August 4th is Missouri's Primary Election Day, and with it comes a multitude of amendments to the State Constitution, County Charter and City Charter.
State Constitutional Amendments
- Amendment 1 would extend the existing 0.10% Parks and Conservation sales and use tax for an additional 10 years.
- Amendment 2 would require the Jackson County Assessor to be an elected position.
- Amendment 4 would require the majority of voters from each congressional district to approve initiative petitions to amend the constitution. Legislative constitutional amendments would remain a simple majority statewide vote.
- Amendment 5 would phase out the state income tax and replace the lost revenue with sales taxes by expanding the sales tax base to include many services that are currently exempt from sales taxes.
View full text of the state ballot measures HERE.
St. Louis County
- Prop C would modernize language within the County charter.
- Prop U would establish a Use Tax equal to that of the county's sales tax. The League supports this proposition since there is a revenue distribution mechanism municipalities benefit from.
St. Louis City
- Prop M would modernize language within the City charter.
Candidates
- Among the many party nominations that will be decided this primary election are St. Louis County Executive, St. Charles County Executive, Jefferson County Executive, and Franklin County Presiding Commissioner.
Look up your sample ballot:
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City of St. Louis Re-Entry Being Studied
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Nonprofit organization United Saint Louis recently circulated an RFP seeking a consultant to quantify the financial effects of the city re-entering St. Louis County or consolidating county-level functions such as circuit courts, prosecutors, property assessment, and election administration.
The formal research study would also examine the costs of St. Louis operating as an independent city, disparities between city and county tax bases, and the region's economic competitiveness.
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The City of St. Louis is continuing it's Tornado Relief efforts with the extension of a team of disaster case managers through June 2027. These specialists are trained to connect individuals and households still experiencing hardships from the May 2025 tornado with the resources and ongoing services they need.
Historically, FEMA funds disaster case management for two years following a federal disaster declaration. However, that did not occur. Instead, the City of St. Louis used $3 million in interest earned from the Rams Settlement Fund to sustain their case management program. Now, the City has secured a $2.9 million FEMA grant to provide for the team.
Read the full press release HERE.
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13th Annual NLC State of the Cities
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The National League of Cities has published their 2026 State of the Cities report. This year they focus on the innovative ways governing bodies are overcoming challenges, while also mentioning the priorities and opportunities facing communities across the country. The report highlights 3 "top issues" for mayors:
- Economic Development
- Infrastructure Investment
- Affordable Housing
Download a copy of the report HERE
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The Supreme Court issued a total of 68 rulings in the 2025-2026 term, all of which can be viewed HERE. Here are a few notable cases for local governments.
- Pung v. Isabella County (Tax Foreclosure)
- When a property is sold to collect unpaid taxes, the former owner is only entitled to the surplus proceeds from the sale, and not the hypothetical fair market value.
- Case v. Montana (Warrantless Entry)
- The Fourth Amendment permits law enforcement to enter a home without a warrant when they have an "objectively reasonable basis for believing" that someone inside needs emergency assistance or faces imminent serious injury.
- Chatrie v. United States (Geofence Warrants)
- Police officers conducted a Fourth Amendment search when they acquire an individual’s location data from Google because an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in their cellphone location history.
- Zorn v. Linton (Qualified Immunity)
- Supreme Court upheld a police officer's qualified immunity after a detainee claimed excessive force. The officer issued multiple warnings prior to using a routine wristlock technique. This case illustrates that qualified immunity remains heavily dependent on the facts of the individual case.
- United States v. Hemani (2nd Amendment)
- The court ruled that a federal law prohibiting the possession of firearms by a person unlawfully using a controlled substance violates the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
- Wolford v. Lopez (2nd Amendment)
- The State of Hawaii’s law prohibiting licensed concealed-carry permit holders from carrying handguns on private property open to the public without the property owner’s express authorization violates the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. Private property owners can prohibit firearms on their property, but it must be explicitly stated and not presumed.
Watch the Local Government Legal Center's webinar on the 2025-2026 Supreme Court term HERE.
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Missouri American Water
Files for Rate Increase
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Missouri American Water recently filed for a rate increase with the Missouri Public Service Commission, a request driven by $1.6 billion in system investments. The review process is expected to take up to 11 months to complete, and the proposed rates would result in an increase of $23 for the average customer in St. Louis County.
View Missouri American Water's letter HERE and the proposed rate schedule HERE |
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MML's 92nd Annual Conference
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The Missouri Municipal League’s 92nd Annual Conference will be held September 13-16 at Margaritaville. The conference will feature an exhibit hall with affiliates, breakout sessions with presentation from industry experts, and more!
Register HERE by August 14th.
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Cool Cities STL Pop Up Event
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Join Cool Cities STL to learn about Extreme Heat and what municipalities can do to help cool our friends and neighbors down.
