Special District Strategies, LLC

01/05/2026

We are proud to have coordinated the development of the Missouri Special Districts Association from its July 2025 beginning as an ad hoc advocacy coalition focused on property tax reform to the incoprorated statewide, all-districts nonprofit organization it has now become.

SDS coordinated the steering committee and coalition activities during the organization's development from the "Missouri Special Districts Alliance" into a formal Association. This included 13 special districts roundtables, five statwide coordinating calls, testimony before a State Senate panel exploring property tax reform, and recruitment of 53 members.

MoSDA incorporated on December 31, 2025. Governing structures - including the founding Board of Directors and two primary committees - will be set through January 2026.

Missouri is now the 11th state with an organization to serve all types of special districts. SDS has coordinated two that have been formed as nonprofit organizations (MoSDA and the Arizona Special Districts Alliance).

Missouri’s special districts have formally established the Missouri Special Districts Association (MoSDA), a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening special districts and the leaders who deliver essential public services in...

12/29/2025

Be prepared for the policy landscape that special districts face in the year ahead, and get the latest on the goings-on in Special Districts World with the SDS Special Districts Download, the premiere news and advocacy service for all types of special districts.

Since February 2024, we have produced the 'Special Districts Download' as a biweekly newsletter that provides insights on federal issues and state policy trends for the special districts perspective. In September, this "Newsletter for a Special Purpose" to a subscription service offering enhanced advocacy resources, build a professional network for reliable and trustworthy professional services for our subscribers and clients, and to sustain our bimonthly virtual policy coffees.

Learn more and subscribe today! Annual individual subscriptions are only $50, and the first two editions are offered on a trial basis. Check it out! ➡️ https://specialdistrictstrategies.com/sds-download

07/24/2025

Special District Strategies, L.L.C., is rolling out a grassroots subscription service for a growing ad hoc coalition of special districts in Missouri, dubbed the Missouri Special Districts Alliance. This coalition of district leaders will together impacts of policies that could undermine local revenues for public services across the state.

This effort is aimed to address impacts of SB3 and further property tax reform through state-focused advocacy ahead of the 2026 legislative session and through community-oriented education needs for voters ahead of April elections. Development of this single-issue coalition will also support American Association of Special Districts-coordinated steering committee activites to develop a permanent statewide, all-districts organization bringing leaders together for networking, advocacy, and education.

SDS has been cultivating relationships and striving to connect Missouri's district leaders with governance resources for more than a year - first with the Ozarks Special Districts Summit in July 2024. With our Team's passion for advancing district services and our deep Missouri roots - we are committed to readying district leaders for advocacy, and making sure districts are sustain reliable, quality, local public services in their communities.

Check out the Missouri Special Districts Alliance:

Missouri’s special districts are facing an urgent challenge to address state-driven polices threatening local revenue sources that fund essential local services to millions of Missourians.

06/12/2025

Cornyn, Merkley, Moreno, and Gallego lead the bipartisan Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act in the Senate.

06/12/2025

In a blindside to Missouri's special districts, state lawmakers sent SB 3/ the Show Me Sports Investment Act to Governor Mike Kehoe today, including a batch of provisions that stand to undercut real property taxation arbitrarily across 97 counties.

SDS' Alissa Crigger breaks down how the effort to keep the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs in the state took a sudden turn into a nightmare scenario for special districts that depend on property taxes across the state - including fire protection, library, drainage, roads, and more.

And yes -- we have ways to get involved and advocate for Missouri's special districts.

June 11, 2025 | 6:10 p.m. CT | By: Alissa Crigger, Special District Strategies, L.L.C.

05/21/2025

Please welcome Alissa Crigger as the new member of the SDS Team, joining as our Districts Engagement Specialist!

Alissa joined the SDS Team in May 2025, and has been pivotal in outreach for regional governance conferences and roundtables for special district leaders. She has also been central to the development of the Missouri Special Districts Steering Committee. And there's much more in the time ahead!

We are excited to work with Alissa in our mission to strengthen and advance special districts' critical, essential local services in their communities. Welcome, Alissa!

Special District Strategies, L.L.C., (SDS) is excited to welcome Alissa Crigger as our Districts Engagement Specialist and second member of the Team.

07/12/2024

ADVOCACY ALERT! -- Special districts and their stakeholders are strongly encouraged to support Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Senator John Cornyn's bipartisan S. 4673, the Special District Grant Accessibility Act.

The senators are once again joining together to advance this important federal policy priority for all of the nation's local special district governments.

With the bill's introduction, special districts are another steop closer toward a more level playing field to access federally-funded resources for local government infrastructure and services.

Read more and get the resources you need to support the bill here:

Senators Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced Friday their bipartisan legislation to place the nation’s special districts on a more level playing field to access federal funding intended for local...

06/17/2024

Karr Advocacy is excited to announce our presentation line up for the Ozarks Special Districts Summit to be hosted in Lebanon, Mo., on July 31!

This half-day educational/governance event will feature a formal presentation from the Missouri Attorney General's Office diving into the MO Sunshine Law; perspective from Streamline on the opportunities and risks of AI, a Gilmore & Bell overview of municipal bonds for special districts, accounting needs from Lebanon-based EnVizion Accounting & Payroll Services, and a legislative panel discussion with reps of elected state and federal offices.

All this - coffee and lunch at no cost thanks to our presenters, sponsors, and hosting location - Laclede Electric Cooperative. (RSVPs after July 17 may be $15)

Learn more and RSVP today on the Summit's landing page. Please do not hesitate to reach out via messenger or email at [email protected].

Webpage:

Join fellow special district leaders and stakeholders from around the Ozarks and across Missouri for a half-day local governance and educational summit in Lebanon, Mo.!