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St. Charles CountyFOCUS

In this issue...

Transportation Funds Improve County Roadways ...................... 2

Heroin Harms Our Community ................. 3

Personal Property Valuation ...................... 3

Council Comments ............................................. 4-5

Nature Classroom at Towne Park .................. 6

Emergency Response Planning ......................... 7

Indoor Football Returns to Arena ....... 7

FOCUS St. Charles County

is a publication of and paid for by

St. Charles County Government

Office of Public Information

100 N. 3rd St., Suite 210St. Charles, MO 63301

(636) [email protected]

SPRING 2012

St. Charles County is celebrating its

bicentennial year. As late as 1871, the county’s road tax was only two-tenths of a cent. That year, voters set aside parochial interests and approved an appropriation of $25,000 per year for five years, for the construction

and maintenance of county roads. Most of the state lettered routes in the county were constructed in the following decades.

With the advent of the automobile, special interests and the motoring public demanded paved roads, and county voters passed a $1 million bond issue for road improvements in 1920. While the proposal garnered only a simple majority in St. Charles, it won overwhelming support of the rural areas.

By May 1975, the Road and Bridge tax had increased to five-tenths of a cent, but brought in only $1.5 million, far short of what was necessary to maintain the transportation network. When the County asked voters to approve a $10.3 million bond issue for road improvements that

year, the rural areas complained that most of the benefits would accrue to the developed areas of the county and the issued failed to pass.

Such urban versus rural disputes remained an impediment to progress for another decade. To build support for future road improvements, the County established a transportation task force in 1985. It identified five transportation priorities: the preservation of a corridor for the extension of Page Avenue; construction of 370; a South Fifth Street extension; the improvement of Mexico Road; and construction of an outer belt road around Wentzville. Later that year, voters

overwhelmingly approved a ½-cent sales tax that would sunset in 10 years. A Road Board was established that recommended projects to the County Commission. Not only were the identified priorities

met, but additional road projects improved safety, strengthened the arterial road network and aided economic

development of the county. The road-building program was so successful that, voters have twice extended the tax in additional ten-year increments. To date the County Road Board has completed projects totaling almost a half billion dollars.

County Executive’s Message

County, Taxpayers Work Together on Roads

Steve EhlmannCounty Executive

Throughout St. Charles County’s 200-year existence, residents have come together to improve roadways and expand our communities. (Historic photo courtesy of the St. Charles County Historical Society)

FOCUSSt.CharlesCounty • Spring2012 • Page2

Transportation Sales Tax Funds Improve County Roadways

The St. Charles County Road Board has used the ½-cent transportation

sales tax to improve the safety of our roads, expand the system and increase the capacity of existing arterial roads and assist in economic development.

Over the last 27 years, farm-to-market roads like Upper Bottom, St. Peters-Howell, Jung’s Station, McClay, Feise, Bates, Henning, Guthrie, Duello and Green’s Bottom have been widened and straightened. Further, the County used transportation sales tax dollars, after a series of fatal accidents, to provide the local cost-share for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) recently completed safety improvements to shoulders of numbered and lettered routes in the southwest part of the county.

The revenue has also been used to extend or build entirely new thoroughfares like Wentzville Parkway, Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Tom Ginnever Boulevard, Winghaven Boulevard, T.R. Hughes Boulevard, Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Interstate Drive. The most recent example is the Salt River Road extension. Since opening in late 2011, it has allowed westbound Highway 370 traffic to avoid the congestion on I-70 at Mid Rivers Mall Drive. Many motorists have incorporated Salt River Road into their daily commute and many others have discovered that Salt River Road provides them with an opportunity to keep moving when I-70 is stop and go.

The key to our future arterial road system is Route 364 (Page Avenue Extension). Phase II, extending to Mid Rivers

Mall Drive, is possible because MoDOT received an infusion of funds from the county’s ½-cent transportation sales tax and the City of St. Peters. This project will now be completed before, and provide relief from, the Blanchette Bridge shut-down later this year. In addition, Phase III of Page

Avenue Extension, between Mid Rivers Mall Drive and I-64 would not have been funded without a commitment by the County to match state and federal funds with funds from the county’s ½-cent transportation sales tax.

