The HOA’s initial discussion of a potential Ballwin annexation, including proposed benefits and costs.
Original source: March 2025 discussion following the March 27 meeting; original posting day not recorded.
Dear Shadowoak Homeowners,
On 3/27/25, I visited the Ballwin Government Center and met with Eric Sterman, City Administrator, and Lynn Sprick, City Planner, concerning the possible annexation of our subdivision by the City of Ballwin.
The St. Louis County Boundary Commission has opened a 5-year term for annexation of unincorporated subdivisions into municipalities. This allows subdivisions to petition a municipality to be considered for annexation. In each year of the 5-year term, a “window” of time, about 3 months, opens, in which the petitions may be submitted. Once submitted, the Boundary Commission reviews it, and either approves or disapproves it. That process usually takes 3 to 4 months.
The process of submitting the application requires that a petition for annexation must be signed by 75% of all the registered voters in the subdivision. This would include everyone in the house who is a registered voter, not just one person. Once the application is turned in (during one of the “windows” of acceptance), it is valid for one year. A 75% approval rate in a subdivision clearly states that a majority of the residents want the annexation to go through.
Pros to the annexation to Ballwin
No additional property tax to City Residents
Resident rates at all City recreational facilities
Services:
Ballwin Police Department – more personal policing
Snow plowing
Public street and sidewalk repair
Leaf pickup fall into winter
Ballwin code enforcement and permit services
Ballwin assumes payment to Ameren for streetlights that are in public right of way
Ballwin trash hauler (trash, recycling and yard waste); paid by homeowner
Smaller government (more personal)
Cons to the annexation to Ballwin
There is a 7% utility tax in Ballwin, versus a 5% utility tax in St. Louis County (increase of 2%).
Vehicle sales tax is paid to the City in which a person lives, not where the vehicle is purchased. Ballwin tax rate is 8.738%.
I asked Ballwin why they would want to take on more area to service. What is the benefit to them? Ballwin receives a portion of the St. Louis County sales tax pool money. The amount they receive is based on the number of residents. In the future, they would also receive a portion of internet sales tax money, again based on the number of residents. From what I understand, this is not occurring now, but will more than likely happen in the future. They also believe that if St. Louis City tries to take over St. Louis County (Better Together Movement), a larger City would be less likely to be taken over.
According to Mr. Sterman, the costs to us would be pretty much the same as they are now, some higher, some lower. I showed him my real estate tax bill and asked what would change, and he said nothing would change on that tax bill.
I questioned Mr. Sterman about Ballwin taking over the care of the pond, and he said that would not be an option. BUT, he thinks that we could negotiate with Ballwin to have their workers take down some of the invasive vegetation at the pond, which would solve a big problem. We would still pay to have the pond treated and mowed. We would still have to take care of our common ground and cul-de-sac circles. BUT, we would no longer pay for street lights using our HOA fees, cutting our expenses by $15,000 to $16,000 per year. This would not only improve our financial outlook, but could keep our HOA fees at a reasonable level.
I am sorry for the long post, but this is really important and I am trying to gauge interest from the homeowners in our subdivision in order to determine if we want to petition Ballwin for annexation. Please review the pros and cons carefully and if you have any concern or questions I have not addressed, ask and I will do my best to answer. If there is enough interest, I will meet with the city officials to explore the petition process in more detail.
Thank You for your consideration.
Paula Kleypas
President, Shadowoak HOA