By B. Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – Residents of St. Louis County may soon have the same opportunity that city voters had last year when they decided against using tax money for sports facilities.
While the Cardinals say private funding for a new stadium is almost in place, the team is also seeking $45-million in bonds from the county. Fred Lindecke, with the Coalition Against Public Funding for Stadiums, says those bonds would have to be approved by voters if the group's petition initiative is a success.
"The county was taken to the cleaners on the Jones Dome. The county taxpayers are paying six million dollars a year to pay off the Jones Dome and the county taxpayers have gotten nowhere near six million dollars a year back in revenue. And a new Cardinal ballpark is just a repetition of that," Lindecke said.
Lindecke says the Coalition must collect 25,000 signatures in order to place charter amendment on the November, 2004, ballot.