Council Members Defend Allocation for 'Super Bowl of Conventions'

Members of the St. Louis County Council struck back Tuesday in Clayton at criticism of county investment in a gathering aimed at drawing conventions to the St. Louis area.

In June, the council approved $250,000 for a convention for the American Society of Association Executives. Dubbed the “Super Bowl of conventions,” the gathering is aimed at attracting major conferences to the St. Louis area.

The event, however, drew criticism from Tom Sullivan, a University City resident who wrote a letter to the Call Newspaper about the council's allocation.

“By anyone's standards, $750,000 is an exorbitant amount of money for a party—especially when it is completely funded with public money,” Sullivan wrote in his letter.

Sullivan also wrote that “numerous questions about the party and why it should cost so much were asked of County Council Chairman Steve Stenger of south county. He has refused to answer.”

Stenger, a Democrat who lives in unincorporated St. Louis County, struck back at Sullivan’s criticism near the conclusion of Tuesday’s council meeting. He said the $250,000 had been “mischaracterized” as going toward a “big party.”

“That was really troubling to me because it’s a complete mischaracterization of what the event was,” said Stenger, who added he was unable to attend the event. “It was a convention for conventioneers. And it was to showcase St. Louis as a destination spot for conventions, which are, as we all know, it’s (one of the) bread and butter of the region.

“That type of mischaracterization doesn’t lead to the progress of our community,” Stenger added. "It's really something that tears it down … By essentially misinforming the community and misinforming voters and misinforming the residents of our region like that, it’s that type of backward thinking that can really hold us back if it’s allowed.”

Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger, R-Town and Country, suggested Stenger write a response to Sullivan’s article. And Councilman Greg Quinn, R-Ballwin, said the money came from taxes earmarked for tourism promotion.

“These people are the people responsible for a lot of the conventions that take place around the country,” Quinn said. “Seems to me having a function for them is perfectly good use of this fund.”

RISE IN APPEALS

St. Louis County is experiencing more appeals than expected on its property assessments, a development prompting a need for additional money.

In a letter to the St. Louis County Council, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley wrote that Eugene Leung, director of the county's department of revenue, requested legislation asking for an additional $63,000 for appeals to the Board of Equalization. That body determines the “correct value of real and personal property for individuals, businesses and manufacturers.”

Dooley wrote that the 2011 budget was compiled with the idea that 14,000 property assessment appeals would occur. But instead, he wrote, that the number has reached 18,000.

“Consequently, it is necessary to increase the number of hours budgeted for the Board of Equalization hearing officers to hear all the appeals and to increase the budget for temporary clerical assistance,” Dooley wrote.

Dooley added that $55,000 would be needed for compensation for the board hearing officers, while $8,000 would be required for temporary clerical assistance.

Leung told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting that there are a couple of reasons for the rise in appeals. The first reason, he said, is that the county made it easier to appeal by placing the application online. He also pointed to the economy.

“Property values are supposed to be set for Jan. 1,” Leung said. “But by the time the notices come out, it’s about mid-year in May. And so property values continue to decline. I think people thought that their values are still lower, and not many people realize that the value is set starting Jan. 1. So I think people thought that their property values should have gone down a bit more.”

Leung added he has “no idea” if the appeals are going to go up going forward.

“If I did (know), I would be in a different business,” he said. “You saw what’s happening in the economy the last few days with the stock market and what’s happening with financing rates and interest rates. It’s hard to tell.”

The St. Louis Beacon reported that St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman said the assessments were performed before he took office in April.

The council still needs to pass an ordinance to allocate the additional money.