Neither Centreville or Alorton, whose citizens are voting on a merger proposal in the upcoming March 17 primary, filed last year’s financial report or audit with state comptroller Susana Mendoza.
The city of Centreville hasn’t filed reports or audits for three years.
Mendoza’s office sent a reminder of delinquency to Centreville on Jan. 17, according to deputy communications director Jayette Bolinski.
“Prior to that, it was recorded that staff stopped by the government building on Nov. 20, 2019, to speak with the mayor or clerk, neither of whom were available,” Bolinski said in an emailed statement.
“Our staff did eventually speak with the finance officer, Lamar Gentry, who was unable to provide dates of compliance but said he would work on the tax increment financing reports.
“There were several other prior attempts to contact Centreville officials by leaving messages and sending reminder emails about delinquency.”
Finance officer Gentry has twice pleaded guilty of federal crimes.
In 2006, grand jurors in U.S. district court indicted him on a charge that he failed to pay income tax for seven years.
Alorton had paid him as village administrator on a contract basis.
His Gentry Group business had also held contracts with the village of Washington Park and the state transportation department.
Grand jurors found he failed to separate business expenses from personal expenses and routinely paid personal expenses from his corporate checking account.
They found he paid for a Las Vegas wedding with money from the business.
They found he made false statements to revenue agents regarding whether expenditures were business or personal.
He pleaded guilty in 2007, and former district judge Patrick Murphy sentenced him to eight months in prison.
At some point Alorton restored him as village administrator.
Grand jurors in district court indicted him again in 2018, on a charge that he made a false statement attempting to obstruct justice.
They found that on Sept. 19, 2017, St. Louis police investigated a report of gunshots fired from a white Chevrolet Impala.
They found that police saw a car matching the description and tried to stop it; they found that two occupants jumped out and fled on foot and they found the Impala carried municipal license plates assigned to Gentry.
They further found that on Oct. 13, 2017, Gentry told an agent that the Impala had been sold and partially paid for; they also found Gentry knew the vehicle had not been sold.
He pleaded guilty in 2018, and District Judge David Herndon placed him on probation for five years.
Herndon waived the fine.
Separate ballot proposals in the March 17 election ask voters if they want to unite as the "City of Alcentra" with an aldermanic form of government chosen by wards. A simple majority is needed to pass both measures.
Alorton Mayor Jo Ann Reed and Centreville Mayor Marius Jackson told residents that they "totally agree with the proposal."
They say consolidation of the two communities where median income is $19,450 in Alorton and $17,441 in Centreville, will mean better roads and sewers, better housing, better jobs, better government and lower taxes.
A top concern among some residents is that the proposal would benefit politicians more than it would the citizens in the economically struggling towns.
Shirley Collins of Alorton has her doubts.
"These politicians have not kept their word nor promises thus far, so how can anybody believe them now?" she said in an earlier interview.
"What is in this merger to help the youth? How long after the merger will they vote to give themselves a raise? This merger would only be good for the politicians and their friends and family."