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Affiliate Holiday Open House
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The League's annual Affiliate Holiday Open House will be held on Wednesday, December 10th from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at the Maryland Heights Community Center (2300 McKelvey Road). The event serves as a great opportunity for our Affiliates and Members to network and celebrate the holidays together. Affiliates can register for a table here. Tables are first come first serve, so register today!
Along with spreading the holiday cheer to one another, there is a chance to spread it to your community as well. We are partnering with the St. Louis Area Foodbank to help replenish their shelves for the holidays. Please bring canned goods to the open house to kick off our new campaign - Mayors for Meals!
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October Membership Meeting
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At the League's October meeting, members voted to adopt the League's Legislative Priorities for the upcoming session. Mel Wilson, Deputy Director of Planning for St. Louis County presented on STLCO 2050, the County's newly adopted comprehensive plan. Her slides can be accessed here.
Another topic discussed was our new affiliate membership program that offers a wide array of additional benefits to our Affiliate Members. The official program will be released next year, so be on the lookout!
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Mayors for Meals:
Twelve Days of Christmas Food Drive
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The Municipal League of Metro St. Louis is proud to partner with the St. Louis Area Foodbank for the "Mayors for Meals: Twelve Days of Christmas" canned food drive, running December 10-23.
This regional initiative unites cities across the St. Louis area in the spirit of service—helping local families facing hunger during the holiday season. Each participating city will host a collection site at City Hall or another public building where residents can drop off canned and shelf-stable food items.
The Foodbank will provide collection bins and coordinate pick-ups directly with each city. Together, our communities can make a real impact: every dollar donated helps provide up to four meals for families in need.
For more information or to register your city, contact the Municipal League office or visit here. Let's come together this December to show that St. Louis area cities care—and that our mayors lead with compassion.
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On Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 Victoria Hooker, Director of Sunshine Law Outreach at the Missouri Attorney General's Office, gave a comprehensive overview of Missouri Sunshine Law, and discussed how municipalities can remain compliant. View the handouts from the session here.
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November 4th is Election Day! A handful of municipalities and school districts have initiatives on the ballot, which can be seen here. Polling locations open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm that day. Encourage your constituents to get out and vote!
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U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case on Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act
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The Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act, which forbade municipalities from enforcing federal firearms laws (Sections 1.450-1.460 RSMo) and imposed a $50,000 fine for doing so (Section 1.470 RSMo), was overturned by the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The case was appealed again to the U.S. Supreme Court, who refused to hear the case, meaning that the 8th Circuit ruling stands—the Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S Constitution.
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Jury Rules on Video Lottery Terminals Case
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Video Lottery Terminals in places like gas stations and mini marts are not recognized in Missouri's constitution. A suit was filed in 2023 against Torch Electronics by TNT Amusements. TNT argued that, unlike their own games, Torch's video terminals are gambling machines, not just bar games. The jury ruled in favor of TNT Amusements, requiring Torch to pay $500,000 in damages finding they had engaged in unfair competition under both federal and Missouri law. The League expects legislation to be filed next session regulating these video lottery terminals.
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Police Officers' Bill of Rights Case Update
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In 2021, the City of St. Louis filed a lawsuit on behalf of Heather Taylor, a retired police officer who was serving as previous Mayor Tishaura Jones' Director of Public Safety. The suit claims that the Police Officer's Bill of Rights violates the Missouri Constitution's Hancock Amendment for mandating additional requirements that law enforcement agencies must follow when investigating an officer's conduct without providing funding to do so.
A Hancock Amendment violation must be brought by a taxpayer. Taylor no longer wishes to pursue the claim, and Cole County Circuit Court denied the City of St. Louis' attempt to substitute another plaintiff. If Taylor no longer wishes to pursue the claim, this could be the end of the suit, the Police Officers' Bill of Rights would remain intact, and municipalities would be required to continue complying with the robust set of statutory administrative procedures.
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Wayfair Bill Being Contested
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In Ste. Genevieve County Commission, et al. v. Mike Kehoe, et al (PETITION – case no. 25AC-CC07837), two Missouri counties have filed a petition for declaratory judgement against the State of Missouri regarding Senate Bills 153 & 97 (2021), commonly known as The Wayfair Bill, which authorized municipalities to collect local use taxes on consumer purchases with voter approval. Another provision of this bill expanded the state sales tax exemption on manufacturing and mining inputs to include voter-approved local sales taxes—plaintiffs argue this violates the Hancock Amendment of Missouri’s Constitution.
This case challenges the entire Wayfair Bill and has serious potential to set new precedent regarding local sales tax exemptions and use tax collections.
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Cole County Circuit Court Overturns Omnibus Property Tax Bill
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In Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association v. State of Missouri (JUDGEMENT – case no. 24AC-CC07532), the Cole County Circuit Court recently invalidated HB 2062 in its entirety for numerous violations, including the Missouri Constitution’s Clear Title and Single Subject mandates. The plaintiffs, a property owners association, were challenging a provision in the bill that prohibits HOA’s from regulating the raising of chickens on private land.
This omnibus bill passed in 2024 dealt with the usage of property and had several provisions affecting municipalities. The bill authorized St. Louis County to establish a land bank, forbade political subdivisions from requiring inspections before the sale of residential property, forbade political subdivisions from imposing a moratorium on eviction proceedings (unless authorized by state law), expanded tax credits for rehabilitating historic buildings in downtown St. Louis, and included provisions on electric vehicle charging stations (such as requiring political subdivisions to pay for the cost of new EV chargers if they adopted ordinances requiring them at new developments).
