ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — Organizers of a new effort to consider merging St. Louis city and county government are getting their act together.
The Municipal League of Metro St. Louis — a group of county towns plus the city of St. Louis — almost has enough petition signatures to form a regional Board of Freeholders to discuss a merger.
Group President Patrick Kelly says unlike the failed Better Together plan, this process would be public from start to finish.
"This is a public process and it's bottom-up," Kelly told KMOX's Kevin Killeen. "The input from some of the residents and the plan that's developed by the Board of Freeholders is put together from that input."
The city and county would each appoint nine members to serve on the board, plus one appointed by the governor — for a total of 19 members. Organizers say the board could start taking shape as soon as next month.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson is already looking for applicants to nominate, pledging to name nine people who are "diverse and knowledgeable city voters."