I would like to thank the residents of Ward 4 for allowing me the honor and privilege to serve another term as your City Council representative. Serving as your Councilman for the last six years has provided me the opportunity to visit with people not only in Ward 4 but from every corner of the city. I have seen first hand the passion and commitment people feel for the City of St. Charles. 

 

I am a fourth generation St. Charles City resident. My roots in the County date back to the early 1800”s. My wife Elaine and her family also have deep roots in the community. We both graduated from Duchesne High School and have been married for 21 years. We have two great kids Catie and Ted. Catie, who is a junior, is attending college out of state at Benedictine College and Ted is a freshman at Mizzou.

 

Our neighborhoods offer things you can’t find in neighboring communities; historic architecture, cultural attractions, both old and new housing, proximity to jobs. Most important, we have a close knit community where people know their neighbors and look out for each other.

 

St. Charles has the lowest tax rate of the major municipalities in St. Charles County.   Keeping St. Charles affordable for those on pensions and social security is also very important. I favor keeping the tax rebate for seniors, the disabled, and those that fall under certain income guidelines. 

 ·       Support a New Community Center

 

Our city’s new recreational facility is coming along. We have the footprint ready, and most of the inside design, which will include warm water pools, a splash area and slide for kids, teen room, large fitness room, indoor track, “senior” room, meeting rooms, two gyms, dressing areas for families, class areas for yoga and aerobics, babysitting facilities, a party room and even a coffee shop! We have done the best we can with the money approved for this project. We’ll break ground in the fall and open for business in early 2011. Our next hurdle will be to make memberships affordable; of course what’s affordable for one is not necessarily for another so this effort may prove to be a real challenge. Stay tuned…

   ·  Census 2010      
On April 1, 2010 residents of the City of Saint Charles and across America will be participating in the 2010 United States Census. A complete and accurate Census count of St. Charles residents is critical if we are to maintain or improve upon our current level of Federal program funding.  It is estimated that Missouri could lose $1 Million in Federal funds for every 100 residents not counted in the Census.  An incomplete count could also affect Missouri Congressional Representation and future Federal funds allocated to our local government. 
We want the City of Saint Charles to be the leading city in Saint Charles County for their percentage of resident representation in the Census.  To learn more about the Census and how it effects you please go to http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .

Work has not stopped on this project as Cullinan is in the process of redesigning their plan due to the dire straits of the current economy. Though the redesign will be a smaller version of the original plan, it will still be a quality area for St. Charles. The Cullinan team should present their plan publicly to the City Council later this summer. Check our website (www.stcharlescitymo.gov) for meeting agendas. Included in the line up will be a riverfront/river walk type project, including both retail and residential, along with access to Bangert Island, and even, in the final phase, a marina behind the Arena area. The first step will involve opening up the slough to widen it for boats and that will require purchase of properties, which is underway.

 

I would like to introduce you to the St. Charles Neighborhood Preservation Partnership, Inc. This is a non-profit organization which was formed to help citizens of St. Charles with property maintenance and quality of life issues. We help the elderly on fixed incomes, handicapped and/or people who have lost their jobs and can't afford to make necessary repairs to their properties. We may do anything from cutting a yard to painting a house, replacing a porch or roof, or whatever is in our ability to do. We want the citizens to know that city government cares about their needs and that we are here to help wherever we can.

 

This is a very important project to help keep St. Charles a clean and desirable place to live, work and visit. This is an organization of all volunteers. All monies donated to the organization are used to buy supplies and goods to complete any project that we may be conducting.

 

I am letting you know about this organization so you know it is here and so that we can solicit your assistance. Everyone who works with us is a volunteer. We need to build a volunteer base we can pool from for any given project. If you would like to be a volunteer for our organization, please e-mail me or one of the board members with your name, contact number and what your area of expertise may be in support of the project.

 

We would greatly appreciate your assistance because whether you live here or just work here or both, you have a vested interest to help keep St. Charles a safe, clean and desirable place to work also and we need your help.

 

Right now we have partners in the Community Development Department, Fire department and The Boeing Corporation to assist us with projects. We can always use more.

 

Here are the Board of Directors:

Dennis Corley - Chief of Police.........................Chief Executive Officer

Pat Milatovic - Police Officer............President - Chief Operating Officer

John Benisch - Code Enforcement Mgr.........................Vice- President

Michael Frecks - Code Enforcement Officer / Inspector..........Secretary

Anita Telkamp - Grants & Budget Coordinator......................Treasurer

Jason Boren - Code Enforcement Officer / Inspector.........Sgt. at Arms

 

and yes, they are all city employees!