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About 75 attend 1st Meeting March 30
2nd Florissant Town Hall March 30
On April 5th Ballot Props A, R & B
By Elaine Steinborn
Florissant officials will hold a second town hall meeting Wednesday, March 30, to provide information and a forum for questions about propositions designed to clean up problem rental properties, maintain property values and continue collecting local sales taxes on out-of-state vehicle sales. The meeting will be held at the James J. Eagan Civic Center at 7 p.m. An earlier meeting was held Wednesday, March 23 at the John F. Kennedy Community Center for the same purpose.
And about 75 person attended to learn about the proposals. While city officials answered questions about all three propositions, there was some opposition to Prop. R from some from the real estate industry.
Propositions A and R are designed to maintain property values and help manage the problem of rental properties that aren’t properly maintained. Prop A would permit the city to charge owners of properties that have been vacant for more than 6 months a registration fee of $200. The money would be used to help the city obtain ownership information and address problems created by vacant property.
Proposition R would charge owners a rental license fee of $50 per rental property unit. The money would be used to ensure that properties are properly maintained and that owners of rental properties can be notified of any problems that arise. Along with Prop A, Prop R will help Florissant monitor rental and vacant properties more carefully and address any maintenance issues that develop.
Proposition B, which is not a tax increase, would continue the practice of collecting local sales taxes on motor vehicles, trailers, boats and outboard motors purchased from sources other than licensed Missouri dealers. In 2012 the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the practice of collecting sales tax on vehicles purchased out of state. As a result, local car dealerships were placed at a disadvantage when trying to compete with out-of-state dealerships. Not only are they at risk of losing business, but the community loses tax revenue.
The Missouri Legislature closed the loophole temporarily, but required that city residents ratify the measure by voting on it before the end of 2016. If Prop B does not pass, Florissant could not collect local sales taxes on out-of-state vehicle purchases and would lose that revenue source.
All three of the propositions will appear on the April 5th ballot in Florissant. For more information, visit
