IMPACT: Report to the Community (March 2023)

REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

I am honored to serve another term as your County Executive. It is a job I have enjoyed over the years as our county has grown and prospered. I have found it challenging as we met the issues of lack of state transportation funding, lack of growth outside of this county, and COVID. I am excited about the opportunities that await us. Our successes over these past 16 years are due to a total team effort. The County Council, County Government staff, and mayors of county municipalities have worked together to make St. Charles County a great place to live, work and play. Here’s why:

To live: For the past 13 consecutive years, our county has been recognized as one of the top two healthiest counties in the state. Our County Police Department has partnered with other police departments and our Corrections and Sheriff’s departments to reduce vehicle theft by 37 percent over the past two years. The Emergency Communications system, in partnership with the five large police departments in the county, answered 131,408 calls to 911 and hundreds of seven-digit emergency calls and ensured a prompt response to first responders in 2022.

To work: The county experienced the lowest unemployment rate in the region and saw a record increase in major commercial development projects totaling 6.4 million square feet. Every year, more residents can work, as well as live, in our county. Our transportation system, thanks to federal, state, County and municipal dollars, has drawn many new companies to the county.

To play: The St. Charles County Parks Department has continued to grow and now maintains 18 parks with three future park sites in reserve. Most recently, the County opened Oglesby Park, as well as a 3.5-mile portion of the Dardenne Creek Blueway.

I encourage you to read about these accomplishments and more in this annual publication and to visit us at sccmo.org, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep up to date on your county every day.

Sincerely,

St. Charles County Executive

FELONY CASES FILED

Unlike the apparent trend in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, the continued cooperative efforts of St. Charles County’s law enforcement partners has led to an increase in the number of criminal felony cases filed with the Courts.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN ST. CHARLES COUNTY JOIN FORCES; AUTO CRIMES DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY

In St. Charles County, police are serious about crime and have collectively put more boots on the ground to reduce automobile break-ins and thefts, including theft of catalytic converters. They are part of the St. Charles County Criminal Interdiction Task Force (CITF), which began in early 2021. The result has been a 37 percent decrease in auto thefts and a 35 percent decrease in auto break-ins over a two-year period while other counties and cities in the region continue to see dramatic increases. The efforts received national attention in August 2022 when Fox News reported on its results.

St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz says the task force has been successful because all jurisdictions have joined together to let criminals know just how serious the county is about crime. The County Police Department is joined by the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department, the County Department of Corrections, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and police departments in the cities of St. Charles, St. Peters, O’Fallon, Lake Saint Louis, Wentzville, and Cottleville. Additionally, St. Louis County, Maryland Heights and Chesterfield police departments have adopted the operational plan and are running their operations in conjunction with the St. Charles County CITF.

Before initiating the task force, Chief Frisz says the group met with St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar and County judges regarding appropriate charges and bonds. Lohmar committed that anyone caught stealing or breaking into a vehicle in St. Charles County will face charges from his office that will require mandatory jail time if they plead or are convicted at trial. He has sought higher bonds from the 11th Judicial Circuit Court.

The officers use license plate readers set to alert to stolen cars, K9s, helicopters and drones for surveillance and apprehension of the thieves who usually operate in small groups. Prior to activating an operation, briefings are held at the St. Charles County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), where commanders from various departments learn details of the night’s operation plan for each squad. Task force commanders monitor the operation in real time at the EOC.

Countywide Vehicle Thefts

How to Guard Against Vehicle Theft

• Lock vehicle doors when not occupied, even if you are just “running in somewhere for a second.”

• Park in well-lit areas and close to building entrances, when possible.

• Park in a garage, if possible, and keep the garage door closed.

• Don’t leave keys or fobs inside the vehicle.

• Don’t leave valuables unsecured or in plain view.

INTERESTING STATS:

789 offenders have been arrested since the task force’s inception.

30 stolen vehicles have been recovered.

67 guns have been seized.

