In every even numbered year when the days start cool, Republicans threaten that the calamitous merger of St. Louis City with St. Louis County lurks like an angry Copperhead one step ahead. Don’t worry: they have an answer…
–Robert G. Willmering
That letter writer accepts what most GOP candidates swear, that just one finger snap by County Executive Steve Stenger dumps all the city’s debt and woe on county taxpayers.
Let’s take two steps back to reality.
One, the city and county can’t merge.
Section 5. A county may be dissolved by a vote of two-thirds of the qualified electors of the county voting thereon, and when so dissolved all or portions thereof may be annexed to the adjoining county or counties as provided by law.
Missouri Constitution Article VI, Local Government
In other words, St. Louis City’s county status disappears. There is no provision to merge counties, just kill them. The city would have exactly the same standing in St. Louis County as Chesterfield or Fenton or Valley Park.
Now, if two-thirds of city voters would vote to dissolve (so not a sure thing), then things get really interesting. To start, as The Revised Missouri Statutes note, Missouri is a: [46.040.] State divided into one hundred and fourteen counties and one city.
That section of the statutes must be specifically changed, as must the 317 references to a “city not in a county.” The state House and Senate must also make a few thousand adjustments to funding formulas, department service areas and other things arcane.
The history of the Missouri legislature holds very, very few examples of the lege acting quickly and competently. It would be several years before the legislature takes all of its steps in the process to allow the city to re-enter the county even if they were willing to consider the change.
Finally, after the legislature has made its changes, then the voters of St. Louis County (and city voters for a second time) go to the polls to accept or reject the annexation of the city into the county. That measure might attract attention, even on a crowded ballot.
Remember, that any debts and obligations the city has stay with the city. If a Missouri city can’t pay all its bills – as happened when Macks Creek, Missouri dissolved a while back – well, it sucks to be a creditor.
Two, this issue has nothing to do with bringing the city and county together.
No, really, it’s Twenty-First Century code. It’s the Republicans’ politically almost correct way of telling voters, “We’ll protect you from black people and foreigners.”
This is not new.
Some of us remember the veiled language promoting “neighborhood schools” used by the GOP when the Voluntary Interdistrict Transfer Program was enacted a generation ago. A decade back I heard west county’s state Senator John Loudon explain to a church auditorium why Missouri needed unlimited concealed carry so that his wife could protect herself “in the city.”
Trump wants a wall on the southern border. Many county Republicans candidate would support a sturdy fence along the city’s perimeter, with checkpoints to keep “those people” out. They just won’t say that in public.
Perhaps the city will return to the county someday. In the meantime, distorting reality still helps get Republicans elected.
Glenn