When the General Motors Assembly Plant was built in Wentzville in the early 1980s, County government had to pass a

bond issue to build the road to the plant. Since 1985, the County Road Board has funded several projects in the High Tech Corridor, making it possible for employers like MasterCard to move to St. Charles County. The Salt River Road extension has provided access to industrial parks

in St. Peters. Lake Saint Louis requested Road Board Funds to finance the streets leading to The Shoppes at Hawk Ridge. Road infrastructure for other major employment centers in St. Charles

County, including Citigroup, MasterCard and Enterprise Leasing, were funded in part from the transportation sales tax funds.

It is clear that the transportation sales tax has been the catalyst behind road improvements needed to improve safety, keep traffic moving and support economic development in St. Charles County.

St. Charles County Road Projects Completed Using Transportation Tax Revenues

The roads marked in green were all upgraded using revenue collected from the ½-cent transportation sales tax. Over the last 27 years, this revenue has funded the improvement of more than 440 miles of roadways within St. Charles County.

More than 440 miles of county roadways have been improved or extended using transportation sales tax revenues.


Growing Heroin Use a Danger to Our Community

St. Charles County has been known

as one of the top five Missouri counties for meth lab seizures for several years. The St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force continues to use every available resource

to reduce the production and distribution of meth in our county while combatting another major threat to our community – heroin.

Heroin overdose fatalities tripled from 2007 to 2010, going from seven deaths in 2007 to 22 deaths in 2010. We experienced a slight decrease in 2011 with 18 deaths, but we are on the path to another increase with five deaths in the first two months of 2012. The majority of those who die from heroin overdose are between the ages of 15 and 35.

Twenty years ago, a heroin addict was perceived to be some back-alley junkie or someone from a lower social class with no moral compass or useful purpose in life. That has changed. Heroin users now come from all social and economic levels of society.

The most widely accepted explanation for heroin deaths is the result of a quantity or quality of heroin in excess of a person’s tolerance to the drug. The purity of heroin on the streets today is considerably higher than in the past.

Conventional methods of drug enforcement have not produced the desired results, and heroin deaths continue to increase. Law enforcement agencies cannot fight this crisis alone. We need the help of churches, community organizations, schools and, most importantly, parents. The more informed and educated people are the better our chances are of eliminating heroin

deaths in our county.The Wentzville School District

recently partnered with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to present a town hall meeting on the heroin problem. The 300 attendees were provided information by law enforcement personnel, representatives from treatment centers and a testimonial from a local mother who found her teenage son dead in his bedroom as the result of a heroin overdose.

We plan to have at least three more town hall meetings to provide as much information as possible to county residents about what needs to be done to reduce the market for heroin. We will also provide information on signs of heroin abuse and how to obtain help before a friend or loved one becomes another statistic. Help law enforcement help you. We cannot win this battle alone.

Tom NeerSheriff

In January, the Assessor’s office

mails approximately 170,000 personal property declarations to St. Charles County residents.

You may have noticed on your

2012 declaration the inclusion of the vehicle identification number (VIN) for many of your items. This information was collected for the 2011 assessment year using information transmitted from the Department of Revenue, and it will continue to be used as the guiding source for a fair and equitable tax base for personal property.

This information assures the correct distribution of the tax burden based on facts and alleviates potential problems during the license renewal process. Currently by state statute, values are generated using the October issue of the National Automobile

Dealers Guide (NADA). Prior to using the VIN to identify personal property, many inconsistent and incomplete descriptions of vehicles were used depending on the amount of information returned by the taxpayer.

This may have unfairly shifted the tax burden to others.

Some, who did not include all of the bells and whistles of the vehicle on declarations in the past, were surprised by a jump in their personal property tax bills after the county began using the VIN to assess their property.

These people didn’t understand how their taxes on a vehicle a year older could go up. We explained that when they reported their pickup truck as a base model — even though it actually was loaded with options

and upgrades — they hadn’t been paying the rate that they should have been assessed in previous years.

Tax rates are determined annually by each local taxing authority after the assessments/values are certified, meaning the tax amounts are unknown during the time values are established. Incorrect vehicle descriptions would result in

incorrect values and unfairly distribute more or less of the tax burden based on these discrepancies.

The same principal exists with insurance companies requiring VIN to issue insurance on a vehicle to make

certain the rate used is accurate according to the titled description of the vehicle. This information is also the catalyst to provide online filing of personal property declarations. Timely completion of the declaration form also assures uniformity in a rate driven tax system.

