urbanSTL

quincunx wrote: ↑

Mar 16, 2023

Maybe they should build a CostCo.

Stltoday - Webster Groves, in midst of budget crisis, dumps firefighter contract. ‘I don’t buy this story,’ union says.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... cefc1.html

There could soon be one less municipality in St. Louis County.
Leaders of the historic village of Glen Echo Park, population 122, want to merge into the much larger city of Normandy — effectively making the two-street enclave a new neighborhood in the city of about 4,300 residents.“It’s not a decision we reached lightly,” said Victoria Valle, 75, chair of the village’s five-member board of trustees since 2014.Residents of the Glen Echo Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, are proud of their identity, Valle said. They don’t want to lose their character. But the village, one of the county’s smallest municipalities, consists of just two residential streets. There’s no industry to draw in revenue. And it has struggled to find workers or people willing to run for elected office in recent years, Valle said.

The 1,400 residents of this tiny suburb nestled between the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Incarnate Word Academy and the lush green spaces of Normandie Golf Club and the Lake Charles Park Cemetery take pride in the diverse architecture of their midcentury homes and the mature trees shading them.
Houses are well-maintained and the lawns meticulously manicured. Most of them, anyway. City Hall makes sure of it.
“Grass right now at this time of year is a constant battle,” said Alderwoman Charlee McBride, who also serves as the volunteer building commissioner overseeing Bel-Nor’s roughly 750 homes.
Let it grow higher than 7 inches and you’re liable to get a notice from the city, possibly McBride herself. She’s juggling that with another task to ensure residents are paying for trash service, a tedious chore that involves double-checking property records with a list of paying customer addresses from waste hauler Republic Services. “I expect people to be accountable,” McBride said. “Should I ignore the fact that you don’t have waste service? Should I ignore the fact your grass might be extremely high? Should I allow you to go ahead and move in and let you just fix up the property whenever you decide?”

Residents here will start paying for trash pickup services for the first time this fall and the Shaw Park pool is set to close earlier than in years past as the city that boasts some of the region’s wealthiest residents faces a projected $2.2 million budget deficit.
The changes come as the city tries to head off a shortfall projected to be between $6 million and $14 million over the next five years. Mayor Michelle Harris said lower sales tax revenues during the pandemic, inflation and the Hancock Amendment — which limits how much cities can tax its residents — triggered the financial shortfall.
“I think we have a perception and reality issue here for Clayton in the region because everybody knows that Clayton has a high median income, high property values, and we have a lot of amenities for our residents,” she said. “And that’s always been our mission. But during COVID, we got killed.”

quincunx wrote:Maybe they should have merged with Richmond Heights when they looked into it a while back. Or look into merging with U City to get on that CostCo gravy train.

airforceguy1 wrote: ↑

Jun 19, 2023

Clayton has a $2 million deficit. That means $50 trash fees and early closure of Shaw pool.

Residents here will start paying for trash pickup services for the first time this fall and the Shaw Park pool is set to close earlier than in years past as the city that boasts some of the region’s wealthiest residents faces a projected $2.2 million budget deficit.
The changes come as the city tries to head off a shortfall projected to be between $6 million and $14 million over the next five years. Mayor Michelle Harris said lower sales tax revenues during the pandemic, inflation and the Hancock Amendment — which limits how much cities can tax its residents — triggered the financial shortfall.
“I think we have a perception and reality issue here for Clayton in the region because everybody knows that Clayton has a high median income, high property values, and we have a lot of amenities for our residents,” she said. “And that’s always been our mission. But during COVID, we got killed.”

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/clayton-has-a-2-million-deficit-that-means-50-trash-fees-and-early-closure-of/article_26d80b22-0c87-11ee-b36f-0fd29d01f532.html

quincunx wrote: ↑

Jun 30, 2023

KMOV - Chief and majority of Riverview Police Department abruptly resign due to pay cuts

https://www.kmov.com/2023/06/30/chief-m ... -pay-cuts/