ST. CHARLES, Mo. – An $85 million tax measure to build a new city center for the City of St. Charles was approved this week.
The proposal passed with 63% of the vote, but it required extra campaigning.
“I think (the campaign cost) was about $85,000; there were some private contributions to help…but for the most part that’s about right,” Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said.
Campaigning included mail and town hall meetings.
“Well, you got to communicate with the people and if you don’t, it costs a lot more to lose an election than it does to win,” he said in response to asking if the money was worth it.
He thinks the new 150,000-square-foot space will be well worth the money. It will host a city hall, senior citizens center, historical society, recreation center, and more. Borgmeyer says it will draw more businesses to the area.
“It will be extraordinary…I’m already getting calls from people saying, ‘Hey, that thing went through, we’d like to be a part of that,’ so you’ll see restaurants, (and) we have proposals for hotels,” he said.
The current building for city hall was built in 1975 and is appraised at $3.7 million. Borgmeyer says they’re in negotiations with another government agency to take over the building, as well as other private sectors putting down offers for apartments or condominiums.
“I’d like to see it become part of the government justice center,” he said. “We’ve got the jail up there, we’ve got the courts up there, I think that would be a nice addition if the county is so inclined to do that.”
Construction for the new center will begin later this year and is expected to be completed at the end of 2026.
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