ScottShipmanAssessor

VIN Tracking Bestows Value on Your Vehicle

Automobile property values are generated using the

October issue of the National Automobile Dealers Guide.


Council Comments

County Road Board Sets Transportation Priorities

Terry HollanderDistrict 5

The County Road Board

has been in existence now for 27 years, and has recommended funding for road projects totaling $450 million from the county’s ½-cent

transportation sales tax, first passed by the voters in 1985.

I represent District 5, and it has fared very well in this process. The City of St. Peters has aggressively proposed projects to the Road Board. One of the five priorities established before the tax was passed in 1985 was the improvement

of Mexico Road. Not only Mexico, but Spencer, McClay and St. Peters-Howell have been widened over the years.

The ½-cent transportation tax allowed St. Charles County, unlike many other counties in the region, to convince the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to do projects by providing a local cost-share. Work on Route 364 (Page Avenue Extension) between Harvester Road and Mid Rivers Mall Drive is being funded through a partnership between St. Charles County,

the City of St. Peters and MoDOT. Work would have stopped at Central

School Road until state funds became available without revenue from the county’s ½-cent transportation sales tax and funds from the City of St. Peters.

The most recent success was the Salt River Road Extension, finished in record time due to the cooperation of county and St. Peters staffs. Since opening in late 2011, it has allowed westbound Highway 370 traffic to avoid the congestion on I-70 at Mid Rivers Mall Drive.

Road projects funded by a transportation sale tax have benefitted citizens in District 5 and the County.

People down in our neck of the woods

(District 3) have been watching the construction along Highway 94 South for the last several years with great anticipation. Will the

Page Avenue Extension finally reach us, and ease the daily traffic congestion?

Believe it or not, after 30 years, completion of the project is in sight. Three years ago, the chances of finding a way to fund Phase III of the Page Extension looked bleak. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) predicted it would not be able to do any new projects after 2009, and Phase III of Page was not even included on the region’s list of transportation priorities.

What happened? Where there’s a will,

there’s a way. The people had the will, and St. Charles County government officials found a way to come up with funding for the project — thanks to cooperation from local, state and federal agencies.

County officials went to Jefferson City and competed for funds from the Innovative Finance Program, which enabled MoDOT to contribute $50 million of what would be a $100 million project.

Next, all the municipalities in the county agreed to forgo any federal funding for local transportation projects for one year. The County submitted a request for a total of $25 million to the East-West Gateway Council, the region’s planning organization responsible for allocating federal funds for local transportation projects. That board approved our request. With cooperation from the municipalities, the County Council approved the remaining $25 million needed for the project from the county’s ½-cent transportation sales tax fund.

We’re not sure how it will look as the design-build concept will be employed to save money and expedite the work. The only thing we know for sure is that there will be a connection from Mid Rivers Mall Drive to I-64, and MoDOT is saying it should be completed by late 2014.

Nancy MathenyDistrict3

The Page Avenue Extension is expected to reach Mid Rivers Mall Drive by the end of this year and I-64 by late in 2014.

Council Comments

Page Avenue Extension Completion in Sight


Council Comments

City, County and State Cooperation Leads to Success

JerryDaughertyDistrict 6

The County Road Board and the

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are working to ease the congestion that may result when the westbound Blanchette Bridge is closed later this year. Work on

Route 364 (Page Avenue Extension) to Mid Rivers Mall Drive, paid for with the county’s ½-cent transportation sales tax as well as City of St. Peters and MoDOT funds, is ahead of schedule and now appears, weather permitting, that it will be completed before the bridge closing.

Other improvements, such as work at the ramp from Page Avenue to Muegge Road at Old Highway 94 and the new Salt

River Road, connecting Highway 370 to Highway 79, have been completed with County Road Board funds.

Fifth Street in front of the post office in St. Charles already has been widened, and should St. Joseph Health Center buy the existing property and the U.S. Postal Service build a new facility, the Road Board has approved funding for the road to the new post office.

My rural constituents have also benefitted from the ½-cent transportation sales tax. Last year, $1.1 million was spent on rural county roads. Over the course of this tax, more than $23 million has been spent on rural county roads like Alta Villa, Black Walnut, Church and Saale.

