Friends,

Time flies! This last week marked 6 months that I have had the privilege of serving as Mayor of our great community! I want to thank all of you for this opportunity, and I look forward to the opportunities for continued service in the year ahead.

At a recent meeting of Lafayette Area Mayors, I talked about our park improvements and plans and was told by some of my colleagues that the Ballwin Parks and Recreation facilities set the standard for all of West County. In addition, several nearby subdivisions in unincorporated St. Louis County have approached Ballwin about becoming part of our great city. The most common reasons cited by the Trustees were the Pointe and the North Pointe Aquatic Center, as well as our curbside leaf pickup and the efficient and quick snow removal. It is awesome to hear from others how great things are in Ballwin!

As your elected officials strive to keep Ballwin’s highly desirable services to our residents, our budget workshops were held last month, and our dedicated city staff is preparing the final document which will be considered at the Board of Aldermen meeting on December 8th . The proposed budget includes significant investments in public safety, streets and sidewalks, and our parks and recreation facilities.

It was great to see some of you at the Halloween Hullabaloo on October 24th. It was fun to see all the families who brought their little spidermen, princesses, lighted ponies and more to the party for the fun and games. It was my pleasure to award the 1st Ballwin Chili Cook-off trophy to City Clerk/Marketing & Communications Specialist Megan Freeman for her delicious chicken chili!

Our free curbside leaves pick-up program began on Monday and will be operating in all four wards until early December. Just rake your leaves to the curb and our Public Works crews will be by to collect them. Be sure that no one parks a car in front of the leaf pile, preventing crews from doing their jobs. We will put out multiple notices of the last day to have your leaves on the curb to be sure they will be picked up!

Finally, we need your help! We all know that the holidays can be a very tough time for those among us dealing with food insecurity. The City of Ballwin is proud to partner with Circle of Concern to help support our neighbors through the Feed the Masses Food Drive. I hope you will join me in bringing non-perishable food items to the Pointe now through November 30th . Every donation makes a difference—thank you for helping us spread kindness this season!

On behalf of my family, my fellow elected officials and the entire city staff, I want to wish you and your family and loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

If you have any questions or ideas to share, never hesitate to call me at 314-324-9707 or email me at mstallmann@ballwin.mo.us!

Mayor Mark R. Stallmann