Urban Outrage

If I, a resident of the City of St. Louis, want to use the beautiful new recreational facility that my city tax dollars built in Carondelet Park (a public park), I have to pay $46 a month (that's $552 a year) to the YMCA, who is managing the facility.

If, however, I want to buy a non-resident membership to just about any similar facility in the bordering suburbs, I will pay less.

Riverchase (Fenton, MO): $330 a year ($27.50 a month)
The Heights (Richmond Heights, MO): $345 a year ($31 a month, if paid in installments)
St. Peters Rec Plex (St. Peters, MO): $365 a year ($36 initial payment, $31 a month after)
Arnold Recreation Center (Arnold, MO): $300 a year

As you can see, the Carondelet Rec Plex -- which was built with funds from a 1/8 cent sales tax increase, and was sold as a community center -- is a LOT more expensive than comparable facilities in the region. And you have to join the YMCA to use it. Sure, those municipalities have higher taxes -- or do they? I don't recall paying 1% of my income to the city of Maplewood (which has access to The Heights) when I lived there. I haven't heard of anyone from Arnold or St. Peters or Ballwin doing that, either.

This isn't anything new with the city. The city collects earnings taxes, personal property taxes, real estate taxes, and sales taxes (which are higher than surrounding communities, by the way -- if I want a burrito from the Qdoba by my house, I pay 11% in sales taxes), and what do we, the taxpayers of St. Louis, receive?

Our public schools are shitty. Our police department is corrupt. Crime runs rampant on the north side. When it snows, only the major streets get cleared. Sure, we have free trash removal, but I wouldn't be surprised to walk out to the alley one morning to find coin slots on the dumpsters. And once they put coin slots on the dumpsters, I'm guessing the adoption of a peep show business model by the zoo won't be far behind.

I was really looking forward to using this "community" center, too. I guess I'm just not a part of the "community" for which it was intended, since I'm one of the 70% of households in St. Louis with an income less than $50,000 a year.