University City Holds Town Hall On Prop P Revenue

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — Citizens met with city officials, including the mayor, city council members, and the police and fire chiefs Wednesday night to discuss how best to spend anticipated revenue from Proposition P. Much like St. Louis City's recent ballot measure of the same name, the county voted over the summer to approve a half-cent sales tax hike to fund raises for police and firefighters, buy departments new equipment, and for other public safety initiatives. The language on the ballot did not stipulate how exactly the money should be spent, and though the city has a rough outline, officials invited citizens to weigh in.

Proposition P, which brings the total sales tax in some parts of University City above 10 percent, is estimated to generate $80 million annually. Almost half will go to St. Louis county, while the remainder will be distributed among 90 municipalities according to population. University City anticipates receiving $800,000 from Prop P next year and $1.8 million by 2019.

Officials said priorities include building a new police facility, shoring up the police and fire pension plan, and increasing police officer and firefighter pay by 10 percent. Additionally, the city wants to hire a part-time assistant prosecutor to meet municipal court rules involving separation of duties. Equipment like cameras, less lethal munitions, K9 equipment, and a new fire truck are also on the list. The planned budget of the University City Police Department is $9.2 million for fiscal year 2018. For the fire department, it is $3.6 million.

Police Chief Larry Hampton said a raise was necessary to retain good officers and pledged that it would be merit-based. "You can always hold onto questionable employees," he said. "It's the good employees you need to entice."

Police Capt. Fred Lemons agreed. "When we talk about competitive salaries, we're talking about being able to maintain the employees you want, the ones that don't overreact but properly react, the ones that want to be here and want to invest here and stay here. But, for them to do that, they have to be able to take care of their families," he said.

University City currently ranks 22 out of 33 for police starting pay among surrounding municipalities. The city ranks 29 out of 33 in maximum pay.

Fire Chief Adam Long said he didn't want University City to serve as a training ground, investing in training good police and firefighters only to see them leave the city to make more money in a surrounding district. "University City police and fire are the workhorses of St. Louis County," he said. "We're surrounded by fire protection districts that make a lot more than we do, but we do a lot more work. We're not only responsible for public safety in University City, but we also send our trucks to St. Louis City. We have a truck there right now responding to a five-alarm fire that's probably going to be there all night."

Some citizens raised the issue that schools and other public services are equally in need of funds, but they weren't considered for such an initiative. Others criticised the regressive nature of the sales tax, which disproportionately burdens the poor and often serves as a drag on local economies. Nonetheless, most said they were happy to be consulted and were confident the money would be put to good use.

The final decision about allocation of funds will be made by the city council in the coming months, after Gregory Rose, the new city manager, takes office. Another town hall is planned for January to gather more input from citizens.

"We want your input, because ultimately we work for you all," Capt. Lemons said.

Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch