Webster Groves council discusses sales-tax, TDD and property-tax options to shore up city finances

Webster Groves — The City Council on Tuesday opened a months-long conversation about how to close a projected budget gap, hearing detailed briefings on four revenue options and asking staff for follow-up analysis and outside economic‑development advice.

Attorneys and finance staff described how an economic development sales tax (a half‑cent sales tax dedicated to projects that spur long‑term investment), a Transportation Development District (TDD), an increase in the fire‑protection sales tax (from 0.25¢ to 0.5¢) and a narrowly targeted property‑tax increase would work under Missouri law and what each option could raise for the city.

The council’s immediate direction: gather more policy analysis and stakeholder input and schedule a July work session to consider cross‑cutting impacts and timing. Council members agreed not to move forward with an August ballot push and signaled reluctance to hold an expensive standalone November election.

Why it matters

City staff said routine revenue growth has trailed expense growth for years. In the city’s projection cited in the briefing, average annual revenue growth…