Officials for the city of Arnold, Mo., are considering privatizing the city’s sewer system. There are several reasons this is a good idea.

Three suggestions are offered for changes to local government in Kansas City that could improve public policy in the area.

The state's laws and regulations make it prohibitively difficult for Ameren to construct an expanded nuclear power facility. Missouri needs increased generation of environmentally friendly energy, and nuclear power is currently the most effective way to provide it. Removing CWIP restrictions from this project is a necessary maneuver.

By bringing the efficiency and resources of the private sector to the public sphere, Missouri could expand its interstate and freight rail transportation infrastructure in a way that elevates Missouri to one of the nation's primary urban corridors. Increasing the use of user fees would enable a system in which those who use the roads pay for them.

Columbia officials and residents are debating how to deal with budget shortfalls. Those involved in the discussion should consider privatizing the city’s water and electric utilities — major services that the private sector is fully capable of managing. Studies have demonstrated that private utilities are generally more efficient than municipal utilities.

Kansas City officials will soon begin researching whether privatizing certain portions of city infrastructure could save the city money. Privatization has worked elsewhere in Missouri and across the country for many forms of public services and infrastructure. Harnessing the private sector’s incentive structure could likely save Kansas City millions.

Water meters have consistently been shown to reduce water consumption, thereby helping conserve resources, but the city of Saint Louis still charges its water customers through a flat-rate billing system. Technology has decreased the cost of reading meters, so there’s little reason to continue a system in which low-use water customers subsidize high-use customers.

Springfield’s struggle to deal with its underfunded public pension could be alleviated by switching from public to private utilities. Saint Louis and Kansas City both rely on private providers for multiple utility services, and studies show that private utilities are more efficient. Springfield could benefit significantly from such a move.

A new Show-Me Institute study considers the benefits of private financing for highway construction and maintenance, and outlines how variable toll rates can lead to lower road congestion during peak usage periods. Considering alternative financing for new highways and bridges is crucial as MoDOT faces a coming budget shortfall.

In November, Saint Louis–area voters will choose whether to increase transit sales taxes. Metro officials worry that raising fares would lead to significantly decreased ridership, but high fuel prices may counteract that trend. What’s the best method for funding crucial transit services — low, widespread taxes, or higher user fees?

Light rail transit is expensive to build, operate, and maintain, requiring regular infusions of new taxpayer financing as construction costs escalate and system components wear down and need to be replaced. Rapid-transit bus routes are more flexible and can provide better, faster, safer transit than light rail at a far lower cost.

Missourians should consider the benefits of tolling and public-private partnerships for the state’s transportation infrastructure: up-front financing, quicker turnaround for some projects, and the assurance that those who actually use a new facility will help to pay for it — leading to fewer incentives to hike traditional gas tax funds.

The tremendous drawbacks of the light-rail plan approved by Kansas City voters required intervention by the City Council. Now, as officials attempt to balance competing transit goals, they should consider non-rail alternatives like additional bus–rapid transit lines and allowing private contractors to bid on the right to operate bus routes.

Kirkwood is the only municipality within Saint Louis County that continues to operate its own municipal utilities. Would the citizens of Kirkwood benefit if Kirkwood sold its utilities to AmerenUE and Missouri-American Water Company?

The Missouri Department of Transportation is using new ideas and innovations to deliver quality transportation to the residents of Missouri. MoDOT deserves a great deal of credit for changing the manner in which it works for Missouri and for its creative thinking in how to address the state’s transportation needs.

Proposals for a new bridge connecting Missouri and Illinois focus on supply when the real problem is demand. By efficiently pricing the use of scarce road space, driving during peak times will drop to manageable levels — without significant taxpayer expense.

As time marches on, the pace of technological advancement marches along with it: the hand-written letter becomes an email, the horse and buggy becomes the automobile, and the pen and paper become the word processor. These advancements are mirrored in the media services industry by the ability to use iPods and cell phones to access programs once available solely through the home television set. Though the options for accessing media services outside the home have increased dramatically, the cable television market has remained largely stagnant. This stagnation results from current policies limiting competition amongst cable providers. Changing these policies will benefit consumers in the form of lower prices and better service.

A few decades ago, cable TV looked like a monopoly that was here to stay. Missouri passed cable franchise laws, which require cable companies to go through a time-consuming process to obtain permission to operate from local governments. One rationale was that franchise laws would protect consumers, but now that new technologies have sprung up that offer alternatives to cable, those outdated laws actually keep potential competitors out of the market. Missouri should pass cable franchise reform so consumers can enjoy lower prices and better service.

Missouri’s cable franchise law restricts competition and leaves consumers with few choices. Since the Texas legislature passed cable franchise reform, Texas consumers have benefited from better service and lower prices. Missouri should enact similar legislation to attract investment and increase competition.

Some activists are demanding that the government force the cable industry to offer its television channels “a la carte.” That may sound good in theory, but in practice it’s a bad deal for consumers. Customers’ bills aren’t likely to go down very much, but they’ll get a lot fewer channels for their money.