Wednesday, August 12
10:00-11:30 AM
City of St. Louis City Hall, Kennedy Room
1200 Market Street
Doors open at 9:30.
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Great Rivers Greenway Art Party
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Great Rivers Greenway will be hosting a public art party at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis on Wednesday, August 5th from 5-7 PM and will celebrate the 25 artists whose works will be featured along the northern connector of the Brickline Greenway. Guests can enjoy live music, food, plus arts and crafts activities. Attendees will have an opportunity to view renderings for the completed greenway.
This free event is open to the public. Get more info HERE. |
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St. Louis Strategic Priorities
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Mayor Spencer announced the City of St. Louis’ strategic priorities that will guide where city personnel will focus their resources for years to come. The five priorities are rebuilding trust in city services, recover & revitalize neighborhoods, accelerate economic development, cultivate a culture of excellence, and modernize city government.
To see the list of individual initiatives underlying these strategic priorities, see the press release.
The City is also expanding usage of their CityStat public data platform to share performance metrics from various internal city departments.
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ICMA Annual Conference
Long Beach, CA - October 17-21
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The International City/County Management Association will be holding its annual conference in Long Beach, CA from October 17th through the 21st.
This year's keynote speakers include leadership expert Simon Sinek and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and presidential biographer Jon Meacham, who will share their perspectives on leadership, public service, and navigating today's challenges.
Register HERE
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East-West Gateway
Seeking OLGA Award Nominations
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More nominations are needed!
Submit your nominations HERE for the OLGA Awards by the Sept. 1 deadline!
Each fall, East-West Gateway honors exceptional contributions in local government through their Outstanding Local Government Achievement awards. The OLGAs celebrate signature projects and initiatives of individuals, municipal and county governments, special purpose districts, and public education across the St. Louis region. OLGA recipients are recognized at East-West Gateway's Annual Meeting & Awards Program in November.
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Gov. Kehoe Signs Bills into Law
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Gov. Mike Kehoe has been signing bills passed this legislative session into law. For a list of all bills signed, visit HERE. These bills will go into effect on August 28, 2026 (unless individual bills contain an emergency clause or specify a different effective date within them).
See The League’s full list of bills passed affecting municipalities HERE.
A few of The League’s priority bills that have been signed into law include
- HB 1871 - modifies provisions relating to elections
- HB 2641 - cannabis regulations
- HB 3231 - economic development incentives
- SB 916 - modifies provisions relating to sovereign immunity
- SB 973 - re-authorizes land banks
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Federal Housing Bill Passes
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The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law July 11th. It provides enhanced flexibility to grant programs such as CDBG and HOME, now allowing CDBG grant money to be invested in new housing construction. The act does not preempt local or state zoning, but may have additional constraints tied to new grant programs that municipalities are eligible for. The bill is aimed at reducing federal regulatory barriers and will take months for federal agencies to fully implement changes.
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Municipal Members
Invoices for annual dues have been sent to all city clerks. Annual dues are based on population categories set by the membership, and the current rate was last set in 2014. Payment may be made online or via check. For those paying via ACH, our bank account information has changed.
Affiliate Members
We are launching a new affiliate membership program and transitioning renewals to follow the calendar year, as requested by our affiliate members. The new program offers five sponsorship levels. Previous affiliates recieved an email at the beginning of July for renewal.
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Park Grant Application Now Open
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The Municipal Park Grant Commission's annual construction grant application is now open! Grants may be used to fund park renovation projects such as playgrounds, water parks, golf courses, trails, recreation centers, ice rinks and other types of facilities. Funding is awarded to municipalities based on the strength of their grant applications, including factors such as need, planning, community input, and prior awards. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 28 at 3pm.
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August
September
- 15 – Deadline to re-adopt the city’s personal financial disclosure policy; required for cities with annual operating budgets over $1M) Send copy of policy to Missouri Ethics Commission within 10 days of adoption (§ 105.483(11) & 105.485.4)
- 16 – Missouri General Assembly - Veto Session
- Mid-Late September – Conduct public hearing on property tax rate with 7-day newspaper notice (cities in charter counties such as St. Louis County) (§ 67.110)
- 24 – Municipal League of Metro St. Louis Training Academy Webinar
- 24 – Municipal League of Metro St. Louis Membership Meeting
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The 2026 Training Academy schedule can be seen above. If you are interested in any of the topics, Municipalities can 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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2026
Municipal League
Events
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| DATE |
EVENT |
LOCATION |
| Sep 24 |
Membership Meeting |
Ballwin Golf Course & Event Center |
| Oct 1 |
Municipal League Golf Tournament |
Florissant Golf Club |
| Oct 22 |
Membership Meeting |
Dellwood Recreation Center |
| Dec 10 |
Holiday Open House/Exhibit Hall |
Maryland Heights Community Center |
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