St. Louis County and St. Louis City voters will go to the polls April 7th to vote on a Rate Hike proposed by Metropolitan Sewer District to fund a $500 Million Bond Issue. In St. Louis City, this is a Special Election, no other ballot issues or candidates are on the ballot. In St. Louis County, this is a Municipal General Election.
The April 7th ballot issue does not directly say a rate hike is involved. You have to know that “To comply with federal and state clean water requirements, shall The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) issue its sewer revenue bonds… to be payable solely from the revenues derived by MSD from the operation of its wastewater sewer system” means Rate Hike. Previous Rate Hikes also did not say Rate Hike.
Polls Open 6 am to 7 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
Find your City polling place here. 7th Ward Polling Places listed here. Check your voter registration here.
Voter Registration for this election ends March 11, 2020.
Absentee Voting for this election begins March 11, 2020.
Last Day To Request Absentee Ballot By Mail is March 25, 2020.
Sample Ballot
MSD’s ballot issue campaigns are run by Stenger-saga and St. Louis City and County Prop P (sales tax hike for police) consultant The Kelley Group. The new ballot issue campaign committee is named “Campaign for Clean Water STL.” The first major donor to this MSD campaign was $35,000 from SAK, a pipeline contractor in O’Fallon, Missouri. You might remember SAK from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s “After controversial MSD vote, winners donated more than $150,000 to Stenger campaign” story.
Previous Metropolitan Sewer District ballot issues:
April 2, 2019: City and County voters rejected an impervious surface charge proposal by MSD
April 5, 2016: City and County voters approve rate hike proposal by MSD to fund $900 Million Bond Issue
April 5, 2016: City and County voters approve $0.10 property tax hike proposal by MSD
June 5, 2012: City and County voters approve rate hike proposal by MSD to fund $945 Million Bond Issue
August 5, 2008: City and County voters approve rate hike proposal by MSD to fund $275 Million Bond Issue
Also See…
1/31/2019: Info on MSD Consent Decree @ Missouri Coalition for the Environment
4/30/2012 St. Louis Public Radio: Federal judge approves MSD consent decree
12/12/2003 St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MSD must find new way to raise money after Missouri Supreme Court ruling
7TH WARD ST LOUIS 