Site work and renovation of a mixed-use development in Saint Charles, Missouri. Completed plans call for the renovation of a detention facility; for site work for a detention facility; municipal facility; and municipal facility.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/elections/st-charles-county-voters-approve-prop-k-extending-quarter-cent-sales-tax/article_6f844712-f05e-11ee-bf0e-479a0361f779.html ST. CHARLES COUNTY — St. Charles County voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a local sales tax to fund a number of capital improvements. The quarter-cent sales tax renewal passed with 65% of the vote and was carried in all but one of the county’s 116 precincts, according to the unofficial results from the St. Charles County Election Authority. In the Flint Hill precinct, voters were equally split on the sales tax with 80 voters voting in favor and against the proposal. The tax, which appeared on the ballot as Proposition K, was first approved by voters in 1991. It has been renewed twice before Tuesday’s vote and is now slated to continue for 15 years before going back to voters for another renewal. St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann said renewal of the tax was vital for the county’s future. “I keep telling people, we’re not growing government, but we are growing in population. So we need to build additional facilities just to provide the same level of service that we have traditionally done. If we are going to go forward and continue to grow with population, then we need to have this sales tax,” Ehlmann told members of the St. Charles County Council last month. People are also reading… Habitat for Humanity pitches its biggest housing development in St. Charles County Former AT&T tower in downtown St. Louis sold to Boston firm Messenger: A battle over playing catch in a Ballwin backyard reaches a fevered pitch Wentzville schools superintendent leaves after less than two years Since 2010, the county’s population has grown from 360,000 to more than 416,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With Proposition K approved, the county will expand the St. Charles County Crime lab in order to handle more gun-related cases and DNA-testing cases; add more cell space to the St. Charles County Jail in order to accommodate a rise in violent crime; construct a second Pet Adoption Center location in western St. Charles County; and expand the St. Charles County Courthouse to add three more courtrooms as the number of felony cases rises. “You can talk to any of the police departments in the county, and they will tell you that our crime lab has been a tremendous asset. We used to have to wait weeks and months some time to get information now we can get it days or even hours and we absolutely need it,” Ehlmann said. The crime lab is housed in the St. Charles County Police Headquarters in O’Fallon, which is another project previously funded by the capital improvement sales tax. In addition, the county will spend about 40% of Proposition K’s revenue on upgrades to the county’s public safety divisions, including police and emergency dispatching. This includes purchasing items such as new police radios, body cameras, bulletproof vests, Tasers and other equipment that are not covered by the county’s general fund. It also pays for new patrol vehicles, Ehlmann said. Another beneficiary of the capital improvement sales tax being renewed is the county jail, which is located in downtown St. Charles. Despite recent renovations, Ehlmann said more work must be done to make the jail safer to “protect our employees who work there and to protect the public, making sure that the people that are in there, stay there.” “We don’t have the same kind of inmates we did have 20 or 30 years ago. We have much more hardened criminals,” Ehlmann said. Of those housed at the jail, county officials report that two-thirds of them are not St. Charles County residents and about 80% of the entire jail population suffer from either mental health or addiction-related issues. The county will also use the capital improvement sales tax to pay for the construction of new courtrooms in the St. Charles County Courthouse. State officials have already requested that three new judicial positions be created in St. Charles County due to the caseload facing the existing 16 judges in the county. If approved by the state legislature, the county must provide those new judges with courtroom space. “It won’t be long and we will need to be ready to build additional courtrooms,” said Ehlmann, a former judge. The renewed tax will also fund the acquisition of property and construction of a new pet adoption center. The county’s current facility, which will remain open, is at capacity, is landlocked and can’t be expanded, according to county officials. The county has talked about building the new pet adoption center in the western portion of the county, but a site has not been officially selected. _________________________________________________________________________________ St. Charles County reserves the right to accept and/or reject any and all bids Any questions or clarifications concerning this Request for Bid must be submitted in writing via E-mail (preferred), mail or fax to: Pam Luesse Finance Department, St. Charles County Government 201 North Second St St. Charles, Missouri 63301 Fax: (636)949-7589 pluesse@sccmo.org All questions must be received no later than 2:00 PM on 3/14/2024. Any question received after this deadline may not be answered.