ILLMO AND SCOTT CITY CONSOLIDATE INTO SINGLE COMMUNITY DURING '70s

The consolidation of the cities of Illmo and Scott City in 1978 was not a simple process.

After petitioning by residents of both towns, the measure was set for the June 5 ballot.

The Committee Looking Into Consolidation advocated the union, which the group said would improve the services provided by both while saving money.

"Consolidation would give both communities improved police and fire protection, a united voice against the encroachment of Cape Girardeau into Scott County, and a united voice in obtaining a local highway parallel to Interstate 55 from the north," Illmo resident Ollie Amick, the committee chairman, said at the time.

However, the Illmo Committee, which opposed the merger, felt Illmo, as the smaller of the two communities, would not be fairly represented in a united city.

"They would outvote us two to one on every issue that would come up," former Illmo Mayor O.W. Hartner said.

At the time Scott City had a population of about 2,800 residents while Illmo had about 1,200 citizens.

A key issue was that while Scott City had substantial bond debt, Illmo owed comparatively little. Merger opponents felt Illmo residents would end up paying their neighbor's debt.

"We would be on the other side of the tracks, so to speak, neglected and consolidated with Scott City only for our assessed valuation," a anonymous Illmo Committee member was quoted as saying.

Opponents attempted through court action to halt the election, claiming improper ballot language. Judge Stanley A. Grimm ruled against their arguments June 1.

On election day the measure passed 518-74 in Scott City and 295-232 in Illmo with heavy voter turnout.

"Now that the election is over, we must accept it and be for it," Hartner said the next day. "This is democracy."

However, a second vote was required to determine what type of government the new city would have, as well as what it would be called.

A 10-member commission consisting of five members from each city was appointed to study the transition and decide what items to include on the ballot.

In regards to the city's name, at first Illmo-Scott City was widely supported. Indeed the combination had been used to refer to the area for many years.

Many Illmo residents felt their city, which was celebrating its 75th anniversary, would lose its heritage if the Illmo portion was omitted.

Scott City was relatively young, having been founded in 1960 from the consolidation of Ancell and Fornfelt.

The committee drew up a plan for the Aug. 6 election.

The new city would:

-- Consist of four alderman from each city, for a total of eight, and Scott City Mayor Herbert A. Modglin would lead the new city. All would serve until the next general election.

-- Adopt Scott City's 1-cent sales tax.

-- Adopt the majority of Scott City's code of ordinances and Illmo's zoning code. In each case the codes had been more recently modified.

-- Set a unified property tax rate.

-- Allow the sale of liquor by the drink. Illmo had not allowed it.

-- Would become a third-class city. Separately, both were fourth-class cities.

-- Adopt the name of Newport.

Newport was chosen from among dozens of names submitted by the public.

One wag jokingly suggested the city be called Plumnelly because it was "plum out" of Cape Girardeau County and "nelly out" of Scott County.

On Aug. 3 -- three days prior to the vote -- the Springfield Court of Appeals issued an injunction blocking the election.

Attorney General John Ashcroft, at the behest of consolidation opponents, had requested the court action.

Ashcroft maintained the June vote was invalid for essentially the same reasons Grimm had previously ruled against it.

The injunction was later overturned, and the first vote upheld. The second vote was rescheduled for Nov. 7.

On that date, voters rejected the transition plan 663-195.

The name Newport was cited as the primary reason for the defeat.

According to state law, a new committee had to be formed and develop a new transition plan. If that plan also failed, whichever of the two plans got the most "yes" votes would go into effect.

The new plan was essentially the same except that the first mayor would be chosen by the new board of aldermen and that the liquor issue was dropped.

The new name became the focal point of arguments.

After an hour of heated debate and two deadlocked votes on Dec. 5, the committee settled on the name of the larger of the two communities.

Several Scott City members said because majority of the population of the combined city was from Scott City, they would rather retain that name than live in a hyphenated Illmo-Scott City.

Both of those names were separately voted on, with each ending in 5-5 partisan deadlocks.

Two members of the Illmo faction finally switched sides for the third vote, and Scott City was chosen.

The vote on the revised transition plan came March 4 and passed 736-66. Most of the opposition -- 52 votes -- came from Illmo.

On March 5, Illmo ceased to exist.

Said Hartner, at 96 Illmo's oldest citizen, "To me this will always be Illmo."