DES PERES   •   Opponents of a potential St. Louis City and County merger launched a preemptive strike Thursday night against a measure they acknowledge is at best still in the discussion stage. Â
The organizer of the 75-minute symposium that touched on the history of the 1876 city-county "divorce," subsequent attempts since then to reconcile and the problems an alliance with the city could pose to modern day St. Louis County nonetheless believes an all-out merger campaign is on the horizon.Â
"I think it's impending," said Jack Baumann, a 27-year-old businessman and founder of the .
The evidence, Baumann said, lies in what he characterizes as the pro-merger efforts of the and , the organization conducting a year-long study into various issues connected to a reunification of the city and county.
People are also reading…
Supporters of a partial or complete merger point out that the issue, which must be approved by voters, is not nor is it scheduled to be on a ballot at any point in the foreseeable future.
But that hasn't stopped a handful of municipalities from enacting legislation opposing reunification. Â
Jennifer Bird, the founder of the anti-merger advocacy group Common Sense for St. Louis, said  after the forum that she believes the process could unfold quietly and without the knowledge of most residents.
The city and county, she noted, are already united financially in the support of the museum district, water and sewer services, sports stadiums and a host of other projects and initiatives.
"After all the incremental merging it could be just a technicality to finish it off," said Bird, a Republican candidate in the 5th St. Louis County Council district.
The evening's most vociferous opponent of reunification, Bird made her case with economic data, municipal spending and crime charts.
She went out of her way several times to praise the city as a "good neighbor."
Ultimately, however, Bird said county residents need to ask themselves, is a merger essentially a move to "bailout" the city? Â Â Â
Approximately 60 people attended the forum, including a fair number of municipal officials and candidates for state and municipal office. Â