St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills 10/28/2016 (171-173)

The following Board Bills will be introduced at today’s meeting of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, review the agenda here.

Board Bill No. 171 | Ordinance pertaining to water rates

BOARD BILL NO. 171 INTRODUCED BY: ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance pertaining to water rates; finding, determining and declaring that an increase in certain water rates is necessary for certain purposes; defining certain terms; repealing Ordinance 68694, parts of which are presently codified as Sections 23.04.220, 23.06.130, 23.16.020, 23.16.025, 23.16.040, 23.18.070, 23.20.020, 23.20.030, and 23.20.040, Revised Code, City of St. Louis 1994, Anno. (“Revised Code”), all having as their subject water rates and charges; enacting in lieu thereof nine new sections relating to the same subject; with an emergency provision.

Board Bill No. 172 | Ordinance amending development agreement regarding Ballpark Village

BOARD BILL #172 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN JACK COATAR AN ORDINANCE AFFIRMING ADOPTION OF A DEVELOPMENT PLAN, DEVELOPMENT AREA, AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MISSOURI DOWNTOWN AND RURAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS ACT, SECTIONS 99.915 TO 99.1060 OF THE REVISED STATUTES OF MISSOURI, AS AMENDED (THE “ACT”); AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE EXECUTION OF A FIRST AMENDMENT TO DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AND BALLPARK VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ACT AND SAID DEVELOPMENT PLAN; PRESCRIBING THE FORM AND DETAILS OF SAID AGREEMENT; MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS AS REQUIRED BY THE ACT WITH RESPECT TO SAID AGREEMENT; DESIGNATING BALLPARK VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS DEVELOPER OF THE DEVELOPMENT AREA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ACT; MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS WITH RESPECT THERETO; AUTHORIZING OTHER RELATED ACTIONS BY CITY OFFICIALS IN CONNECTION WITH THE AGREEMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CERTAIN PROPERTY WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT AREA; AND CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.

Board Bill No. 173 | Agreement with MSD regarding water data

BOARD BILL NO. 173 INTRODUCED BY: ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance adopted pursuant to the Intergovernmental Agreement Act, Sections 70.210 to 70.325, inclusive, of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, and authorizing the City of St. Louis to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement with the Metropolitan Sewer District for the purpose of sharing certain water data in the possession of the City with the Metropolitan Sewer District, for fair and substantial compensation received by the Metropolitan Sewer District, containing a severability clause and a governance clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, it can be viewed live here.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: IKEA St. Louis A Net Positive

We shouldn’t assume that IKEA is automatically a positive or negative without first having all the facts in hand to make such a claim, otherwise we’re just going with our gut, which can be biased.

In the recent n0n-scientific Sunday Poll more than 83% felt IKEA was a net positive, while just under 12% say it has been s net negative.

Q: Despite millions in TIF funding, has IKEA St. Louis been a net positive or a net negative?

• Very positive 19 [45.24%]
• Positive 10 [23.81%]
• Somewhat positive 6 [14.29%]
• Neither positive or negative 0 [0%]
• Somewhat negative 1 [2.38%]
• Negative 3 [7.14%]
• Very negative 1 [2.38%]
• Unsure/No Answer 2 [4.76%]

I’d love to see someone perform a full analysis of all taxes, employment, etc. For me personally, IKEA was a draw to get me to drive to Chicago. Many will come to St. Louis from miles away to shop at IKEA, stay at the soon-t0-be-built hotel and such — injecting outside money into our economy.

The error at the start of the poll on Sunday was my fault — the poll was closed because I had originally planned this poll for a week earlier. When I moved it back a week, I neglected to change the auto close date & time. Combined with the fact I was enjoying an extended 5-day/4-night weekend in Chicago, I didn’t check on the poll right away like I usually do on Sunday mornings. Please accept my apologies for any frustration you may have experienced.

— Steve Patterson

Know Your Ballot: Statewide Races, U.S. Senate

The election is just two weeks from tomorrow. Before getting into statewide races, a recap of the posts starting at the bottom of the ballot:

• Propositions & Amendments
• Judges
• Citywide, State Rep, US Rep Races

Some of the statewide races have gotten nasty as we get closer to November 8th. Candidates from both major parties have been making accusations about their opponents. How do we know what to believe?

Thankfully we can look to PolitiFact Missouri for help distinguishing fact from fiction:

PolitiFact Missouri is a partnership of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and PolitiFact.com, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Web site of the Tampa Bay Times, to help you find the truth in politics.

Every day, reporters and researchers examine statements by Missouri elected officials and candidates and anyone else who speaks up on matters of public importance. We research their statements and then rate the accuracy on our Truth-O-Meter:

TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.

MOSTLY TRUE – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.

HALF TRUE – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context.

MOSTLY FALSE – The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.

FALSE – The statement is not accurate.

PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.

See their latest here.

Missouri has voted for the GOP presidential candidate every election since 1980 — with the exceptions of Bill Clinton in 1992 & 1996.  However, Missouri’s relatively conservative Democrats have remained competitive in statewide races.  This election is no exception.

Because these races are so close I’ll be voting for the Democrat in most, exceptions noted below. I’ve linked to websites/social media controlled by the candidates, if found in a search.

FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

• TERESA HENSLEY – DEM
• JOSH HAWLEY – REP

FOR STATE TREASURER

• JUDY BAKER – DEM
• ERIC SCHMITT – REP
• SEAN O’TOOLE – LIB
• CAROL HEXEM – GRN

FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

• ROBIN SMITH – DEM
• JOHN [JAY] ASHCROFT – REP
• CHRIS MORRILL – LIB

FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

• RUSS CARNAHAN – DEM
• MIKE PARSON – REP
• STEVEN R. HEDRICK – LIB
• JENNIFER LEACH – GRN

FOR GOVERNOR — see RealClearPolitics polling data on this race

• CHRIS KOSTER – DEM — PolitiFact
• ERIC GREITENS – REP — PolitiFact
• CISSE W. SPRAGINS – LIB
• DON FITZ – GRN (If it looks like Greitens will lose, I’ll vote Green Party to help with future ballot access)
• LESTER BENTON [LES] TURILLI, JR. – IND

FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR — this closely watched race could impact which major party controls the U.S. Senate, see RealClearPolitics polling.

• JASON KANDER – DEM
• ROY BLUNT – REP — PolitiFact
• JONATHAN DINE – LIB
• FRED RYMAN – CST
• JOHNATHAN McFARLAND – GRN

In two weeks I’ll post on the race at the top of the ballot — the presidential race.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: After Millions in Tax Incentives, Has IKEA Been A Net Positive or Net Negative?

It has now been over a year since IKEA opened for business and it appears to be boosting tax receipts:

The Swedish retailer’s 63110 ZIP code saw a 40 percent spike in state sales tax revenue from October 2015 through June 2016 compared with the prior-year period, according to the latest available data from the Missouri Department of Revenue.

The period with Ikea generated $277 million in state sales tax revenue versus $197 million in the prior-year period without Ikea. (St. Louis Business Journal)

An increase of $80 million, though not all can be attributed to IKEA. It’s unclear now much additional revenue went to the City of St. Louis. But it didn’t come cheap, from February 2014:

Ikea’s plans to open a St. Louis store next year moved ahead Friday when a city panel voted to back a $32 million tax incentive for the project.

Members of the city’s Tax Increment Financing Commission voted unanimously to approve the subsidy. The vote also backed a separate $5.1 million subsidy for a residential building planned for an area just west of the Ikea site.

The Swedish furniture retailer has yet to specify the cost of its St. Louis store, planned for the southwest corner of Forest Park and Vandeventer avenues, but a spokesman said it will exceed $100 million.

The TIF projects are part of a $167.7 million TIF city officials approved for the Cortex bioscience district in 2012. The district is split into 10 TIF areas that must be activated individually as the area develops. (Post-Dispatch)

The store employees hundreds, each paying the 1% earnings tax.

The poll will be open until 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills (165-170) On 10/21/2016

The following six Board Bills will be introduced at today’s meeting of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, review the agenda here. Board bills 169 & 170 raise the age of buying tobacco products to 21.

Board Bill No. 165 | Ordinance pertaining to workforce inclusion

BOARD BILL NO. 165 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH, PRESIDENT LEWIS REED, ALDERMAN CHRIS CARTER An ordinance amending Ordinance 69427 pertaining to workforce inclusion by amending Sections Four, Five, and Ten of said ordinance, which are codified as Sections 3.110.030, 3.110.040, and 3.110.090 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis, to increase percentage goals for minority, women, and city residents, and to put in place a mandatory five-year disqualification penalty and liquidated damages for developers and contractors who fail to meet the goals; and containing a severability clause.

Board Bill No. 166 | Closing Mt. Pleasant at west side of Broadway

BOARD BILL NO. 166 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN KENNETH ORTMANN An ordinance authorizing and directing the Director of Streets to close, barricade, or otherwise impede the flow of traffic on Mount Pleasant Street by blocking said traffic flow at the west side of South Broadway, and containing an emergency clause.

Board Bill No. 167 | Establishing a 4-way stop at Nebraska and Itaska

BOARD BILL NO. 167 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN KENNETH ORTMANN An Ordinance establishing a four-way stop site at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and Itaska Street by regulating all northbound and southbound traffic traveling on Nebraska Avenue at Itaska Street and regulating all eastbound and westbound traffic traveling on Itaska Street at Nebraska Avenue, and containing an emergency clause.

Board Bill No. 168 | 99 year lease for 1901 Penrose to Sun Ministries

BOARD BILL #168 Introduced by Alderman Freeman Bosley An ordinance authorizing and directing the Mayor and Comptroller of the City of St. Louis to enter into a Lease Agreement with Sun Ministries, Inc. to lease property located in City Block 2437 of the City of St. Louis, for a period of Ninety-Nine (99) years, for the purposes of creating a mixed use service delivery facility, and other self-improvement activities as well as office space for administrative needs.

Board Bill No. 169 | Raising the age to 21 for sales of nicotine products

BOARD BILL #169 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN DIONNE FLOWERS An ordinance amending Chapter 11 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis by repealing and re-enacting sections 11.32.110, 11.32.120, 11.32.130, 11.32.140, 11.32.150, 11.32.160, 11.32.170, 11.76.010, 11.76.020, 11.76.030 and 11.76.040 to raise the age to 21 years old for sales and distribution of tobacco products, containing definitions; establishing penalties for violations; and containing a severability and an emergency clause.

Board Bill No. 170 | Raising the age to 21 for sales of alternative nicotine products

BOARD BILL NO. 170 INTRODUCED BY: ALDERMAN FLOWERS An ordinance to raise the age to 21 years old for sales and distribution of alternative nicotine products, and vapor products to be codified in chapter 11 of the revised Code of the City of St. Louis; containing definitions; establishing penalties for violations; and containing a severability and an emergency clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, it can be viewed live here.