Those include a statement that the Better Together petition “was conceived, developed and written in secret, without the participation of those directly affected, by an unelected and unaccountable non-governmental organization, promoting their agenda, while the citizens in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County were not afforded the protection of the Missouri Sunshine Law which insures governmental transparency, openness and accountability.”

Another clause states that any statewide ballot “dilutes the votes from within the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County and demonstrates contempt for the citizens of the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County by denying them the sole right to determine their future and form of governance.”

Yet another clause said the Better Together proposal would cause “the confiscation/seizure of property and assets that the city of Chesterfield has acquired and maintained over the years for the benefit of its citizens and to provide services to them,” while another says a future metro council would be permitted to “assume the financial obligations of the city of St. Louis ... thereby forcing St. Louis County residents to pay debts that they did not incur.”