Even if more sales tax revenue became available for unincorporated county residents through dissolution, with the current political structure who is going to make sure it is spent evenly and appropriately? Unless all municipalities were dissolved and there was a radical reorganization of county government that involved local representation, residents would benefit much more from the responsiveness that would come with somewhat larger and more efficient combined municipalities. Easy access to public officials is a key part of why small suburban municipalities can be beneficial.

Also, the biggest argument in favor or many local governments is that residents can pick and choose the best mix of services and tax rates that suits them. Contracting with the county isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition – and municipalities can set their own tax rates. So a suburb full of recyclers living in fortified castles could set a low tax rate and choose a minimum level of county services a la carte, selecting maybe just road maintenance and fire protection while foregoing trash pickup and police protection. So if the county is a wholesaler of services, the middlemen analogy is a pretty good one. And let’s not forget that there are some pretty awful unincorporated parts of the county. Affton and Spanish Lake are nice, but you also have Lemay and Castle Point. Part of the reason these areas get so bad is that residents are so far from their government.

All that being said, 91 municipalities is ridiculously inefficient for all of the reasons everyone already knows and more. But rather than consolidating responsibilities under the county, we should have fewer, larger municipal governments that can efficiently provide a range of tax/service mix choices to area residents. They should also be small enough and have a government structure that allows citizens some level of access so that you don’t get the disconnect that leads to a Castle Point.