Friday, June 15, 2012
The city originally projected a deficit of $187,000 for 2011.
A one-time windfall from a large construction permit fee and an uptick in sales tax receipts helped the City of Shrewsbury end the year with a budget surplus, the city's audit shows. The audit of the 2011 budget was performed by accounting firm RubinBrown and was presented to the Shrewsbury Board of Alderman during its regular session Tuesday night. According to the audit, the surplus came despite the fact that the city originally projected it would end 2011 in the red with a deficit of nearly $180,000 in its approximately $5.6 million general fund. Instead, Shrewsbury experienced a 6.2 percent increase in revenue thanks to growth in sales tax income and $188,864 more than anticipated in building permit fees, largely due to the St. Louis…
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A 12.9 percent increase was tempered by an drop in utility taxes to keep the city's overall revenue stable and similar to the first quarter of 2011.
Shrewsbury’s finance director reported growth in the city’s sales tax receipts for the first quarter of 2012 but tempered her optimism with a caution about the month-to-month volatility of such numbers. Danielle Oettle spoke last Tuesday during a board of aldermen meeting. Her report came as part of a quarterly budget review that was recently instituted by the city to give its elected representatives an ongoing sense of the city's financial health. Sales tax revenue grew by 13.9 percent compared to the same period last year, Oettle said, marking the first time since 2007 that the city saw such an increase in the first quarter, excepting a slight uptick in 2009. “I think we are looking good for the first quarter,” Oettle said, although she…
Saturday, May 26, 2012
A $20,000 community development block grant could be dedicated entirely to street repairs due to a lack of interest in a housing improvement program.
The City of Shrewsbury is weighing the best way to spend a $20,000 community development block grant after failing to receive any applicants for a housing improvement program. The federal grant is administered by St. Louis County and requires that individual municipalities decide in advance how the money will be divided up. Shrewsbury has previously dedicated $15,000 for street repairs and $5,000 for loans through the St. Louis County Housing Improvement Program (HIP), said Jonathan Greever, director of administration for Shrewsbury. He said the program provides low-interest loans of up to $5,000 for qualified residents to pay for repairs or upgrades to the “basic functionality” of their house, such as heating or cooling systems. But no …
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Friday, May 25, 2012
A temporary fix has been installed to circumvent a broken waterline, which will allow the facility to open on schedule over Memorial Day weekend.
City personnel implemented a temporary fix last weekend to circumvent a crack in a waterline supplying the pool at the Shrewsbury Family Aquatic Center. Chris Buck, director of the Shrewsbury Parks and Recreation Department, reported the incident to the board of aldermen at a May 22 meeting. He explained that pipes were installed above ground to feed water into the facility, and said it wouldn’t affect the pool’s operation. “No one will notice the difference except you will have these large white pipes that weren’t there before,” he said. The exact cause of the crack is unknown. Buck said a frozen pipe is unlikely given the mild winter, so it’s believed to be damage from “some sort of tremor” that went unnoticed. A more permanent solution …
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Street banners will celebrate residents and businesses that sponsor the festivities.
Next year marks the centennial anniversary for the city of Shrewsbury and planning has begun for commemorative events throughout 2013. A list of these events was presented to the Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen at a work session Tuesday night along with the kinds of sponsorships organizers hope will pay for the celebrations. Proposals range from a kick-off evening in January that will display artifacts, maps and other historical materials, to enhancing existing summer festivals with additional music and vendors, such as St. Louis’ growing fleet of food trucks. However, Greg Lauter and Greg Meyer, members of a centennial committee formed by the city, asked that board members help fund their efforts with a small injection from the city’s …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The comprehensive set of requirements being drafted by the board of aldermen would mainly impact new businesses.
Businesses looking to set up shop in Shrewsbury may soon be facing revamped landscaping requirements. A meeting Tuesday night of the city’s board of aldermen included discussion of a potential commercial landscaping ordinance. The law would apply only to developments zoned as C-1 or C-2, or that require a special use permit. It would not affect residences and would also only apply to new businesses or when a change of ownership occurs. The aldermen are still in the course of finalizing the ordinance’s details, but Mayor Felicity Buckley said she wanted to make sure the community is aware of the process and invited citizens to add their own input. In general, the ordinance would cover issues like green space, the number and types of trees …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The public hearing set for Wednesday will be rescheduled again with several weeks notice.
Shrewsbury announced Tuesday that the public hearing Wednesday on the $20 million tax increment financing (TIF) assistance proposed for the redevelopment of Kenrick Plaza has been canceled. The TIF commission heard at its last meeting on Nov. 9 that changes were being made to the site plan for the planned Walmart-anchored redevelopment. The commission was told that several of its questions would have to wait until the cost/benefit analysis of the redevelopment had been revised. Shrewsbury's special counsel on the project, Mark Grimm, said then that the changes would be done in a week. But three weeks later, Shrewsbury Director of Administration Jonathan Greever said in the email announcement that the hearing would be rescheduled "if and/or…
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Shrewsbury TIF commission met for the first time Wednesday.
The redeveloper of Kenrick Plaza is seeking $20 million in public assistance from the City of Shrewsbury to build a controversial Walmart Supercenter. G. J. Grewe revealed a preliminary plan for the approximately 25-acre site, located in the 7400 block of Watson Road near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks. Grewe made the presentation Wednesday at the City of Shrewsbury's first Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Commission meeting at the Shrewsbury City Center. In addition to a Walmart, Grewe's total $43-million redevelopment plan calls for several other smaller retailers to replace the site of the vacant Kenrick 8 Cine movie theater, which closed in 2007. That area is referred to in the plan as Upper Kenrick Plaza and includes a …
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Thursday, July 21, 2011
The developer isn't new to the St. Louis region, or to public assistance for his projects.
G. J. Grewe Inc. is looking for public assistance to redevelop Kenrick Plaza in Shrewsbury. This help could come in the form of a tax increment financing, or a TIF. Under this kind of assistance, a city issues bonds to help raise money for a private developer's project. Property taxes are frozen at the TIF location, but usually the land's value rises with new buildings and development. If no TIF existed the developer would pay higher property taxes. Instead that money helps pay back the city for the bonds. According to a study by Washington University, this process isn't without controversy, and many argue it should be reformed. The Shrewsbury proposal isn't the first time Grewe Inc. has sought public financing, and Patch wants to help you…
The company has developed project across the St. Louis region for years.
Gerald Grewe has a last name many Shrewsbury residents probably recognize by now. His company, G. J. Grewe Inc., is behind the plans to redevelop Kenrick Plaza into a new commercial venture with a Walmart Supercenter as its ancor. The development has been controversial, with many residents concerned about its impact on town. Others though say it's a good plan, and critical to improving the city's lean financial situation. Patch wants to help you learn more about Grewe's company. To do that, we've pulled together information some different sources in one place. Find out more in another Patch article about Grewe's involvement in Fenton's Gravois Bluffs development, Watson Plaza in Crestwood and the failed Columbia Crossing project in …
Chris P
5:42 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012
I would like to see Shrewsbury address these non-profits contributions to the city in return for infrastructure and public safety. It is my understanding that all the non-profits in the city - some of which occupy enormous and very expensive campuses - contribute a total of around $40,000 in taxes per year. Kenrick Seminary, which is spending tens of millions of dollars on upgrades and tearing up… more ›