An important goal of East-West Gateway is to update, expand, and maintain information relating to the provision of local government services in the region. Available data include community profiles, as well as
local government revenues and expenditures for public services in the bi-state St. Louis region, including transportation, education, emergency services and housing, and others. Staff conduct appropriate analyses of these financial data in order to understand public investment trends and patterns, and suggest areas for future policy research. Listed below is a sampling of educational materials for citizens and local officials that help to describe where public revenues come from, where
they go, and what taxpayers and local officials are buying with their investment in public services. Local Government Partnership Website  The Local Government Partnership is a collaborative effort between East-West Gateway
Council of Governments, University of Missouri-St. Louis Public Policy Administration, University of Missouri Extension and the Public Policy Research Center. This website is a resource for local government officials that provides information, assistance, and training to better address and respond to existing and emerging constituent and governmental needs.
Atlas of Local Government Finance
Understanding how essential public services are funded in the St. Louis region requires understanding the complex geospatial organization of our local taxing system. This Atlas provides information that is intended to help local officials, taxpayers, and students of public policy better understand that system.  Atlas of Local Government Finance (pdf file - 5.1 mg)
(Note: because of its filesize, this document can be accessed much
faster if you download it and view it from your local computer drive)
 Slideshow: Atlas of Local Gov’t
Finance: What It Tells Us About the Region
A Guide to Financing Local Government Services: Fire
Protection in the St. Louis Region This is the first in a series of reports on the financing of basic local government services in the bistate area. The report describes the governance and financing structures of the 171 fire departments and districts that protect the region’s citizens and property. The report pulls information from a variety of literature, policy, and fiscal reviews and databases, as well as a series of one-on-one interviews with fire
protection officials in Missouri and Illinois counties.  The report is a good starting point
for dialogue and further exploration of our future public service needs. A Guide to Financing Local Government
Services: Fire Protection in the
St. Louis Region - January 2006
(pdf file - 1.1 mg)
Sales Tax Collections Growth, Preliminary Analysis, 1998 – 2003 Municipalities in the St. Louis region rely on sales tax collections for much of their annual revenues. At an average of 17 percent, sales tax collections comprise a greater portion of local government resources as compared to the national average of seven percent. Because this is such an important government resource, East-West Gateway
tracked sales tax collections over time using data acquired with the cooperation of state and county officials.
Where Do the Smiths Pay Taxes? Everyone of us pays taxes to multiple districts for multiple purposes every day. The purpose of this report is to show how one family, the Smiths, pays taxes in a regular week. How complicated can it be? In one week this normal family pays 55 different taxes.
Click on the chart (above) to view this two-page document. Metropolitan Forum Website
Representing East-West Gateway, Focus St. Louis and RCGA, The Metropolitan Forum is a venture of leaders in the business, government and civic sectors, working together to build a better St. Louis region. This website includes community profiles and resources relating to local government finance. | 
