Latest news with #PropositionB
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Prop B discussion hints at renewal question
Joplin council members and city officials are beginning talks on whether to try to renew the Proposition B sales tax because the police and fire pension fund it was put in place to address may close out several years earlier than expected. The half-cent tax approved by voters in 2019 addressed a low funding ratio in the Police and Firemen's Pension Fund. It is commonly called the pension tax. It was intended to bring the pension fund up to a funding level of 120% of benefits owed. It was projected that could take up to 12 years. But the pension plan's actuary recently projected that the plan could be fully funded, or reach the agreed upon 120% level of benefits owed, in early 2027. That would be five years earlier than the 12-year sunset given to fully fund pension obligations when the tax was proposed to voters. The actuarial report states that the plan's funded ratio as of Oct. 31, 2024, was at 90.1%. That percentage could fluctuate with market conditions, the city's contribution rate and other factors. Proposition B last year provided more than $8.6 million that was paid into the fund, which exceeded the actuarial recommended contributions for the year by more than $5.5 million, according to the actuary report. LAGERS In order to provide better retirement benefits at a lower cost to police officers and firefighters in the future, part of the Proposition B plan was to transition those employees and retirees who wished to move their coverage to the Missouri LAGERS pension plan and get them out of the city plan. LAGERS is the largest pension plan in the state for government employees. The city's finance director, Leslie Haase, said the final members of the pension plan are finishing up transitioning to LAGERS unless they opt to stay in the local pension fund. She intends to have a report on that status in September, she said. Council members discussed the handling of past sales tax campaigns for police and fire expenses at a work session Monday. Council member Ryan Jackson said of a Proposition B renewal, 'I think it's a great idea to keep that funding mechanism in place,' though he expressed concerns about going too far with campaign statements, such as those who said of Prop B that 'This is what is going to take care of these departments forever.' But the campaign gave voters a clear, strong message, he added. 'What I think gave that the resounding success is that it wasn't the mayor and city staff handing the rest of us, 'Here is the plan.' They said, 'We're here to give you some information. You guys figure it out.'' 'It kind of came down to three options. We did some public information gathering, working with the unions and department heads, and that's how we ended up with the public safety sales tax proposition and the council got the Chamber of Commerce to back it. I think it really made a difference and I want to make sure when we do this that we do it right and do everything we can.' The measure was promoted by the chamber with the slogan that it was 'A Better Plan for Joplin.' Mayor Keenan Cortez talked about the successful passage of the first half-cent public safety sales tax in 2004. It has funded the construction of new fire stations, the Public Safety Training Center, and the addition of needed firefighters and police officers to the city departments. 'I will also add that during that time in 2004 when we were working on that ... the city had come up with what was a pretty good plan and it looked it was going to be a long-term plan or solution to a problem that the city had for a while. And then 20 years happened. And there was a global pandemic, a recession in 2008, and a lot of things took place. ... I remember what we were paying police officers then, and it's almost double now. The costs of goods and services has almost gone through the roof' since that tax was approved. The mayor said he agrees that residents need to be involved in the process, 'but I caution to call it the solution, or the fix-all, or greatest next thing, because who knows what we're going to have 20 years from now. So, we can make the best plans we can right now, and I think Prop B renewal is one of the best plans we can do going forward, but I just caution that it is going to be end-all, fix-all' for public safety pay. Councilman Josh Bard said he agreed with the idea of getting a group of people to represent the proposal. Details on what the city would use a renewed Proposition B tax to fund were not discussed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top election official slams Sam Page, ‘blatant violation' of law
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is standing by his office's decision to refer election-related charges against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page to prosecutors. Page was indicted this week on four counts: two felony theft charges and two misdemeanor election offenses. The allegations of criminal wrongdoing stem from an April election where St. Louis County residents voted on Proposition B. Page, a Democrat, has denied wrongdoing, saying the mailer was for educational purposes and was legal. But the state's top elections officer disagrees. Shoplifter injures officer while fleeing arrest at Walmart 'That's illegal in the state of Missouri,' said Hoskins, a Republican serving in his first year as the state's chief elections officer. Hoskins said it was no secret Page was campaigning against the ballot initiative. However, Hoskins said Page went beyond the scope set for educating voters by allegedly using public funds to campaign against the measure. 'In my opinion, this seems like a very blatant violation of Missouri state law,' Hoskins said. Initially, the Secretary of State's office referred their investigation to prosecutors in St. Louis County. A conflict of interest was later determined and the Missouri Attorney General took on the case as a special prosecutor. Hoskins applauded the legal and elections division within his office for their work on the case. 'Our office takes its role in protecting fair and lawful elections extremely seriously,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page indicted on election offenses
