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Older cities, such as Ballwin, operate very efficiently and desire local control. Where efficient, they have working relationships with St. Louis County and the State of Missouri. They also have cooperative agreements with neighboring cities such as Manchester and Ellisville to share costs, amenities, etc. Five cities, Manchester, Winchester, Ellisville and Wildwood are working collaboratively on the Great Streets Initiative, an effort to reinvent Manchester Road into a destination, a community-oriented area, instead of merely a means of getting from one place to another. This project is essential for economic revitalization along this corridor. Secondly, Wildwoood and Chesterfield, newer municipalities, exist because they were unhappy with St. Louis County control. They desired control of their own zoning issues, etc. And Ballwin hasn't always been 31,000+ residents. Many annexations have taken place over the years. Annexations out of St. Louis County jurisdiction and into a locally-controlled government complete with excellent services and amenities. In my opinion, St. Louis County maintains control over the Boundary Commission and it appears to have effectively halted the exodus of county residents into quality cities like Ballwin. We cannot ignore the authority these 91 cities maintain by virtue of their incorporated status. Positive, constructive efforts to collaborate and yes, possibly merge, will be the only way to go. Giving bigger entities, like St. Louis County, the ability to manage this issue is like asking the Fox to guard the hen house. One last comment, take Ballwin's Clean Air Ordinance as an example. Ballwin has had their CAO in place for many years. Many shouted "it needs to be regional or state-wide first". The county-wide CAO did not occur until forward-thinking cities like Ballwin and Clayton took the first steps and passed CLEAN legislation - few exemptions - to protect their citizens, employees and patrons from the dangers of second hand smoke.