St. Louis could benefit from home rule

Many Missouri voters may scratch their heads when they vote Nov. 5 and get to the section of the ballot regarding constitutional amendments. Amendment 1 on the ballot reads like this:

"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended so that the citizens of the City of St. Louis may amend or revise their present charter to provide for and reorganize their county functions and offices, as provided in the constitution and laws of the state? There is no estimated fiscal impact from this proposed measure to state and local governments."

What does that mean?

Essentially, Amendment 1 would give the voters of St. Louis the power to do something most officials have wanted to do for a long time but couldn't because of the way the Missouri Constitution is written regarding the administration of the City of St. Louis. What they want to do is let the city run the city without having to rely on the Missouri Legislature for some decisions.

This all dates back to Missouri's 1876 constitution, which gave home rule to Missouri cities. But that same constitution also took the City of St. Louis out of St. Louis County. This is why students who are learning about Missouri history quickly find out that the Show Me State has 114 counties "and the City of St. Louis."

The City of St. Louis is, for all practical purposes, both a city and a county. Municipal functions are administered through the city charter. But county functions are still administered by the legislature. This is why, for example, the City of St. Louis has both a sheriff and a police chief.

For a number of years, both city and state officials have recognized that this duplication of city and county services isn't in the best interests of the City of St. Louis. But to give the city full authority over its affairs requires a change in the current state constitution. When the Missouri Constitution was rewritten in 1945, it kept the provisions of the 1876 charter regarding the City of St. Louis.

Legislators this year decided to put the issue on the ballot in the form of Amendment 1. There is broad support for giving the city full control over its operations. Voters inside the corporate limits of the City of St. Louis are expected to favor Amendment 1 by a large margin. But because it's the constitution that's being changed, a majority of voters in the state's 114 counties also must give their approval.

Even though the ballot language of Amendment 1 says there would be "no estimated fiscal impact" if the amendment passes, there are, in fact, some potential savings to taxpayers that could result, thanks to the elimination of duplicated services.

There are good reasons to support Amendment 1, and voters should not be surprised when they see the amendment on the ballot.