On another subject, one part of the Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan known as Plan H would allow the counties above Pike County and on the

Illinois side of the river to raise their levees to the 500-year level, while Pike, Lincoln and St. Charles counties would stay at their current level of protection or less. We could become the floodwater holding basin for the Upper Mississippi River.

We have been working very hard on this issue with federal, state and local agencies. I met with State Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, and asked for a Resolution opposing Plan H. He pushed it through the Missouri Senate in three weeks, and it has now passed the House. We also worked with the governor’s office to obtain a very strong letter of opposition, and it has been presented to the Mississippi River Commission.

We need cooperation from all corners to stop a plan that could have a disastrous impact on St. Charles County, especially the 161,280 acres designated in the floodplain.

County Road Board Shines “Green Light” on TrafficThe next time you experience a series

of traffic lights that seem outrageously out of sync and designed to make you miss every green light, think about “Gateway Green Light,” a St. Charles County Road Board project. That’s the name of the Regional Integrated Corridor Management Plan, and it’s coming to a traffic signal near you.

This is a $5 million project, with $4 million coming from federal funds and $1 million in matching Road Board funds from the county ½-cent transportation sales tax. The system should be completed in 2013, and the goal is to reduce travel times, delays, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and incidents.

In short, “Gateway Green Light” will increase reliability and predictability of travel in St. Charles County by better managing

and coordinating traffic on the interstates (I-70, I-64) and state routes (MO 94, MO 364, MO 370, US 61), as well as local arterial roads through the installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems. This system is designed to provide a seamless, multi-jurisdictional network to regulate all county traffic lights, including those within the municipalities of Cottleville, Dardenne Prairie, Lake Saint Louis, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, Wentzville and unincorporated St. Charles County.

The short-term goal of the project is to reduce traffic congestion during the

reconstruction of the westbound Blanchette Bridge on I-70 by helping the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) manage and coordinate travel on the interstates, state routes and local arterial roads from its

Traffic Management Center in Chesterfield. The long-term goal is to improve traffic

operations in St. Charles County through shared communication networks and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems.

The project area contains 334 traffic signals that are owned and operated by nine jurisdictions. MoDOT owns and operates 110 signals within the project area.

The westbound lanes of the Blanchette Bridge will be shut down for nine to 12 months beginning in November 2012. During peak driving hours on I-70, MoDOT’s traffic mitigation plan will be to encourage motorists to use MO Route 364 (Page Extension) and MO Route 370. This shift in traffic will result in additional travel on local roads such as Muegge Road, Arena Parkway, Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Mexico Road, Salt River Road, and T.R. Hughes and Main Street in O’Fallon. Coordinating the signals on those roads will greatly reduce the traffic jams.“Gateway Green Light” will synchronize

traffic lights on county roadways.


Nature Explore Classroom Opens at Towne ParkThe Parks Department wanted to

provide children with a rare and educational “nature play area” to explore while visiting the newest park development, Towne Park, situated on Towne Park Drive, off Highway 61 north of Wentzville. It was decided to create a dynamic, nature-based play and learning space, which supports skill development in children by reconnecting them with the outdoors. The Nature Explore Classroom, one of the main focal points of the new park, is a magical place for children to learn, discover and explore nature. The 109-acre park was dedicated and opened to the public on May 11, 2012.

“The Nature Explore Classroom at Towne Park is the only certified classroom in St. Charles County that offers children a different outdoor play experience,” said Parks Director Bettie Yahn-Kramer. “With only a few in the region, I expect the classroom to become an inspiration for children, families and educators across the tri-county area.”

Certified by the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, the Nature Explore Classroom encompasses 11 learning stations for children to explore. It features a Gathering Area, Music and Movement Area, Open Play Area, Messy Materials Area, Sand Play Area, Nature Art Area, Wildflower Area,

Building Area, Dirt Digging Area, Balance Area and Water Area. Each section is designed to motivate children by offering interactive elements, including musical instruments made of natural materials, climbing structures, wooden blocks, garden areas, and natural materials for building and creating art.

Research shows that children need connections with the natural world as a regular part of their healthy growth and development. Disconnection from nature is leading to increases in problems such as childhood obesity and fear of the outdoors. The Nature Explore Classroom reconnects children with nature and provides educators and families with comprehensive resources to connect children with the natural world.

