The governing body of any city may establish special business districts in the manner provided hereafter, and upon establishment each such district shall be a body corporate and politic and a political subdivision of the state.

(L. 1972 H.B. 1156 § 1)

(1987) In a suit against a business district to enforce provisions of the Hancock Amendment, it was held that the city in which the district was formed, rather than the district itself, was liable for prevailing plaintiff's attorneys' fees. Gilroy Sims & Assoc. v. Downtown St. Louis, 729 S.W.2d 504 (Mo.App.).