I’ve long advocated for reentry of the city of St. Louis into St. Louis County as another municipality. I figured it would be more palatable to voters as it changed less and would be less scary, but that’s also its biggest drawback. It’s clear after what came to light after #Ferguson and the ongoing #TIFwars that more needs to change. A plan that just did reentry would be quite out of touch. And to go to all the effort to make it happen without addressing the larger issues is irresponsible.
The Better Together Task Force plan address the four biggest problems with our municipal fragmentation- policing, courts, zoning, and the sales tax chase. Please read the report. They lay out their justification for each. I’m pretty stoked about the plan. Like everyone I have concerns too. This will be the most important vote of your lifetime. Luckily we have over 600 days to consider whether it will help St. Louis become a better place.
Read the plan: St. Louis City-County Governance Task Force Report to the Community
After reading please comment below, or if you’d like to write a piece for nextstl we’re certainly interested in publishing many voices.