550 vehicle criminals have been prosecuted or are awaiting prosecution.

90 percent of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked by their owners.

70 percent of vehicle criminals are from outside St. Charles County.

COUNCIL ADJUSTS TAX RATE ON COUNTY FUNDS TO NEGATE BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS

2022 was a year of rising costs—gas, food, housing, new and used vehicles—and as the value of your property increased, so did the amount of property tax you owed. More than a decade ago, the Missouri Legislature implemented the Hancock Amendment to require taxing jurisdictions to roll back their tax rates to offset the gains they would realize by increasing home values and only provide enough additional revenue to cover new operating costs caused by inflation.

However, the state statute only applied to real estate property that always, at least in St. Charles County, appreciates in value. It never occurred to the legislature to do the same for personal property that always depreciates in value—at least until last year, when the value of the average used car in St. Charles County increased an average of 27 percent. The increase was based on the trade-in value published the previous October by the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) Official Used Car Guide, which state statutes require the assessor to use exclusively. While not required to roll back their rate by state law, the St. Charles County Council did exactly that.

Other Jurisdiction Windfalls

Rather than accept a windfall of nearly $800,000, the County elected to voluntarily roll back its Road & Bridge and Dispatch tax rates to offset this windfall for 2022 and 2023. The County has no other property taxes. The new rate will allow County Government to collect the same amount as the year before for the next two years.

Nevertheless, your personal property tax bills were higher—as much as nearly 30 percent according to St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman—because all other taxing jurisdictions except for the City of O’Fallon did not follow the County’s lead and charged tax rates based on the inflated vehicle values. While you make your check payable to the “Collector of St. Charles County,” County Government receives less than 5 percent of the total you pay on personal and real estate property. No County property tax goes to the County’s General Revenue Fund, only to 911 Dispatching and the County Highway Department, half of which it dispenses to the cities. The County disperses the remainder of the tax it collects to all the other jurisdictions listed on your bill and has no control over how they set their taxes.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT IMPROVES COMPENSATION PLAN TO ATTRACT, RETAIN EMPLOYEES

St. Charles County boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the region, BUT our businesses are struggling to fill positions. County Government lost 20.4 percent of its workforce last year and many of those positions remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified applicants. In areas like Corrections and Emergency Communications, where the importance of their jobs means the workforce cannot be reduced, employees have had to work more overtime than many of them would have preferred. They need some relief, and we are hiring.

To make salaries more competitive, the County’s Human Resources Department devised a plan that was accepted by the administration and approved by the County Council. The new plan:

• Eliminated pay grades for full-time and part-time regular employees that paid less than $15 per hour and created new pay grades to accommodate those positions.

• Set the market comparisons for pay grades at 60 percent, rather than 50 percent.

• Placed employees in a pay range that reflected their exact years of service with the County.

• Ensured no employee would see a pay decrease in 2023.

DARDENNE CREEK BLUEWAY: ANOTHER WAY TO HAVE FUN IN ST. CHARLES COUNTY!

In 2022, St. Charles County and the City of St. Peters opened a 3.5-mile portion of the Dardenne Creek Blueway that could someday reach from the Mississippi River to the Busch Wildlife Area just southwest of I-64. This initial phase on Dardenne Creek allows outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to canoe or kayak between Riverside Landing, where the Dardenne Creek empties into the Mississippi River, to 370 Lakeside Park in St. Peters.

This spring, the 5.2-mile second phase of the Blueway is expected to open, which will connect 370 Lakeside Park to Lone Wolff Park in St. Peters.

The County’s Parks Department is working with the City of Wentzville to develop a Blueway on Big Creek and the Cuivre River. Staff has talked with leaders in the City of O’Fallon to determine interest in a similar facility on the lower reaches of Peruque Creek.

Before any phase of the Blueway can be open, the waterway needs to be cleared of litter and debris. Watch our social media pages and website for updates on the progress of the next phases of the Dardenne Creek Blueway!

