Walmart TIF Legislation Approved In Council Special Session

A controversial Ellisville Walmart is one step closer to opening its doors. The Ellisville City Council approved legislation, which authorizes the issuance of Tax Increment Financing notes for RPA 1, during a special session Wednesday night. 

RPA 1 includes the site that the Walmart would be located. But the 4-3 vote took place only after concerns were raised about how and why the special session was called.

It began when the floor was open for discussion over the legislation, Bill 3318. Council member Linda Reel opened the conversation with a difficult confession.

“I have gone through a real hard time over this, and I did go to my personal attorney and I got another attorney’s opinion,” she said. “You can be sued no matter what. The city can be sued. I have to vote ‘aye’ for this because I do not want to be sued.”

Reel continued on to explain she had had been pressured by supporters on both sides of the bill, which Mayor Adam Paul didn’t drop when he took the floor after Reel had finished.

“Council member Reel, did you feel pressured into voting, at the first reading, aye for this? And what kind of feedback have you gotten, was it apartment owners that called you?”

Paul soon clarified that he was questioning how the council had come to its special session.

“I had a fear that Sansone was going to sue us if we did not do the second reading by the end of the month,” Reel replied to Paul’s question. “That is the honest truth, and that’s why I was also the one who called the meeting.”

The mayor continued asking questions, next of Paul Martin and whether the city council could be sued for voting in a particular manner. Martin deflected the questions, explaining that as the city attorney he had already given his legal opinion to the council, during an earlier closed session.

Mayor Paul’s questions continued until council member Matt Pirrello interjected, motioning for a call to question to vote on the bill.

Pirrello’s motion failed, but ultimately ended the discussion. Nearly twenty minutes after the TIF Bill was read, the council voted 4-3 to approve the legislation.

Council members Pirrello, Reel, Roze Acup and Cindy Pool voted to approve the bill, while Mayor Paul and council members Gary Voss and Mick Cahill voted against it.

At the end of Wednesday’s special meeting, one of the council members made a request to go into a closed session for personnel matters.