Supreme Court of Missouri / Jun 25, 2024
Laura Salamun, et al., Appellants, v. The Camden County Clerk, et al., Respondents; and Gail Griswold, et al., Appellants, v. Miller County, et al., Respondents.
Gail Griswold, Shawnee Bluff Winery, Laura Salamun, and Pointe View Management (Challengers) appealed judgments that declared section 67.1175.1 of the Missouri Revised Statutes unconstitutional. The Challengers argued that this section, when read with section 67.1177, mandated political subdivisions to grant public money to a private entity, violating the Missouri Constitution. The circuit court had attempted to cure this by modifying the statute. The Missouri Supreme Court reversed, holding that even with the modification, the statutory scheme still unconstitutionally required public money to be granted to a private entity. The Court further concluded that the unconstitutional provisions were not severable from the rest of the scheme, striking down sections 67.1170, 67.1175, 67.1177, and 67.1180 in their entirety, and remanded for the dissolution of the lake area business districts.