St. Louis County mulls transfer of responsibility for "costly county arterial roads" to cities

In a letter sent on September 25th to the St. Louis County Council, Sam Page, the St. Louis County Executive, detailed a proposal which would transfer the maintenance responsibility of certain roads to the municipalities in which they reside. He explained that the County’s funding is, and has been, insufficient to cover current infrastructure needs, even “basic pavement maintenance.” According to the Page, an analysis from The Department and Public Works found St. Louis County to be “more than $100 million short each year of the funding needed to address essential responsibilities.”

After suggestions, discussions, and evaluations, the County Executive has determined that transferring the maintenance of certain roads back to the municipalities could reduce the County’s financial burden by an estimated $17 million annually. This would give more leeway to focus on public safety and roads in unincorporated areas. The move would “use the authority provided under RSMo 137.558 and SLCRO 1206.010, which allow the County Council to add or remove roads from Schedule V at its discretion. Once a road is removed from Schedule V, responsibility for it maintenance automatically returns to the municipality, and no additional agreement is required.”

The transfer could have a large impact on the budgets and planning of the over 30 municipalities who will be affected. While there has not yet been much time to respond, several city leaders have expressed concern that their cities do not themselves have the funds or capabilities to pick up the slack on these road projects. Roads that cross municipal boundaries would likely also see increased difficulty in planning and maintenance.

While this initiative affects specific municipalities and has not yet been approved, such action is worth keeping an eye on. The program’s success or failure (if passed) may set precedent in how Counties choose to handle insufficient budgets for road improvements in the future.