One small step for St. Louis; one giant step in ignoring its tax-paying citizens. Or is that the other way around?
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that a St. Louis judge has cleared the way for the city to use tax dollars on the construction of a riverfront football stadium without requiring voter approval. The ruling gives the city more of an opportunity to demonstrate to the NFL that it has a viable solution to keep the St. Louis Rams from moving to Los Angeles.
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St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Thomas Frawley declared a city ordinance that requires a public vote for the use of the tax money, the Post-Dispatch reported. Frawley also ruled that the stadium, which is projected to be built along the riverfront just north of the city's downtown area, does not break a state law stipulating that the building must be "adjacent" to the convention center.
"'Adjacent' has commonly been interpreted by Missouri courts to mean 'near or close at hand,'" Frawley wrote in his ruling - and not necessarily, he continued, "touching each other," the Post-Dispatch reported.
St. Louis University Law Professor John Ammann told the Post-Dispatch that the ruling was a "terrible day for democracy" and has filed a separate suit to force a city vote.
"Regardless, the ruling represents another step toward a new football stadium, now expected to cost $998 million," the Post-Dispatch reported.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif., reportedly with the intention of relocating the Rams back out west in 2016. A move requires the approval of three-fourths of the 32 NFL owners.
The league has said its policy is to favor the existing city if it has a viable solution for a team's stadium problems.
"The ruling is seen as a hurdle cleared by the St. Louis task force that is trying to keep the Rams in St. Louis," Sporting News reported.
Or if the Rams still move, the city would have something to lure another team, the Post-Dispatch suggested.
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