Two residents — one a former elected official — filed suit against Kirkwood last week alleging an increase to local electric rates made last year is illegal under state law while also demanding an audit of the city-owned utility.
Former City Council Member Al Rheinnecker, along with Kirkwood resident and fellow plaintiff Fonda Fantroy Richards, filed a suit in St. Louis County on Oct. 28. The suit argues that a 14.8% increase in electric rates passed in October 2025 violated the Missouri Hancock Amendment, which requires certain tax increases to go to a vote of the people.
Rheinnecker told the Times on Tuesday that the lawsuit was brought forward and funded by the Holy Joe Society, a St. Louis-based organization dedicated to “honest, lawful government.” The group needed two Kirkwood residents who had paid utility bills to give the case standing…