South City neighborhood looks to take snow, ice removal efforts into their own hands, form taxing district to fund
“We at least needed to do something more than what the city was doing.”
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - After weeks of dealing with unsalted and unplowed roads, one south St. Louis neighborhood is looking to take road maintenance, and other efforts, into their own hands.
“I’d like to take away the need or desire for the city to do it if we can do it ourselves,” Derrick Kilgore, chair of the Benton Park Neighborhood Association Safety Committee, told First Alert 4.
Kilgore said the idea to form a January’s snow storm.
In this case, property owners in the proposed Benton Park district would pay a to-be-determined tax that would fund in part the CID. That money could then be used for beautification efforts, clean-up and/or salting and plowing roadways, among other things.
The City of St. Louis came under fire as a result of their efforts to clean up and clear snow following the storm. Side streets historically do not get plowed or salted, according to the city, because of the narrow roadways and wanting to avoid trapping residents' vehicles.
The lack of any attention, though, has frustrated residents.
“This neighborhood has been kind of frustrated with the side streets,” Kilgore says. “When you have school routes, people trying to get to school and work, and it’s impossible to navigate, it doesn’t help anyone’s living situation.”
The would-be Benton Park CID would mirror that of Soulard’s, which recently collaborated with the Soulard Special Business District to fund salting efforts.
Soulard CID Chair Terry Hoffman says they formed in 2019.
“We needed a mechanism to generate additional tax revenue from local businesses to fund community improvement efforts,” Hoffman says. “We at least needed to do something more than what the city was doing.”
The recent salting, Hoffman said, cost upwards of $12,000 and helped to keep businesses and neighbors moving.
“The logistics in Soulard are unique because the businesses are intermingled with the residences,” Luke Reynolds, Chair of the Soulard SBD, told First Alert 4.
Soulard has also seen speed humps and extra trash clean-up efforts as a result of their CID/SBD collaboration.
In Benton Park, Kilgore hopes his neighbors will get on board. He plans to draft a petition, bylaws and a budget to present to the city, with a goal of establishing the CID before next winter.
“If we can make a change and make this a better neighborhood to live in, why not do it?” Kilgore asked.
The process of forming a CID also includes gathering signatures from property owners who would pay the tax.
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