Four statewide proposals to appear on Nov. 4 ballot

The presidential election is less than 60 days away, and in addition to a host of local, state and national races, there are four ballot issues being decided in the Nov. 4 election. Two are proposed constitutional amendments; Amendment 1 and Amendment 4 and two are proposed changes to Missouri law; Proposition A and Proposition B. The constitutional amendments were proposed by the Missouri legislature and the two propositions were proposed by initiative petitions.

Amendment 1 would make English the official language of public meetings in Missouri. It would change the constitution to add a statement that English would be the language of all governmental meetings at which any public business is discussed, decided, or public policy is formulated. The Secretary of State's Web site says the amendment would have no impact on taxes.

Amendment 4 proposes that the Missouri Constitution be amended to change provisions relating to the financing of storm water control projects by limiting availability of grants and loans to public water and sewer districts only; removing the cap on available funding and existing restrictions on disbursements; requiring loan repayments to be used only for storm water control projects. The Web site says the amendment would have no impact on taxes. However it is estimated the cost to state governmental entities could be up to $236,000 annually but the potential savings would be up to $7,500 on each bond issue. It is also estimated that local governmental bodies could save money as well but there is no estimate for those savings.

Proposition A proposes a change to repeal the current loss limit on gambling and prohibit any future limits. It would restrict the number of casinos to those already built or being built and increase the casino tax from 20 percent to 21 percent. It would also create a new fund specifically for education and require annual audits of the fund.

State governmental entities would receive an estimated $105 million to $130 million annually for elementary and secondary education, and $5 million to $7 million annually for higher education, early childhood development, veterans, and other programs. Local governmental entities receiving gambling boat tax and fee revenues would receive an estimated $18 million to $19 million annually.

Proposition B proposes a Missouri Quality Homecare Council to ensure the availability of quality home care services under the Medicaid program. The council would assist in recruiting, training, and stabilizing the home care workforce in Missouri. The measure would have no impact on taxes but estimates place the cost to government bodies at more than $500,000 annually.