The court’s decision will likely be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, and legislation re-authorizing land banks is planned to be introduced for next session.
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TIF annual reports must be sent to the DOR by November 15th. Failure to comply results in an inability to adopt a TIF plan for 5 years. For more information see § 99.865 RSMo.
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U.S. Treasury Department
Issues SLFRF Claw Backs
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The U.S. Treasury Department has begun issuing ARPA SLFRF (State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds) recoupment letters to political subdivisions that received this covid era funding and were found to be out of compliance with program requirements. These letters no longer offer an opportunity to contest or correct reporting errors. Treasury is simply demanding repayment of funds. The National League of Cities reports this applied to eight municipalities in St. Louis County.
Federal debt collection happens quickly, and late payments may result in steep penalties. An overview of the recoupment process can be found here. If your municipality has been contacted by the US Treasury Department about repayment and you have questions, contact [email protected].
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NLC City Summit Conference
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The National League of Cities is hosting their City Summit Conference on November 19th-22nd in Salt Lake City, Utah. The conference is an opportunity for local leaders to network with and learn from experts and peers. To register, click here.
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Progress 64 West is hosting their 37th Annual Excellence in Community Development Awards Banquet. The event will take place on November 26th at 11:15 am at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bob Brinkman, the master of ceremonies is John Nations, and there will be a guest appearance by Lt. Governor David Wasinger. Register here.
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East-West Gateway is celebrating 60 years of service to the region at its 2025 Annual Meeting November 14 at Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. The celebration includes multiple events:
- EWG's Annual Meeting Luncheon and OLGA Awards Ceremony from noon to 1:30 p.m.
- Free morning presentations on Save Lives Now! and Bridge to Home, two regional initiatives addressing violent crime and homelessness in the region (9–10 a.m.)
- A free EWG Expo on EWG programs and services that can assist local governments and regional governments in building safer, more livable, and vibrant communities (10–11:45 a.m.)
- A free moderated elected officials panel on creating a St. Louis regional vision for success (10:30–11:30 a.m.)
Click here to purchase tickets for the noon luncheon or to register for the free morning events. Mayors are eligible for free tickets and should email [email protected] to obtain them. REGISTRATION CLOSES NOV 3!
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EWG Launches New Research & Resources Hub
on Data Centers
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East-West Gateway's new data center resource hub is designed for elected officials, planners, and economic development professionals who would like to better understand the implications that data centers may have on their community's electricity use, water use, noise and water pollution, tax bases, utility rates, and other concerns.
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Missouri Association of Government Communicators Conference
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The newly established Missouri Association of Government Communicators will be holding their first statewide conference on November 6th in Columbia. This one-day event's agenda offers engaging sessions and networking opportunities for public information officers.
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Power of Greenways Panel Discussion
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Great Rivers Greenway, St. Louis County Library, and FOCUS St. Louis are partnering for a public panel discussion on the civic power of greenways. The free event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13th at 8 AM. Panelists include Shaughnessy H. Daniels, Jon Jon Wesolowski, Mallory Nezam, and Rodney Crim. Register here.
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The Government Finance Officers of Missouri is holding their 2025 fall seminar on Friday, November 14th at 8:00 at the Courtyard by Marriott (3301 Lemone Industrial Blvd. Columbia, Missouri 65201). Register here.
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Save Lives Now! Advisory Council Meeting
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The fourth meeting of the Save Lives Now! Advisory Council was held on October 22nd. At the meeting, the efforts being made to implement the three core strategies of the initiative, focused deterrence, cognitive behavioral therapy, and street outreach, were discussed. In St. Louis County, law enforcement began custom notification visits in September to individuals most at risk for violence in parts of North St. Louis County. Individuals are contacted within 18 hours of a referral to prevent a potential shooting or homicide. In the City of St. Louis, street outreach professionals are responding rapidly to both neighborhood tensions and to individuals at risk for violence to mentor them with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and connect them to services. View the meeting presentation slides here.
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Manchester Named One of Missouri's Most Neighborly Cities
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The University of Missouri Extension and the Hopeful Neighborhood Project have awarded Manchester the honor of being one of Missouri's Most Neighborly Cities for 2026. Not only was the city recognized, but a local resident and business were also designated as one of Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbors and one of Missouri's Most Neighborly Businesses, respectively. For more information, read Manchester's news release here.
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November Training Academy
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November's Training Academy will be held on Thursday the 20th at noon. Tara Kelly, Senior Associate City Attorney for Kansas City will be presenting on Lessons from Recent Municipal Court Decisions. Registration emails will be sent out shortly.
Municipalities can still register for the program and pay annual tuition HERE. Annual tuition allows all elected officials, staff members, and board/commission members within your municipality to attend all seminars throughout the year and access the archive of previously recorded webinars.
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| DATE |
EVENT |
LOCATION |
| Dec 10 |
Affiliate Holiday Open House |
Maryland Heights Community Center |
| Jan 22 |
Membership Meeting |
Wild Acres Park (Overland) |
| Feb 26 |
Membership Meeting |
Chesterfield City Hall |
| Mar 26 |
Membership Meeting |
UMSL - ED Collabitat (Barnes Building) |
| Apr 23 |
Membership Meeting |
Brentwood Park Event Pavillion |
| May 28 |
Installation Dinner/Awards Ceremony |
Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel |
| Oct 1 |
Municipal League Golf Tournament |
Florissant Golf Club |
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