The CWE Southeast Special Business District is funded through a yearly tax on commercial and residential property owners collected by the City of St. Louis. The maximum assessed tax rate is 85 cents per $100 assessed property value, with a cap of $7,000 per property. However, because Missouri state law limits the District's revenue growth, the current tax rate has been rolled back to 42.74 cents per $100 assessed property value. The District expects to collect about $62,000 in 2008 tax revenues to be used for the 2009 fiscal year.
Services
CWE Southeast Special Business District funds are used for security related projects and services. The district contracts with private security firms who hire off-duty St. Louis police officers to patrol the district three to four nights per week.
Board of Commissioners
The CWE Southeast Special Business District Board of Commissioners consists of seven members, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Aldermen. Five members must be property owners or their representatives, and two members must be renters. Each member serves a four-year term. No employee or elected official of the City may be a member of the Board of Commissioners.
History
The CWE Southeast Special Business District was first established in 1996 for a three-year period by a majority of district voters. Voters reauthorized the district in 1999 for an additional 10 years. Voters will decide whether to reauthorize and expand the district in 2009.
Meetings
The CWE Southeast Special Business District meets at 4:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at Central West End Midtown Development, 12 N. Sarah St. If you’d like to attend a meeting, please call 535-5311 or email to confirm the meeting will be held as scheduled.