The Clayton Committee to Stop the Abuse of Eminent Domain lost its battle to put a referendum on the June ballot to override Calyton’s use of eminent domain for the private Centene Plaza project, but hasn’t yet given up. One can’t help but conclude that the Board voted the way they did solely to prevent this referendum:
Centene Plaza already has condemnation authority from the city’s Board of Aldermen, under an ordinance unanimously approved Dec. 13, when the mayor and five aldermen were present. Several votes were required, and all were taken that night.
Opponents generally can override an ordinance with a direct vote of the people. So they gathered petitions to put a referendum on the June ballot. City officials challenged it. City Attorney Kevin O’Keefe said the city charter does not permit a referendum on an ordinance that passed with all the required council votes in a single meeting.
The Committee can’t have a referendum, but they can have a ballot initiative. Presuming the Board doesn’t reverse course, Clayton voters will likely have an initiative banning all use of eminent domain for private development in Clayton. Hopefully it’ll pass, which will be an even better result than stopping this one project.
More: The Castle Coalition, Missouri Eminent Domain Abuse Coalition
