Episode II: Attack Of The Dome
The Edward Jones Dome saga continues. I previously blogged about this topic and there is a new development. It seems...
Teacher Tenure: Why Should Educators Be Different?
All the children in Lake Wobegon are above average. In the past 10 years, the Parkway School District in...
Selling the Sewers: The Sweet Smell of Success
Officials for the city of Arnold, Mo., are studying the possibility of privatizing the city’s sewer system. This would be...
Dough for the Dome
The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) just released its proposal (estimated price tag: $124 million, with the St. Louis...
School Reform: Have We Reached The Boiling Point?
Parents continue to demand solutions to failing schools in Missouri. As an example, five Saint Louis firefighters recently sued three...
New Year’s Resolutions for a Better Missouri
The state of Missouri is in the hole — facing a shortfall between $600 million and $1 billion under the...
A Tale Of Two County Executives (More Similar Than Different)
Last month, I attended a tax increment financing (TIF) commission meeting in Saint Charles. Last Wednesday night, I planned to testify before the Saint Louis...
Making a Good System Better: Suggestions for Kansas City Government
All politics, as they say, is local. But the politics in some places (think St. Louis and St. Louis County)...
Public Parks Problem, Part 2
I want to keep our loyal readers informed on the latest developments regarding the Saint Louis County park budget issue. David Stokes,...
Saint Louis County: County Executive’s 2012 Recommended Budget
<a href=”https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/265050/2012recommendedbudgetsummary.pdf”>2012RecommendedBudgetSummary (PDF)</a> <br /> <a href=”https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/265050/2012recommendedbudgetsummary.txt”>2012RecommendedBudgetSummary (Text)</a>
Where Will Nannies And Chimney Sweeps Sing Songs And Fly Kites If St. Louis County Closes Parks?
Saint Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley has proposed cuts to the county park system in response to budget shortfalls. Park...
Risky Business
In 2006, Indiana leased its 157-mile toll road to private investors for a $3.8 billion lump sum payment. The lease...
In Praise of Jennings
An overriding emphasis on Big Ideas and Big Changes can obscure the fact that most improvements in life happen in...
Missouri’s TIF Infestation
If I got to pick it, the slogan for my beloved home state of Missouri would be: “Missouri: We’re In The...
Fact Check: There is No Protection For Taxpayers In Aerotropolis Legislation
On Tuesday, I participated in a panel discussion with Missouri Rep. Sylvester Taylor (D-Black Jack) and Dave Roland, executive director...
A $ 109,000 School “Voucher”: A Story of Tax Rates and School Districts
This is a tale of two neighborhoods. Both Saint Louis-area neighborhoods are impressive and outwardly they look like twins....
Come to a Tuesday Panel Discussion on Aerotropolis in St. Louis County
On Tuesday, I will participate in a panel discussion of the Aerotropolis tax credits at the St. Louis County Library, organized...
Property Assessments and Taxes in the News
As people in Saint Louis County continue to appeal their assessments, the city of Blue Springs on the other side...
Maybe They Should Try Drive-By Assessments in Jackson County
Last week, the Kansas City Star ran an excellent story on radically higher property assessments in Kansas City. The key...
Grandview Passes Hotel Tax
Residents in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview have just voted in favor of levying a 5 percent tax on...
