When:    Thursday, September 26, 2024 
Where:   The Lodge Des Peres - 1050 Des Peres Road, 63131 (MAP)
Time:      Refreshments at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:00 pm

The speaker for the September Membership Meeting is Tom Blair, PE, MoDOT District Engineer - St. Louis. Tom Blair has the honor and humbling task of leading more than 700 dedicated team members in taking care of and operating the state transportation system in the St. Louis region. The district includes the City of St. Louis, St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties, making it part of the 7^th largest transportation system in the nation.
 

Mr. Blair will be providing a general update on Missouri’s transportation system and projects.
 

 For a calendar of future League Meetings and Events, click here.

The Legislative Affairs Committee reviews and updates the League’s legislative policy statements and recommends the legislative priorities for the upcoming session.  The priorities and policy statements convey to the legislators major issues being faced by local governments.  If you have suggestions for policies for the committee to review, please contact the League office at [email protected].
 

The final report will be presented to the membership at the October League meeting. 

Committee members are:

Bills passed during the 2024 legislative session went into effect on 8/28.
 

HB 1359 - Municipal Banking
Section 110.075, RSMo. - Eliminates multiple antiquated statutes on how municipalities previously had to select a bank and now requires municipalities to select depositories using a competitive bidding process.

HB 2062 - Use of Property
Sections 140.010 - 141.1020, RSMo. - Authorizes all counties in Missouri (plus certain municipalities outside St. Louis County) to establish a land bank agency. Land banks are entities that acquire, manage, and repurpose tax-delinquent properties. They are designed to transform vacant/abandoned properties into properties with a productive use, such as housing or commercial development.
Section 67.288, RSMo. - Municipalities cannot adopt ordinances requiring electric vehicle charging stations/infrastructure on parking lots owned/leased by churches or nonprofit organizations
Section 436.337, RSMo. - Political subdivisions cannot require a homeowner to conduct an inspection in order to sell their property.
Section 535.012, RSMo. - No political subdivision can impose a moratorium on eviction proceedings unless authorized by state law.

SB 756 - Senior Property Tax Credit

Section 137.1050, RSMo. - Modifies 2023's SB 190 definition of an eligible taxpayer from someone eligible for Social Security to a taxpayer 62 years or older. This new act also requires a county granting a tax credit to notify affected political subdivisions of the total credit amount applicable to them. Once the senior property tax credit is implemented by a county, it will likely face legal challenges because Missouri Constitution Article X, Section 6(a) requires restitution for affected political subdivisions.

HB 2111 - Powers of the State Auditor

Section 29.225, RSMo. - Previously, the state auditor could only audit a political subdivision if there was a citizen petition or a request from the governing body. This bill adds two additional mechanisms for the auditor to begin an audit. First, if an investigation under Section 29.221, RSMo. uncovers alleged improper governmental activity (new definition in Section 29.005, RSMo.), or second, at the request of a prosecuting attorney, circuit attorney, or law enforcement agency investigating improper governmental activity.

  New FEMA Grant Funding Standards Require Municipal Action

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to governments to rebuild after a presidentially declared natural disaster. Governments must adopt hazard mitigation plans to be eligible for this funding. Municipalities should take the following actions to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation grants:

        (1) Submit a questionnaire to [email protected] by Sept. 12, 2024, and
        (2) Pass a resolution adopting East-West Gateway’s 2025-2030 St. Louis Regional
                   Hazard Mitigation Plan by Sept. 2025.  The plan must be approved by FEMA
                   in October 2025.  

For more information about the process or assistance with the questionnaire, contact [email protected]. 

Unlimited Play founder Natalie Mackay was recently spotlighted by STL Made and the St. Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper.  Unlimited Play designs and builds inclusive playgrounds for children across the St. Louis metro — and in cities across the country.

Click here for the full article.

Municipalities in St. Louis County should complete MSD's survey
by Sept. 30 to guide how 10% of Prop S funds will be distributed.

Recently, voters approved Proposition S, allowing MSD Project Clear to help address growing stormwater problems like flooding and erosion.

Proposition S funds will be distributed as follows:

• Critical Projects Fund (50%): targeting the most critical stormwater issues, focusing on projects with the highest benefit-to-cost ratio.

• Municipal Grant Fund (30%): Allocated through municipal stormwater grants, enabling local municipalities to set their own funding priorities.

• Environmental Justice Fund (10%): Directed towards the highest priority projects in Environmental Justice areas based on a benefit/cost analysis.

• Regional Priorities Fund (10%): Guided by feedback from a regional advisory group.

Survey feedback will help set the priorities for the Regional Priorities Fund (approximately $3.5 million annually) over the next three years.

Multiple ballot initiatives will be voted on during the November General Election. Several of them are already facing legal challenges. For the full text of all ballot initiatives, see the Secretary of State's 2024 Ballot Measures webpage.

Amendment 2 - Licensed Sports Wagering
Amendment 3 - Reproductive Healthcare
Amendment 5 - Additional Gambling Boat License on the Osage River
Amendment 6 - Funding for Law Enforcement Salaries & Benefits
Amendment 7 - Voting Regulations
Proposition A - Increasing Minimum Wage

Missouri's 2nd Amendment Preservation Act (2021) was struck down last month by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The court's ruling held that Missouri violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Statutes within this Act (Sections 1.450-1.460 RSMo) forbade municipalities from enforcing any federal firearms laws and imposed a $50,000 penalty for doing so. Section 1.470 RSMo also forbade municipalities from employing former federal employees who were responsible for enforcing federal gun laws. 

The next sessions are:

                                 September 26        Running Public Meetings
                                 October 24             Types of Municipal Governments
                                 November 20         Elections 

Be sure to check The Municipal League of Metro St. Louis website for Municipal Job Postings.  Click here.