There’s a new update to a story out of St. Louis we covered back in April.
Late last month, a second lawsuit was filed in Cole County, Missouri seeking a declaratory judgment and writ of prohibition that Governor Jay Nixon and his appointed Task Force’s proposed funding of their $985 million stadium in St. Louis is illegal. The suit is brought by six state legislators and on behalf of Missouri Taxpayers and names Governor Nixon and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) as defendants.
The crux of the plaintiffs’ argument is that the proposed bond extension without a public vote as a vehicle for stadium funding goes beyond the authority vested in RSA by Missouri statue in that the principal amount owed on the bond will increase and the maturity date of the bonds will be extended longer than authorized. In addition, the suit alleges public money has already been allocated to the project illegally, the site of the proposed new stadium is too far removed from the Convention Center, and that the political makeup of the current RSA board is in violation of required political diversity mandated by statute.
The original suit regarding the validity of St. Louis City Ordinance 3.91, which requires a civic vote prior to the use of money for a stadium development, remains unresolved.