“While connecting children to nature, such unstructured play and activities are shown to enhance concentration, develop creativity and problem-solving, relieve stress and improve skills,” said Yahn-Kramer.

Many volunteers and businesses generously donated their time and materials to build this outdoor oasis. Project sponsors include Earthworks, Inc.,

Shaw Nature Reserve, Forest Keeling Nursery, Gersenite, Inc., Big Creek Quarry, First Capitol Lion’s Club, Forest Releaf of Missouri, Fred Weber Quarry and St. Louis Composting. Dedicated volunteers from the Confluence Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists assisted construction and adopted the project as their annual service program.

Towne Park’s Nature Explore Classroom is open to children, families, schools and scouting organizations wanting to experience something extraordinary that reconnects them with nature. The classroom is accessible to the disabled.

Eleven different learning stations make up the certified Nature Explore Classroom inside Towne Park.

Partial Solar Eclipse ViewingMay 20

Klondike Park

Camp Kick FlipMay- Aug (weekly)Youth Activity Park

Free Fishing DaysJune 9 and 10

All County Parks

Park Explorer Kids ClubJune 11-15 and July 16-20

Quail Ridge Park

Great American Backyard Campout

June 23Youth Activity Park

To register for these programs, please call (636) 949-7535.

Enjoy These Events at a County Park Near You

For a full list of 2012 park programs, visit www.stccparks.org

Situated along Highway 61 north of Wentzville, the 109-acre Towne Park opened May 11.

http://parks.sccmo.org/parks/


County-wide Partnerships Enhance Safety

Through the Department of Community Health and the

Environment and the Division of Emergency Management, St. Charles County coordinates with local, state, and federal agencies to prepare our disaster plans. In addition to traditional response agencies (fire, police, ambulance and medical), a host of other organizations — such as the County’s parks and highway departments, area businesses, service agencies, amateur radio operators and untold more — may be called into action.

On June 28, representatives will practice this plan. Coordinated by the health department, responders will simulate a biological terrorism incident in St. Charles County, which would require medication for all residents within 48 hours. For this exercise, a drive-through medical distribution site will be established near Mid Rivers Mall, where responders will

practice their roles. Operating from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the first 500 participants will receive a sandwich and gift bag provided by Chick-Fil-A (6180 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters) as a thank you for assisting in the event. If you or your organization would be interested in participating —as a drive-through patient

or as a volunteer responder — please contact Joe Morin at (636) 949-7554.

In a large-scale emergency, trained teams of individuals and organizations working in coordination with strategically mobilized resources will provide assistance. Individuals of all abilities can contribute, providing emergency communications, assisting with damage assessments or clean-up efforts and more. Many municipalities offer Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) that provide training and coordinate volunteer help. Additionally, non-profits, volunteer groups, faith-based organizations, public service agencies and private businesses have formed the St. Charles County Community Organizations Active in Disaster to help meet needs. Individual volunteers or organized groups interested in assisting the county’s response efforts should call (636) 949-3023.

Residents and businesses from throughout St. Charles County came together to help protect the community during recent floods.

Fight Me MMAAugust 17

Rodney CarringtonSeptember 7

Buddy Guy and Jonny LangSeptember 14

Cinematic TitanicNovember 17

For a full schedule, please visit www.FamilyArena.com

Coming to the Family ArenaThe Family Arena will be home to a new professional indoor football league franchise in 2013. Conquest

Sports Management of Fort Myers, Fla., will field the team. Andrew Haines is the owner.

Competing in the United Indoor Football League, the new team, as yet to be named, will begin play in February 2013, with preseason practices. The St. Charles franchise will play seven home league games and seven away games commencing in April 2013.

Proposed ticket prices range from $7 to $45 for single games and from $42 to $270 for season tickets.

The new franchise signed a three-year agreement to play its home games at the Family Arena, from February 2013 until June 2015.

The River City Rage, an indoor football league team, played its last game at the Family Arena in July 2009.

Details about coaches and players for the new franchise will be announced later by Conquest Sports Management.

Indoor Football Returns To Family Arena in 2013

http://www.familyarena.com/

St.xCharlesxCounty FOCUSSt. Charles County Government100N.3rdSt.St.Charles,MO63301

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