STL County Council Takes Another Step on St. George Petition

At a meeting Tuesday the St. Louis County Council accepted the petition to put disincorporation of the tiny municipality of on the ballot.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said the signatures will be referred to the . He said that entity will certify the signatures so that the question can be posed to voters.

“It’s up to the citizens,” Dooley said when asked if St. Louis County had any position on the move. “They know what they want.”

St. George Mayor Carmen Wilkerson, an advocate of disincorporation who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said the goal is to get the question on the November ballot. She said she is pushing the issue because there isn’t a reason for the town to exist anymore.

“The city, in our opinion, is an inefficient use of tax dollars,” Wilkerson said. “And there’s no justification for this layer of government. It doesn’t serve the citizens in any way.”

The petition needs to be signed by 50 percent of the city’s registered voters. Wilkerson said she had 60 percent of the town’s signatures the day she turned in the petition.

Dooley said petitioners want the vote to occur in November of this year and added that there is enough time to arrange that election. If the measure receives 60 percent of the vote, then the town will be disincorporated.

DOOLEY WATCHING DEBT-CEILING DEBATE

Even though the question of whether to raise the nation’s debt ceiling will be decided by Congress, Dooley said inaction on the issue would have an effect on St. Louis County.

As KMOX reported Tuesday, Moody’s Investment Services is considering downgrading America’s credit rating. That could have an effect on the state’s bond rating.

Dooley told reporters he is “concerned” about the debt ceiling situation but added he is “hopeful” that the debate comes to a “reasonable conclusion.”

Asked if an increase in interest would mean less money for other projects, Dooley said “yes, that’s what it is.”

OTHER BUSINESS

• District 2 Councilwoman Kathleen Kelly Burkett introduced an ordinance to authorize a contract for Gateway Sports League to lease an athletic field at . The lease would allow amateur softball games to occur on Athletic Field No. 2 through June 2016.

• Council members provided final approval to District 5 Councilman Pat Dolan’s ordinance to transfer approximately 3,790 square feet of land to Richmond Heights. The swap is related to the , a project completed in 2009 that runs underneath Hanley Road and connects to Eager Road. Dolan is a Richmond Heights resident.

• In addition, the council gave initial approval to Dolan’s ordinance that would authorize the acceptance of $140,000 from the to improve the fire alarm system of the Courts Building.