Voters in St. Louis, Missouri passed Proposition R, amending the city charter to include several new conflicts of interest provisions.

Proposition R prohibits alderpersons from knowingly using their official position to influence others for their own financial benefit; requires alderpersons to declare personal or financial conflicts of interest and abstain from voting when there are conflicts of interest; prohibits alderpersons from accepting employment or contracts that interfere with the discharge of public duties or create conflicts of interest; and requires former alderpersons to wait at least one year before serving as a lobbyist to influence a city government decision.

Proposition R also transfers redistricting from the Board of Alderpersons to a nine-member redistricting commission and changes the name of the Board of Aldermen to the Board of Alderpersons.

The charter changes take effect when the election is certified, which will take two to three weeks.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen will introduce three city charter amendments on May 17 addressing ethics and campaign finance restrictions.

The proposed reforms would ban lobbyists from giving gifts of more than $5 to city elected officials.

The amendments would also restrict individuals or entities seeking city contracts from donating to a candidate for a city elected office between 90 days before the city seeks bidders and 90 days after the contract has been awarded.

The package would further bar contributions to candidates for city office made with the intent to conceal the identify of such donations’ actual source.

This restriction would apply to contributions made to committees that donate to a candidate’s campaign.

If endorsed by the board, the three city charter amendments would go before voters who must approve by a three-fifths majority at the November 2020 election.

Voters in Kansas City approved a ballot measure on a $1 billion airport project to build a new privately financed airport in the city. The fate of the current 45-year-old airport has been a question for years as the city debated whether to renovate or demolish.

Supporters of the new project said the airport had outlived its usefulness and presented the city in a poor light to travelers. The ballot measure was approved by a 3-to-1 margin.

In St. Louis, voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase for police and fire funding. St. Louis County recently approved similar funding and City officials persuaded voters the tax increase was necessary to have competitive wages.

Voters in Kansas City approved a ballot measure on a $1 billion airport project to build a new privately financed airport in the city. The fate of the current 45-year-old airport has been a question for years as the city debated whether to renovate or demolish.

Supporters of the new project said the airport had outlived its usefulness and presented the city in a poor light to travelers. The ballot measure was approved by a 3-to-1 margin.

In St. Louis, voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase for police and fire funding. St. Louis County recently approved similar funding and City officials persuaded voters the tax increase was necessary to have competitive wages.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay recently signed Board Bill No. 53CSAA, establishing contribution limits for municipal candidates.

Effective November 25, 2016, no person, entity, or committee may contribute more than $10,000 to any local candidate during the general election period. The bill also establishes an ethics commission to investigate alleged campaign finance violations.

Any person violating campaign finance law will be subject to a fine of at least $100 but not more than $500 per violation, a term of imprisonment for 90 days per violation, or both.

Photo of Mayor Francis Slay by Astuishin on Wikimedia Commons.