Creve Coeur’s annual report has highs and lows

Officials for the city of Creve Coeur are forging forward after trying to withstand the most brutal economic climate in 80 years as it delivers its annual report for the 2009 fiscal year.

Creve Coeur City Administrator Mark Perkins said that the fiscal year, which ran from July 1 2008, to June 30, 2009, was productive despite the recession. In the past year, development did slow somewhat due to the economy.

"No question we have been affected by the economy," Perkins said. "We're projecting a 5 percent decrease in revenue from the previous year. We have also seen the sales tax go down 10 percent in one calendar year. That's a significant number."

Perkins said that the city has long-range financial challenges in the coming years. The city staff will be working with the Finance Committee and Creve Coeur City Council to identify strategies for balancing the city's budget in future years, Perkins said.

With funds not being readily available, city officials have been working to secure grant funding for projects that both preserve Creve Coeur's infrastructure and improve the quality of life. In 2009, the city received $1.2 million in grant money, according to the report. These funds have allowed Creve Coeur to complete improvements that were needed - such as the new playground and slash pad at Millennium Park and the resurfacing of New Ballas Road. 

Among the projects that the city embarked on in the past year was the opening of the Bio Research and Development Growth Park, in an attempt to become an active member in life science research in the area. Also, a new Walgreen's at Dautel/Graeser and Olive Blvd. was approved in the past year and construction is slated to begin early next year. That project, which did not come without controversy, also comes with an accompanying traffic signal and realignment project with the aid of a Transportation Development District (TDD). In addition, a Regions Bank was approved at Olive Blvd. and Questover Lane and a Phillips 66 gas station and convenience store was built on Olive Blvd. and New Ballas Road.

Creve Coeur also became involved in the "green" process as it is one of the first city in the area to complete a Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and the city's leaders also adopted a green purchasing policy to guide its procurement process, Perkins said. The city's recently created Climate Action Task Force was the driving entity behind these actions. It advises the City Council on matters related to greenhouse gas emissions.

Other citywide committees and boards that were active in the past year include the Finance Committee, which provides input and recommendation to the City Council on key fiscal issues of the city. In fiscal year 2009, the committee recommended the adoption of the 2010-14 Capital Improvement Plan, which targets infrastructure projects within the city. 

Creve Coeur did not endure the year without hardships and tragedy, however. Last year, a 49-year-old health fitness instructor was brutally murdered in her home during a robbery attempt by two teen-aged boys who turned out to be her neighbors. The case was solved in about 24 hours and the suspects were quickly apprehended.

"The Creve Coeur Police Department has long been recognized as one of the top law enforcement agencies in the state, and its professionalism was demonstrated in the handling of this case," Perkins said.