Dardenne Creek Blueway

EMERGENCY VEHICLE PREEMPTION GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT PRIORITY’ TO FIRST RESPONDERS

St. Charles County Government, in collaboration with partners in the community, has completed the year-long implementation of a project that allows first responders to reach their destinations in less time while improving safety for them and everyone on our roads. The countywide deployment of this project, called Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP), makes St. Charles County a leader in the use of this technology and marks the largest cloud preemption deployment in the central United States. EVP provides “green light priority” to approaching emergency vehicles. The system reduces emergency vehicle response times during those critical moments when every second counts. The project includes upgrades to and implementation of 344 signals throughout the county, 65 fire and rescue trucks, 60 ambulances and 75 County police vehicles. Seven additional signals have been upgraded and will be programmed after the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) completes major construction projects in those areas. Early results show that from January-April 2022 (prior to deployment) 23,706 fire and EMS units responded to various calls in an average time of 8 minutes and 5 seconds. After deployment of most devices and signals, 25,064 units responded to various calls from September-December 2022, in an average response time of 7 minutes and 38 seconds. That’s more calls, but a decrease of 27 seconds at a time every second counts. Equally important, the chances of an emergency vehicle colliding with another vehicle are greatly reduced.

The project was made possible due to the tremendous collaboration between emergency agencies across the county, multiple jurisdictions, and county and regional organizations. The cost of the project was $809,000, including three years of monitoring and maintenance. Eighty percent was funded with Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality dollars. The remaining 20 percent was funded by St. Charles County’s voter-approved ½-cent Transportation Sales Tax, which is administered by the St. Charles County Road Board.

SALES TAX FUNDS KEEP COUNTY

MOVING, ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS

Improving infrastructure is a top priority for St. Charles County Government. Since the inception of the countywide Transportation Sales Tax in 1985, and subsequent reauthorizations by voters, the County has obligated approximately $750 million in sales tax revenues to construct approximately $1.3 billion in transportation improvements. These improvements not only help keep traffic running smoothly but are a reason that businesses and people alike move to St. Charles County. For information on specific projects, visit sccmo.org/TransportationProjects. For detailed information on all St. Charles County road projects in design, construction or completed, visit sccmo.org/Active TIP.

WENTZVILLE BOTTLENECK

Fixing the daily traffic jam and bottleneck on I-70 in Wentzville—the 35th worst bottleneck in the entire nation—has been a County priority for years. The project was expected to be bid this June but has been delayed because the railroad has required an additional step, not required before now, to review the design plans. The project now is scheduled to be bid in October, after which construction will begin and be completed by late 2025. The next step to fix this bottleneck is for the interchange at I-70/I-64/US 61 to be reconstructed. In 2020, the County kick-started this step by advancing $1 million to MoDOT for traffic modeling and design. This work has been completed and in 2022, at the request of St. Charles County, the state programmed $93 million for phase 1 of the improvements; however, a specific timeline for construction has not yet been determined. The County will continue to work with MoDOT to keep this project on schedule.

Since 2010, St. Charles County Government and local municipalities have invested $200 million in local funds to improve MoDOT roads in the county to improve safety, enhance access, and reduce congestion while the state focused on preservation and maintenance due to lack of funding. With the passage of an increase in state motor fuel tax, the County is hoping that, going forward, MoDOT will be able to fund preservation and maintenance projects as well as road and bridge improvements needed to support growing communities like St. Charles County.

I-70 at the Wentzville Curve

I-70 at Cave Springs

COUNTY FUNDING FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS TO CONTINUE THROUGH 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR

Districts in unincorporated areas have contracted with St. Charles County Government for shared funding of School Resource Officers (SROs) for high schools and most middle schools since the 1995-96 school year. However, elementary schools were not covered in that funding. With nationwide danger and violence in schools escalating, the St. Charles County Council agreed that funding SROs for these schools is extremely important.

Last summer, the County Council approved the use of the County’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to place SROs from the St. Charles County Police Department in elementary schools in unincorporated areas of the county for the 2022-2023 school year. That funding will continue through the 2023-2024 school year.

