Sugar Creek Hills Rebuttal

The Working to be a City Committee was formed to propose incorporation of the Sugar Creek Hills Golf Course and some of the surrounding businesses into a fourth class city. A mailing was sent to some of the residents in the proposed boundary advising them of the meeting dates. Three meetings were held by the Working to be a City Committee in February and March of 2007 to discuss the proposed incorporation. The mailing presented nine reasons to incorporate into a fourth class city. Nancy Jordan attended those meetings and on the second meeting, offered her rebuttal to the mailer and comments made during the first meeting.

Nancy is a respected member of the community and has spent much time researching information regarding city incorporation and how it will affect the taxpayer/homeowner.

The following are Nancy Jordan’s rebuttal statements made to the Working to be a City Committee at the February 27, 2007, meeting held at Rockwood Bank.

*TO CONTROL LAND USE THROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING

We already have planning and zoning in place that we pay taxes for that oversee new construction, existing structures etc. The opinion of Planning and Zoning, after having conversed with others regarding this new city (of which they were totally unaware was taking place), was as follows:

1) Residents would lose county services such as animal control, nuisance abatement, solid waste violations, municipal court, policing, assessing, floodplain issues, storm water controls, building permits, dangerous building elimination among others. However, we still will continue to pay the county taxes for these services with fewer services to us as the residents.

2) We would have increased taxes and risk becoming a city and ending up like Olympian Village, Parkdale, or Springdale and then down the road being a city on paper only providing no services or maybe just a few services.

3) Why does Sugar Creek Hills want to provide all the services? Is it like Wildwood did, to keep out people from a different socio-economic class?

4) Could it be because the Sugar Creek Golf Course is in bankruptcy?

*TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE PROPERTY VALUES AND QUALITY OF LIFE AS WELL AS INCREASED SECURITY AND POLICE PROTECTION

Per the Jefferson County assessor’s office:

- All property values have increased over the last three years.

- When a new city is formed, revenue must be generated to support services otherwise provided by the county. This is usually done in the form of taxes approved by the people and applied to people and businesses residing within the municipality. Cities are political subdivisions.

- Note that if tax initiatives are not passed by the voters immediately upon incorporation, the city will not have the necessary revenue to operate.

- If this city is going to have police, fire, road services, sewer, and water, etc., would the 1.5% increase be enough to sustain those requirements to operate them?

- Coldwell Banker has also substantiated that property values have increased over the last three years. The information was gathered starting at Country Club of Sugar Creek and was went within a 2 to 3 mile radius

- The sheriff's department was a big issue at these meetings indicating that they are unable to protect us the way they should. They even asked how many see Jefferson County Sheriff's cars on the road? Overwhelmingly, the crowd applauded to say that they see them all the time.

- Ed Kemp, of whom stated that he was neither for nor against this proposed city, said: "fewer than 10% of the Jefferson County residents request or have police emergency situations." Jefferson County has 225,000 residents covering a territory of 660 square miles. He also stated that Sheriff Glen Boyer does a fine job with the staff at hand (he knows and I know, that he could utilize more officers); however, with what he has to work with, crime rates have dropped in many categories.

- I have a statistical report of all crimes reported in the High Ridge area in 2006. This report reflects the crimes that have taken place within a 144 square mile radius. This would include Jefferson County residents who reside in Fenton, High Ridge, House Springs, Eureka, Pacific, Cedar Hill and Dittmer. (See Statistical Information Sheet)

- If any of you are worried about the police protection, it would only cost a half a penny increase in taxes to put an additional 70 to 100 police men and women on the streets that would protect our entire community.

- When Ed Kemp was asked by John Copeland to come and speak at one of these meetings to talk about the negativity in this area, Ed Kemp declined because he said there was none that he was aware of. For those of you who were at the Sunday meeting, Mr. Copeland stated that Ed Kemp was in support of this new city. In fact Mr. Kemp has no opinion on this ‘new city’ at all.

- It is no secret that Jefferson County will benefit if the city incorporates due to fewer people being served. The County will receive the same income (from you) that they presently receive but will no longer service you. Therefore, those tax dollars will go to support the other Jefferson County unincorporated areas.

- Sheriff Boyer, in a February 27, 2007, phone conversation, said he neither supported nor opposed this ‘New City Proposal’. He also said that the statement made by David Harding at the Sunday meeting was incorrect when Mr. Harding said that Sheriff Boyer’s deputies could take up to two hours to respond to a burglary. What Sheriff Boyer said was, “If there is a burglary in progress, then they will respond within 5 minutes on a normal basis. IF it is a burglary that has already occurred and no one is in harms way, THEN it may take up to two hours to get an officer there to write a report."

*TO GAIN ACCESS TO EXISTING TAX DOLLARS FROM BUSINESSES IN “OUR CITY”

- There is a CIP sales tax available to municipalities; however this money is restricted to capital improvement projects for roads only.

- I was shocked to learn that none of the businesses, of which I had personal contact, down Old Gravois Rd. were not even aware of this new city proposal. But I did take the opportunity to enlighten them. I felt it was unfair and deliberate to exclude this information from the businesses. This was wrong on behalf of the “Working to be a City Committee”.

- Mr. Copeland stated that he personally paid out of his own pocket $300.00 for postage to mail the notice of which not everyone received. $300 in postage only covers 769 mailers. I have the disc that Mr. Harding received from the voter’s registration office, which includes 7,000 addresses on it. I have to ask myself, why only 769 residents (11% of total residents) were notified and absolutely zero businesses. It simply doesn’t make sense. Mr. Harding stated in the first meeting that the committee already had $1,500.00 in the kitty and needed an additional $7,500.00 to get this city proposal off the ground. When I asked why they didn’t utilize those funds to buy additional postage so more people were notified, they replied ‘We’re not touching those funds for that”. Seems odd that the people that are directly impacted by this proposal aren’t worth a .39 cent stamp, but are worth a 1.5% increase in sales tax to enhance their ‘New City’. [Note: at the time of the mailing, the cost to mail was .39 cents.]

- The comment which was most disturbing to me in Sunday’s meeting is when Mr. Harding announced that all businesses would be grand fathered in; but, if that business should choose to sell, the committee would determine whether or not it would be sold as that existing business or not. ROBBING PEOPLE OF THEIR HEART, SWEAT AND TEARS to have a successful business after 1, 10, 20 or more years is nothing short of communism and dictatorship through a handful of people called a committee or aldermen. By the way, I was not properly quoted in the Journal when it stated that I said it was because of the 1.5% sales increase as to why I felt that way.

- This brings up yet another issue that business owners need to look at closely. TIF = Let me explain why and how this happens. For instance, Grewe, when building Gravois Bluffs, had to spend $40 million dollars to bust up rock. He asked the city of Fenton to reimburse him for that money. They agreed by putting additional sales tax on the people for a 6-year term at an estimated $8 million dollars a year.

- Has anyone heard of Jim Butler being tossed out off of Manchester Rd.? I have been told that the City of Manchester came to him one day and simply told him he had to move. That is why he is coming to the Bluffs. This is the type of control that one would give to a city if voted on.

- Now, having said that, eminent domain comes into play. Cities can invoke eminent domain and tell you as a business owner that you have to move because they would prefer a different business on that location. Residents would and could also be directly impacted by this new city in such ways. Again, a new city is nothing short of a POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, allowing a handful of aldermen or a committee to dictate what you can and cannot do with the property that you pay the mortgage on.

*TO GAIN ACCESS TO GRANT MONIES AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITIES

- Simply put, there is no guarantee on how much money would or could be available.

- Per Mr. Chuck Banks in Jefferson County (who by the way states that he is usually for a new city if it is organized and proves itself financially capable) states that there are few grants available for operations and those that are available usually require a match or continuation of the operations after the grant expires.

- There are a 114 counties in the state plus the City of St. Louis and only 12 received grants and/or loans in the fiscal year 2004. Jefferson County was one of them, receiving $305,161.

*TO ESTABLISH AN IDENTITY AS A PREMIER COMMUNITY

- Obviously Northern Jefferson County is a premier community because it’s population is growing by leaps and bounds.

- I had a realtor call me yesterday and tell me a deal fell through for her with one of her clients because of the article in the newspaper. Obviously, people who are thinking about moving into Northern Jefferson County aren’t looking at it as a premier community. I do have her name for verification if anyone would want it.

*TO CONTROL THE IMPROVEMENT OF ROADS

- We already pay for taxes for roads.

- In order to receive snow removal and maintenance that we already pay for, the “new city” would contract out to the county or other business to have them continue to maintain the roads that we already pay to have maintained. There is no guarantee, the cost for services would not increase.

*NO RAISE IN PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES ANTICIPATED

- ANTICIPATED is the key word in that sentence. They posed a 1.5% increase, this doesn’t include the utilities that would increase that Ameren / ATT etc. would be collecting for the new city and sending back to Sugar Creek Hills.

- When I asked Mr. Harding at the Sunday meeting if the people could have a copy of the proposed ‘new city’ do’s and don’ts he indicated that he did not have them. When I asked if he could provide them at the Tuesday or Thursday meeting, he again said they would not be available because he didn’t feel there was enough time to prepare them. I’m having a difficult time accepting those responses. Opening paragraph of the notification I received regarding this issue stated and I quote that “during the past few months, a committee was formed to explore the idea of creating a fourth class city.” Mr. Harding, Sheriff Boyer told me that you have been approaching him off and on for the past 3 years regarding this issue. How is it that during this time span you have been unable to come up with a devised plan as to how this new city would function?

- Maybe you don’t want the people to know that homes could be cited if their grass was longer than what could be mandated in the bylaws or weed whacked per the cities specifications, or that permission would have to be granted to cut down a tree or trim it, plant a new tree and what kind, what color would be appropriate to paint the home of which we pay the mortgage on, or how one could subdivide their property if they own a large piece of land, how many dogs, cats, horses, cattle, what type of fence would be appropriate, etc.

- No, you did not say these things, but these are exactly the types of things that go on in Wildwood, Champion City, and other communities that claim to be their own city. I personally do not want to ask permission from anybody on how to maintain my property in those respects. I personally know a gentleman that was in the reserves as a police officer that had a full-time position at Champion City. His primary job was to go around and give out citations for folks that allowed their grass to get over 4 inches tall etc. All he had to do was get paid to go around a look for reasons to hand out citations to bring in the revenue needed to support the city.

IN CLOSING I would like to say simply this. Mr. Harding, you mentioned that when you moved out here 12 to 13 years ago, you were unaware that where you bought your home was unincorporated. Being a man of your education, I would have thought that you of all people would have been diligent in those findings. Don’t blame the people of Jefferson County for your mistake because a real man would hold himself accountable for that error. Furthermore, if you don’t like where you're living for whatever your reasons, please feel free to move!

Mr. Copeland stated, after I stated these facts on the Tuesday evening meeting, that I was 90% incorrect. However, he was unable to rebut me and I challenged him on that. I don’t have a problem being open minded and apologize if I have incorrectly stated something nor am I above being educated on a subject on which I don’t have all the facts. The problem is I am unable to get even one answer to the question I posed at the last meeting which was:

Mr. Copeland, give me 3 factual reasons as to why this new city would benefit our community.

I told him I didn’t want opinion, I wanted facts. He simply could not answer. I don’t know about you, but that not only scares me but it is unacceptable to allow these folks to take control over our businesses and homes.

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