More than 300,000 people currently live in unincorporated St. Louis County. If they banded together, they’d form the second largest city in the state. So what does it really mean to live in an unincorporated area? Lori Fiegel, comprehensive planning manager for the county’s planning department, explains some of the most common misconceptions.
Myth #1: You don’t have to pay local or real estate taxes.
Get a weekly dose of home and style inspiration
Subscribe to the St. Louis Design+Home newsletter to explore the latest stories from the local interior design, fashion, and retail scene.
“Everyone in the county pays the countywide property tax. In some municipalities, such as Clayton and University City, you may have to pay an additional city property tax. So it’s true that if you live in unincorporated areas, you may have a lower tax burden, because you avoid paying that additional city property tax. Also, some cities have utility taxes that can range from 6 to 9 percent, but the county caps utility taxes at 5 percent.”
Myth #2: You don’t get city services such as trash, sewer, or road maintenance.
“Your local government for certain services is through the county, so the county acts like your municipality. St. Louis County’s department of transportation is the second-largest steward of roads after MoDOT, so all of those subdivision streets are taken care of by the county highway department. You do have a bundle of local municipal-like services through the county. Trash services are fee-based and separated into trash districts through that particular company.”
Myth #3: Because there isn’t a mayor or city council, there is less government control.
“Our residents in unincorporated county have a lot of opportunity to engage in local government. The meetings might not be quite as close by, but we have so many cities across the county, with different levels of participation. If folks are inclined to be active, they’re going to be active in unincorporated areas.”
Myth #4: It takes longer for police and emergency services because they’re delivered through the county.
“We have a large police department, and we have precincts and substations throughout the county. The police department could give you exact numbers on response times if you want them, but they are located in many places throughout the county.”
Myth #5: Annexation rarely happens.
“We have one of the most complicated jurisdictions in the country. We have boundary laws under the Missouri statute that only apply to St. Louis County. There’s something called a Boundary Commission, an independent, state-created commission that reviews all of the annexations. In the county, a lot of places that wanted to be part of a city, a lot of that has already happened. Things quieted down, particularly with the recession… If constituents want to be part of another community, it’s certainly a doable thing. To create a new city is more complicated because we already have 90 cities, and you have to have a minimum of 10,000 people, and there has to be a petition under the state law to announce your interest in creating a new city; then you have to create another petition with all of the information about boundaries, etcetera—there’s a lot involved.”
