Lee Rashman said he was among those who “see the value in the ideas of Better Together."

"Chesterfield's economic health is tied to the region's,” he said.

Mike Hejna, a Chesterfield resident and a member of the Better Together Board of Directors, said the region is underperforming in economic development and questioned the wisdom and cost of the area having so many governments, fire departments, police agencies and others delivering municipal services.

But others were critical of the Better Together plan.

“Use our tax money to save Chesterfield from a city-county merger and (resulting) corruption – I'd be in favor of a lawsuit to stop any merger,” Marjie Saiter said.

She added that she feared a merger would cause real estate and property taxes to increase and property values to decrease. “How do we stop this train wreck?” she asked.

Ron Cawood said St. Louis “is a financial and social disaster, their crime is out of control, and routine maintenance isn't being performed.” He added that the city's taxes and debt are higher than the county's.