financial needs. The City of St. Charles is not in that 75 percent because of the local control over gaming money and the fact the Mayor and City Administration used gaming to balance the budget instead of decreasing City Services and laying off workers. It is a local decision and Gross wants to take away local control. Once again he only wants to take local control away from St. Charles. The other eight cities with Casinos were dropped from his bill. One last question: Do you think Gross might be trying to put the City of St. Charles in a poor financial position so he can say he is the only one who could fix it?
HIRE STUDENT SUMMER HELP
Several months ago one of the Council members, I believe it was Councilman John Gieseke, suggested the Administration look into hiring students during the summer to help with the grass cutting on city property. For the past several years it has been done under contract by a company from Warrenton. The Council remarked the cost increases every year.
Councilman Gieseke felt it would benefit both the City and students seeking summer employment. Evidently no action was taken on his suggestion.
At the Council meeting Tuesday evening the Council discussed purchasing additional equipment for the park department and paying them to cut the grass. This is a good idea and I believe it would prove economical for the City. The Administration should move forward with this suggestion and place all the grass cutting under the park department. They in turn could hire the student summer help required.
THEY WANT TO NAME IT FOR THE MAYOR, BUT IT MAY ONLY BE FLEETING
We were told Larry Sasche, at a recent meeting of the Convention Center Oversight Committee, suggested the largest meeting room in the center be named in honor of Mayor York. Mark Brown remarked he thought only dead people received such an honor. The Mayor asked them to give her a week before they took any action. We wonder why she wanted that week. Was she expecting the Administrative Hearing regarding her alleged illegal signing of a contract obligating the City to a possible liability of $200,000 to be over by then? Did she want to wait until Kevin Kast and Tom Wapplehorst were confirmed by the Missouri Senate as new members of the Oversight Committee? We were told Ken Kielty would be leaving and Kast would be the new chairman.
It would make more sense for the committee to sell the naming rights than to name them for the Mayor or others. It would probably only be fleeting anyway. The new Mayor of O’Fallon, Donna Morrow, is already determined to change the name of the Renaud Spirit Center, named for former Mayor, Paul Renaud.
OLD COMPUTERS & ACCESSORIES NEEDED
Future Resources is looking for unwanted computers and accessories. The computers are needed to help children who cannot afford new ones. They are a non-profit business that makes computers “Kid Friendly” and then donates them to under privileged children. They accept any and all computers, monitors, keyboards, hard drives, mouse, printers, mouse pads. If you have any of these items and would like to donate them you can reach Jeff at 636 947-0638 or Leslie at 636 443-0095. They will pick up the equipment or give you a drop off location. If you know a child who would benefit from a computer but has no access to one let them know. http://futureresources.hopto.org
