Branch Action

Actions by two branches of government today will have some effect on the City.

Cole County circuit judge Patricia Joyce dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's Distressed Areas Land Assemblage tax credit. That is the credit established by the Missouri General Assembly in 2007 that encourages lenders to finance large-scale revitalization projects that they would otherwise not consider. The credit already drew the attention of a developer interested in a major project. The court's decision is another step forward for his project.

Meanwhile, the Missouri House of Representatives failed to perfect a bill that would have returned control of our police department to City residents. The prospect of allowing St. Louisans to have the control that they enjoy in their own communities was, apparently, too much for some representatives ' as it has been since the Civil War.

Eventually, the people of St. Louis will have their own police department just like the citizens of every other city and county in the United States. But, barring further legislative action, the issue is dead for this session. We will try again ' and we begin next time with more people who know the situation and a bipartisan coalition of legislative supporters. In the meantime, panels appointed by the governor of Missouri and confirmed by the State Senate will continue to direct the police departments in Missouri 's two largest cities.