Supporters of special business district in Tower Grove area to hold informational meeting Thursday
Supporters of the Tower Grove South Special Business District will hold an informational meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fanning Middle School gymnasium, 3417 Grace Avenue, St. Louis. The proposal will be on the Nov. 4 ballot in the district area.
The district could levy a tax rate of up to 85 cents for each $100 of assessed valaution. Supporters expect the board that would manage the district would set a tax rate of 68 cents. Supporters say the district would use the money to hire off-duty police officers to patrol the area.
The district would be bounded by South Grand Boulevard, Gravois Avenue, Roger Place and an alley west of McDonald Avenue. It contains 771 properties and about 1,000 voters, Laura MacCaskey, treasurer of the organization promoting the district, says.
I live in the proposed area and believe this initiative will help to stabilize the neighborhood. I also believe that this will have a positive effect on property values. Having additional security in your neighborhood will undoubtably give potential buyers a feeling of security and that the neighborhood is cohesive.
Joe Marcucci
As a member of TowerGroveSouth Concerned Citizens for Proposition 68 and resident of the proposed Special Business District, I am concerned about the level of crime in our area, which in my opinion, is increasing, despite police assurances to the contrary. The police simply cannot keep up with all of the issues. We need this special protection in order to feel safe and maintain some value on our homes and property. I fully support this proposition, and although I do not relish the idea of property tax increases, believe this is the best, and least expensive, alternative to reduce crime in the neighborhood.
I live in the area and I think people aren’t clear on how to figure the cost.
Here’s how to figure the Special Business District Rate (Links included below) The assessed Total of 3880 Fairview is $13,030.00 divide that by 100 and multiple by .68 and that = the Yearly/Annual Cost
13,030.00/100= 130.30 x .68 {cents}= 133.21 Yearly/Cost
*For yearly budgeting it’s like planning for $10.86 monthly to be dedicated to security cost.
The .68 rate is set for the initial year. The MO Statue allows for up to .85 cents. However the Board of Directors for the Special Business District would work through the process of setting the rate each year. The board of directors is made up of residents within the Special Business District.
Start with a Property’s Assessed Total (City Assessor Website)
City Assessor Site> Look up the “assessed total”
http://stlcin.missouri.org/assessor/lookup.cfm
Below are the results for 3880 Fairview
http://stlcin.missouri.org/assessor/detailresult.cfm?parcelid=41870000500&strResultMsg=3880%20fairview&addr=3880%20%20%20%20%20FAIRVIEW%20AV