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – St. Louis County Executive Sam Page was formally indicted by a grand jury Wednesday. Page was charged with two counts of committing class four election offenses, one count of stealing $25,000 or more, and one count of stealing $750 or more. In the report from the grand jury, the election-related charges stemmed from 'purposely expended public funds on a flyer to advocate the defeat, or oppose the passage, of a ballot measure on the April 8, 2025 ballot.' The other charges allege more than $25,750 of county funds were used 'with the purpose to deprive St. Louis County thereof by deceit…that such expenditure was authorized, which representation was false and known by (Page) to be false' throughout mid-March. The county executive has recently been under investigation after a complaint from a resident who believed a flyer mailed at the expense of taxpayers was designed to persuade voters against a proposition, known as Proposition B, that would have given council members authority to remove county department heads, according to prior FOX 2 reports. During a council meeting Tuesday, Page noted, 'I can't imagine that anyone has done anything wrong. I will cooperate fully with the investigation, and then I'll also be focused on the good work that we're doing for the county.' According to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, following the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office citing a conflict of interest a judge appointed him as a special prosecutor. After that, the Attorney General's Office initiated a grand jury proceeding against Sam Page, resulting in the felony indictment. 'I conducted this investigation into Sam Page's alleged misuse of public funds because the people of St. Louis County deserve accountability, not corruption,' said Bailey via a news release Wednesday. 'Public officials must follow the law, and my Office will work to ensure that they always do.' This is a developing story. More will be posted as it comes into the FOX 2 newsroom. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Local Elections Matter: Your Voice, Your Community
Waco, TX (FOX 44) — Early voting is underway across Texas, and local officials urge residents to seize this opportunity to shape their communities. Local elections have influence over our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. 'At the local level, it's your voice versus just maybe a few hundred, maybe a few thousand, versus, like, at the federal level where it's your voice versus millions,' McLennan County Elections Administrator Jared Goldsmith said. 'You really get a say as to how things are run at the local level.' Goldsmith says it's a privilege to vote – because in many countries people don't get to vote for local leaders. 'At the local level, they're the ones who decide what to do with your tax dollars,' Goldsmith said. 'Go out and make sure that your voice is heard. Get educated, find out more about these candidates.' In Killeen, Proposition B is on the ballot. If passed, property taxes will increase and new city facilities will be authorized for construction, using your money to fund the projects. 'It's going to be something that's going to benefit you, whether you have a child in school or not,' Killeen Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Janell Ford said. 'It's going to benefit you in the long run through all of the services that are provided by each of those entities, because they're not just providing education at KISD. So in the end it impacts everyone.' In several ways, voting is a civic duty and a way to exercise your influence as a member of your community. 'You're coming to City Council meetings when you can, you're joining boards, commissions, committees because we need people to join,' Ford said. 'We have more than two dozen of those, whether it's in the Animal Services or the Planning and Zoning. We need people to join those and help influence decisions that are made that go to our City Council representative.' Voting is the best way to get involved in your local community and voice your opinions on change. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Louis County voters reject Proposition B
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – St. Louis County voters rejected a key measure in Tuesday's municipal election. Proposition B, a proposal that would have expanded the St. Louis County Council's authority, has failed. Had it passed, Proposition B would have granted the St. Louis County Council the authority to remove department heads with a 'super majority' vote, or approval from five of the county council's seven members. Instead, the vote failed. A majority of voters (61.8%) voted 'no' on Proposition B, while only 38.2% voted 'yes.' More than 94,000 people cast votes on the measure, per the county's preliminary election results. The proposition faced a great amount of scrutiny from St. Louis County department heads, even to the point of it reaching the Missouri Supreme Court. A lawsuit against the county council claimed that the ballot language was misleading to voters and failed to explain how the proposition would 'radically amend' St. Louis County law. Cara Spencer elected mayor; defeats Tishaura Jones in political rematch The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately sided with the county council to allow Proposition B to stay on the ballot. Leading up to the election, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page had also been accused of improperly using public funds for fliers in opposition to Prop B. Page shared the following statement via social media on voters rejecting Proposition B: 'Prop B was a bad idea. Voters saw through the deceptive language and saw it for what it was: an attempt to disrupt county government and make it harder to get business done. It is time to move on and focus on issues important to the daily lives of St. Louis County residents.' Greater St. Louis, Inc. Interim CEO Dustin Allison issued the following statement on Proposition B: 'As the voice of the St. Louis region's business community, Greater St. Louis, Inc. expressed our strong opposition to Proposition B and encouraged St. Louis County voters to cast a 'no' vote. We are proud to stand with the voters of St. Louis County who voted down Proposition B. 'We look forward to working with the leaders of St. Louis County to drive growth and create more opportunity for the future.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
