A dayslong filibuster in the Missouri Senate ended Thursday after a Republican faction allowed a vote on a more than $4 billion Medicaid program they had been holding hostage.

Senators gave initial approval in a voice vote to a bill that will renew a longstanding tax on hospitals and other medical providers. The measure needs a second vote of approval in the Senate.

Money from the tax is used to draw down $2.9 billion in federal funding, which is then given to providers to care for low-income residents on Medicaid health care.

$15 MINIMUM WAGE INCHES CLOSER TO APPEARING ON MISSOURI BALLOT

The vote came after members of the Freedom Caucus, a GOP faction, on Tuesday began blocking any work from getting done on the Senate floor. They took shifts stalling two nights in a row by reading books about former President Ronald Reagan and going through the proposed state budget line by line.

The Freedom Caucus had been leveraging the tax to pressure Senate Republican leaders to pass a bill kicking Planned Parenthood off the state’s Medicaid program, which the chamber did last month.

The House last week sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who is expected to sign it.

On Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus used the hospital tax again to demand that Parson sign the Planned Parenthood defunding bill and that the Legislature pass a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the bar for passing future amendments.

The hope is that raising the vote threshold to amend the constitution would hypothetically make it harder for voters to pass a pending abortion rights amendment this fall.

Republican lawmakers have said raising the bar for amending the constitution is a top priority.

GOP senators only managed to pass the proposal after negotiations with Senate Democrats to strip other election-related language, which House Republicans want, from the proposal.

Senate Majority Lear Cindy O’Laughlin said in a Facebook post Wednesday she plans to bring the measure on constitutional amendments up for debate May 6.

Both the Freedom Caucus and Republican Senate leaders are claiming victory in the extended standoff.

The Freedom Caucus said in a statement they formed a coalition with 18 senators — enough to force a vote without support from Democrats — in support of passing the constitutional amendment.

Other Senate Republicans said the advancement of the crucial hospital tax represents a defeat for the Freedom Caucus.

“What you saw today was the majority of the majority party all sticking together saying we know we have a duty to govern in this state, and we’re going to do whatever we need to do that,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough told the Missouri Independent.

The last time a Missouri Senate filibuster lasted so long was in 2016, when Democrats stood to protest proposed protections for those who cite their faith in denying services such as flowers or cakes for same-sex weddings.

The city of Sterling Heights is expected to approve a $252 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes upgrades to 14 Mile and 18 Mile roads, adding a risk-reduction officer in fire prevention, and increasing water and sewer rates by 5.9%.

The Sterling Heights City Council is scheduled to vote on the budget at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Under the proposed budget, Sterling Heights would add two employees in the fire prevention division of the Fire Department. One is a community risk-reduction officer, who will look at “new and improved ways to inspect buildings,” said City Manager Mark Vanderpool. The other position is a mobile integrated EMS health coordinator, who will help reduce the number of low acuity ambulance runs in the city.

The city is also planning over $22 million in road work in the upcoming fiscal year, including the $10 million revitalization of Clinton River Road. The city is planning to reconstruct the road between Hayes Road and Canal Road, close sidewalk gaps and add bike lanes or a non-motorized path. Jennifer Varney, the city’s chief financial officer, said the initial work on the project, like environmental studies, will occur in the next fiscal year, but construction might not start until summer 2025.

The budget includes resurfacing 14 Mile from Van Dyke to Maple Lane, 18 Mile from Utica Road to the Plumbrook Drain and 17 Mile from Mound to Van Dyke.

Sterling Heights council members haven’t made any amendments during the budget process. Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko said the council can change the budget at any time during the fiscal year, though.

“This is just making sure that the majority of us approve of what’s there and we have a roadmap to where we’re going,” Ziarko said of the impending budget approval.

New employees for fire prevention

The budget includes hiring a community risk-reduction officer, who would develop new ideas for fire inspection processes. For example, the city’s Building Department conducted virtual inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, so something similar could be done for fire inspections, the city manager said.

“The risk reduction officer is gonna identify more of these types of ideas,” Vanderpool said, “so that we can be more productive in our fire inspections, be able to do more of them and continue to keep our community very safe.”

A mobile integrated EMS health coordinator would also be added to the fire prevention division. Vanderpool said EMS personnel across the country are “overloaded” with a growing number of EMS runs. He said this is due in large part because people call 911 “for any ailment.”

“And the vast majority of those 911 calls are low-acuity calls,” Vanderpool said. “They don’t require a 911 EMS life-threatening response.”

Vanderpool said the mobile integrated EMS health coordinator would conduct outreach and work with “habitual callers.” The coordinator would educate these residents about alternatives to 911. The position also involves working with senior living facilities.

Ziarko said the city has residents who are “regulars” when it comes to 911 calls.

“How do we help them cope with their needs?” she said, adding that the city could suggest to them how to make their home safer.

Water and sewer rate increase

The FY 2024-25 budget includes a proposed combined 5.9% hike to the water and sewer rates. Varney said the Great Lakes Water Authority, which supplies the city’s water, and Macomb County, which treats the city’s sewage, are increasing their rates.

She said Sterling Heights’ average water use has been decreasing, but the city still has to maintain the system and pay workers, so the city has to charge higher rates to ensure it has enough money coming in.

Ziarko said that when utility providers give the city a rate increase, the city has had a history of not passing it on to residents.

“In this case, it’s necessary in order to balance our budget,” she said.

Other budget highlights

The city’s fund balance is “in a really good position,” said Varney, the city’s chief financial officer. The general fund balance will rise to about $38.4 million in fiscal year 2024-25, according to the city’s budget document.

“I think we’re well-positioned in case there’s any unexpected financial turmoil,” she said.

The city will have a millage rate of 16.5938 mills, a slight increase over the current rate of 16.3800 mills, due to an increase in the refuse collection millage rate. Last year, the City Council approved a new refuse collection contract, which went into effect last Wednesday, Varney said. The contract includes inflationary increases and additional services, including universal curbside recycling and automated cart collection, she said.

Varney said that under the old contract, residents had the option of paying $57 a year to the waste company for a curbside recycling subscription. Under the contract with the new company, recycling is universal. So the residents who were previously paying for a subscription will see a slight decrease in how much they’re paying for waste services.

“Obviously by … everyone having curbside recycling, we hope that recycling in the community increases exponentially,” she said.

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