St. Louis is a City with a tendency not to value its children and youth. Youth are a constituent group with no voting power and little revenue-generating capacity. Only youth-conscious elected and appointed officials care enough to join youth advocates and organizations to ensure that society is meeting their most basic needs.
Should the earnings tax be opened to elimination in the Nov. 2 election as planned by billionaire Rex Sinquefield, the City could have to find monies to replace nearly one-third of the City budget amounting to over $140 million. At a time when financial peril looms over local, state and federal governments, city officials will be hard-pressed to find alternative funding.
Passage of Prop A would trigger City voters to vote every five years whether to retain the one percent earnings tax. That fiscal uncertainty alone could sink the City’s bond rating and put it in a tailspin.
Despite the City Charter’s mandate, there is no designated department whose main mission is developing resources and coordinating youth program and services. This is problematic on a number of levels. It makes it extremely difficult to chart exactly how much of the City’s monies go towards youth development as well as how to serve children better.
What we do know is where there is a youth component of a department, it generally represents the lowest percentage of the budget. For example, recreation centers comprise only 8 per cent of that department’s budget compared to forestry’s 37 percent. The recreation budget funds its centers and program and has seen a steady decline in funding for years. Most rec centers are understaffed and under-programmed and are not meeting the social and physical needs of our children and youth.
During the City’s last budget period, it looked for ways to cut the budget to address the revenue shortfall. In the Budget Options proposal, the closing of rec centers was “on the table,” along with contracting out recreation programs. This is continued proof that youth are a low priority for the City administration.
There have been taxes passed by city voters to add more money to the dwindling youth service coffers. They are the Children’s Services Fund passed through Proposition K in 2004 and the Crime Prevention Tax passed in 2007. This sales tax increase provides funding mainly for public safety but earmarks $1 million dollars to youth crime prevention efforts.
Should Prop A pass and city voters phase out the earnings tax, we will see considerable de-funding of the few existing youth programs left under the City’s auspices. There would probably be attempts to divert dollars from the Children’s Services Fund and the youth crime prevention monies to fill the gaping hole left in general revenue. We would see the actual closing of rec centers causing more youth to be on the streets, since the only supervised play activities would come from community-based programs which are already in a financial squeeze. The proposed recreation center in O’Fallon Park could be stalled.
The overall well-being of children and youth would be adversely impacted by the elimination of the earnings tax. Our youngest citizens would certainly be more vulnerable than ever. This is because of the overall poor financial health of the City, struggling right now to maintain basic services for families and neighborhoods. Additionally, the St. Louis Public Schools are in a financial crisis and have had to eliminate programs and services for students.
Kids can’t vote on Nov. 2 but adults can. It is critical that Prop A be defeated soundly and sends a forceful message to Rex Sinquefield and his cronies that St. Louis citizens care about the future of their children as well as the future of the City.
