When:   Thursday, February 23, 2023 
Where:  Olivette City Hall, 1140 Dielman Road, Olivette, MO (MAP) 
Time:     6:30pm Refreshments
              7:00pm Meeting 

We are pleased the City of Olivette will host the February Membership Meeting. 

                                      Thank you, Mayor Weil!

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Governor Parson gave his annual State of State address on January 18, outlining his goals and objectives for the legislative session.  With what might be the largest state budget surplus, one of his top priorities calls for investing $859 million widening parts of I-70, including adding additional lanes from Wentzville to Warrenton. 
 
Governor Parson continued his focus on infrastructure, workforce development and education.  Below is a list of his top priorities.
 
Highlights of Gov. Mike Parson's budget plan
1)      $859 million for upgrades to Interstate 70, including an additional lane in each
            direction in the St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City areas.
2)      $35 million for improving safety at railroad crossings, following a deadly train
            derailment in Mendon, Missouri last year.
3)      A $118 million increase to fully fund the state’s K-12 education formula; over
             $3.6 billion in total base funding.
4)      $79 million more for childcare providers.
5)      $71 million increase to core higher education funding.
6)      $50 million for school security upgrades
7)      $56 million to expand early childhood education access to an estimated 17,000
             more kids.
8)      $4 million for a plan to address maternal mortality
9)      $233 million for school transportation costs
10)   $7.2 million for a new St. Louis region youth center

Numerous bills have been assigned to committee and hearings are beginning in earnest. 

League Priority Bills are: 
HB 177 (Van Schoiack) - currently, no city in Missouri shall submit, to the voters, any proposal that results in a combined rate of sales taxes adopted under Section 94.510, RSMo in excess of 2%. This bill removes this requirement.
 
HB 309 (Riggs) - authorizes two or more political subdivisions, upon a vote of eligible voters, to form a broadband infrastructure improvement district for the delivery of broadband Internet service to their residents. A district would also have the power to contract with a broadband Internet service provider.
 
HB 394 (Falkner) - defines as closed records email addresses of local government residents for purposes of receiving government correspondence and GPS records of public safety vehicles. (Support)
 
HB 928 (Falkner) - delays date for lowering video franchise fees from 2023 to 2026 to allow time for Task Force on Right of Way Management and Taxation to meet.  (Support)

HB 978 (Falkner) - modifies provisions for home-based businesses enacted in 2022.  (Support)
 
Other bills of interest include: 
SB 96 (Koenig) - requires a unanimous vote of a local governing body to establish a community improvement district or transportation development district.   Local Government & Elections Committee.  Heard 1/30.
 
HB 64 (Terry) - establishes term limits of 8 years for 4th class city mayors.  Allows monthly stipends for 4th class city elected officials, rather than salaries.
 
SB 161 (Coleman) - provides that retail sales of food shall be exempt from state and local sales taxes.  Economic Development & Tax Policy Committee.  (Oppose) There are also numerous House bills proposing to eliminate the sales tax on food.

SB 242 (Eigel) - repeals the 2021 gas tax increase. (Oppose) Similar bills are SB 260 (Moon) and SB 454 (Carter).
 
The League will continue to email weekly legislative updates throughout the session.

Please welcome our new Affiliate and February guest speaker:

Flock Safety believes technology unites law enforcement and the communities they serve to eliminate crime and shape a safer future together. Flock Safety created the first public safety operating system to enable neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and law enforcement to work together to collect visual, audio, and situational evidence across an entire city to solve and prevent crime.  

Their connected platform, comprised of License Plate Recognition (LPR), live video, audio detection, and a suite of integrations (AVL, CAD & more), alerts law enforcement when an incident occurs and turns unbiased data into objective answers that increase case clearance, maximize resources, and reduce crime -- all without compromising transparency or human privacy. 

Click here to visit their web site for more information.                               

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Bi-State Development plans to upgrade its MetroLink trains. Many of the existing ones are decades old.

             

The agency plans to spend around $150 million to get about 40 new MetroLink trains. Of that $150 million, 20 percent would come from local funds, and 80 percent would come from the federal government.

Taulby Roach, President and CEO of Bi-State Development, said the new MetroLink trains would have a lot more amenities like Wi-Fi as well as new safety measures like better, enhanced, more modern security cameras.

“The initial order of those vehicles was nearly 30 years old, believe it or not, from the 1990s,” Roach said. “So just like any operation, we need to look at phasing in new purchases.”

Roach said the new train cars will complement the increased security measures on MetroLink. Bi-State is spending $53 million to close MetroLink platforms to all but ticket holders.

FOX 2 has been urging Bi-State to limit access to the platforms for years, even before the current CEO, but that advice has been ignored.

Reporters traveled to Atlanta to inspect the MARTA Transit System and show their turnstiles and security measures. However, it did not prompt Bi-State to act either.

Roach has changed his mind and is now in favor of restricting access to the platforms to just ticket holders, increasing security, and adding new trains.

Some passengers are taking notice.

“Now, I’m seeing more security more officers; it’s a lot less things going on now,” said Ariana Davis.

She said she thinks MetroLink is safer than before.

“Everyone wants a safe neighborhood. I run a transit neighborhood, and I want to make sure that it safe,” Roach said. “That means if we need to make those investments, we’re going to do it.”

February 28, 2023, 1:00 - 6:00 PM, St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, MO
Over 20 project presenters, including public and private agencies covering local, state, and federal governments, and major utilities serving the region, will spend the afternoon interacting with contractors, engineers, and other industry professionals in a trade show floor environment to discuss their upcoming capital improvement projects. For more information.