ARPA funding enabled the County to provide 14 additional officers in elementary schools located in unincorporated County at no cost to the school districts. This includes every school in unincorporated St. Charles County, as well as Augusta Elementary School in the Washington School District, and schools in Dardenne Prairie and Weldon Spring, which contract with St. Charles County for police services.

Every police officer in St. Charles County—including SROs—receives Multi-Assault, Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities, or MACTAC, training. School scenarios are included in the 10 hours of intense training; officers have been instructed for years to enter a classroom when the first shot is fired—unlike the officers in Uvalde, Texas.

Citizens, teachers, and nonprofit agencies also have benefitted from active shooter training. Many have gone through four hours of 4E School Training: Educate, Escape, Evade and Engage—or Run, Hide, Fight—taught by the St. Charles County Police Department.

During the last six months of 2022, approximately $1.4 million in ARPA funding mobilized the 14 SROs with equipment they need, including patrol cars, firearms, tasers, uniforms, body and car cameras, safety vests, gas masks, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and six months of SRO salaries. For the 2023-2024 school year, the estimated cost of salaries is $1.5 million.

With the extensive training every officer has received and the necessary equipment, all SROs are fully prepared for any scenario, including an active shooter incident. Additionally, through on-site radio communication, two public school systems now can reach 911 dispatchers directly via the County’s radio system in case of an emergency at one of their school buildings. An additional district will be put on radio communications as soon as their radio equipment is received from the manufacturer.

ST. CHARLES COUNTY PUTS RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES TAX ON BALLOT

The St. Charles County Council approved putting the 3 percent marijuana sales tax authorized in the adult use “recreational” amendment to the Missouri Constitution on the April 4 ballot. This leaves it up to voters to decide whether the County will collect this revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana. The industry suggested passage of recreational marijuana would save money for law enforcement prosecution and courts. Medical marijuana will remain exempt from such local taxation.

While there has not been much enforcement with marijuana, especially since medical marijuana is so easily purchased, it is possible that jurisdictions will expend more resources regulating and protecting the legal dispensaries. As written, the amendment allows residents to approve a tax.

County Executive Steve Ehlmann has said, “When the proponents of recreational marijuana were trying to convince voters to approve it, I never heard any of them say the State of Missouri would be better off if more citizens smoke marijuana. What they said was that a lot of Missourians were smoking marijuana already and, unlike the rest of us when we drink a Budweiser, a fine Missouri Wine, or a shot of Jack Daniels, they are paying no tax.”

Consumers currently pay taxes on beer, wine, and liquor as they do other consumer goods. Missouri’s general sales tax is 4.225 percent; St. Charles County’s is 1.725 percent. These two taxes, in conjunction with those from other municipalities, can range from 6.95 percent to 10.45 percent. Missouri’s tax on retail recreational marijuana sales is 6 percent.

Additionally, the State of Missouri levies an excise tax on manufacturers, wholesalers, and solicitors of alcohol: beer, $0.06 per gallon; wine, $0.42 per gallon; and liquor, $2 per gallon. Federal alcohol excise taxes are levied on brewers/distillers: beer, $18 per 31-gallon barrel, or $0.05 per 12-oz can; wine, $1.07-$3.40 per gallon, or $0.21-$0.67 per 750ml bottle, depending on alcohol content; and liquor, $13.50 per proof-gallon, or $2.14 per 750ml 80-proof bottle.

If voters approve the tax for St. Charles County, in accordance with the Missouri Constitution, it will be effective countywide. Other municipalities have similar ballot proposals. Purchases would be subject to taxes from each political subdivision in which they are sold.

School Resource Officer Brandi Woodby Hollenbeck Middle School

of Deeds

SCOTT LEWIS Sheriff SCOTT SHIPMAN Assessor MICHELLE MCBRIDE Collector of Revenue KURT BAHR Director of Elections