Explore the Board’s key achievements and ambitious goals for the upcoming legislative session in this issue of Deep Dive. Discover how these efforts will shape our future initiatives.
The Charter Commission
Residents know that change and innovation are the forerunners of progress. For decades, progress has been stunted, in part, by antiquated legislation that hamstrings our ability to modernize as a city. That’s why voters established our first Charter Commission two years ago, and last November, approved two of the commission’s recommendations for revising our city’s 110-year-old founding document.
| When the Charter was ratified over a century ago, roads were primarily designed for horse-drawn carriages and trolleys, not Ford F-250s and Teslas. As it stands, responsibilities related to streets are spread across several departments, slowing our ability to implement common-sense fixes. To address that challenge, voters approved Proposition T, which will create a unified Department of Transportation in 2029 and establish a contemporary and coordinated approach to street planning. So whether you walk, bike, drive, or use public transit, residents can look forward to safer and more user-friendly streets that reflect the ways we move through our city today. The Charter revision process also answered residents’ calls for more affordable housing and neighborhood stabilization. The main roadblocks to achieving this ideal are the roughly 25,000 vacant properties in our city. Transformative redevelopment begins with holding negligent property owners accountable. Prior to today’s passage of Board Bill 169, 170, and 171, the charter set a $500 cap on fines and fees levied against vacant or deteriorated non-owner occupied housing. The truth is $500 is simply the cost of doing business for many wealthy out-of-town investors playing the housing market. With the approval of Proposition V, voters eliminated that cap, allowing the Board of Aldermen to set new fee structures. These reforms represent two of the more than 30 recommendations made by the Charter Commission. The Board of Aldermen’s newly formed Special Committee on Charter Revisions will build on the commission’s work by evaluating those proposals and developing a strategy to modernize City government in ways that better serve today’s residents. Technology and Transparency Beyond bringing our foundational document into the modern age, adopting new technology is key to meeting the needs of residents. City government has been slow to keep up with the times at the expense of transparency, accessibility, and accountability. Under current leadership, that is changing. Thanks to the Board of Aldermen’s unified support and Mayor Jones’ leadership, we have accomplished what previous administrations could not: funding the construction of a new public safety answering point system. With funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, a new facility in North St. Louis is under construction and will house police, fire, and emergency service dispatchers. Bringing all of these services under one roof means calls for help will be handled with the responsiveness and care residents deserve. New technology is also connecting more residents to the legislative process. The Board of Aldermen recently partnered with CivicPlus, a platform that connects local government to its residents, and this April, the Board of Aldermen will launch a new meeting management system to improve public access to video archives, meeting materials, and minutes. This partnership will also give residents the ability to opt into updates on legislation that matters to them, receiving alerts when public hearings are scheduled or substantive changes to a bill have been adopted. This year, we’ve seen that residents want to take part in the decision-making process. More than 16,000 participants joined the Board’s public engagement platform to share input on how to invest the City’s portion of the Rams settlement funds. The insight we gleaned from the process was invaluable and underscored the importance of hearing from our constituents, whether they agree with us or not. |
| President Green speaks to the press regarding the status of the Rams settlement funds. |
| Additionally, my office has made a concerted effort to use a range of communications tools to improve transparency in the legislative process. My team is meeting residents where they are by breaking down legislative activity, amplifying local news coverage, and fact-checking current events on our Instagram, X, BlueSky, and Facebook pages. Moreover, the response to the Deep Dive newsletter has exceeded any expectations I may have had. As I write this, we are approaching 800 subscribers and my tenth issue. Thank you to everyone who takes time out of their day to read and share this with your communities. The Rams Settlement Online public engagement has transformed how we connect residents to the legislative process. Through the Rams settlement portal, participants made it clear to my office and the entire Board of Aldermen that their investment priorities were infrastructure, housing, neighborhood development, and people—especially city workers and the next generation. Residents know spending in these areas is key to reversing population trends in our city, growing our tax base, and improving the quality of life for everyone who calls St. Louis home. While diverging views at the Board postponed the allocation of these funds to our next session, many of us agreed that no proposal should move forward without prioritizing the needs of North St. Louis. Although I supported a proposal to allocate a portion of the funds toward water infrastructure while other considerations were debated, I also stood with Northside alders and residents who shouldn’t be asked once again to wait for critical investments in their community. I will continue to fight for them moving forward. Corporate lobbyists have characterized this outcome as a loss, and for them, I am certain it feels that way. In the past, City government allowed corporate interests to dictate policy decisions. Today, the Board of Aldermen is placing residents and their needs first. This process offered a meaningful way for residents, advocates, and elected officials to work together and discuss solutions that would impact our entire city from north to south. A healthy democratic process encourages open communication and disagreement, and that means progress is not always linear. Despite the outcome, this process should serve as the standard for policy-making in our city. I am confident that conversations around the Rams settlement will continue in the days and weeks ahead. If the Board reaches a consensus that aligns with residents’ priorities and invests in our city long-term, I will convene special meetings during the break to ensure that legislation passes. The Trump Administration As we entered 2025, it became clear that the Rams settlement conversation was contending with looming cuts from the federal government. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump promised drastic cuts to federal spending and a dramatic reshaping of governmental structures. Many on the Board of Aldermen, including myself, feared what this could mean for crucial funding going forward, and it certainly changed the way members thought about the Rams funds. |
| With Trump in the White House, actions at the state and federal levels should be heavily scrutinized. |
| Only a few weeks ago, those fears were realized, as Trump attempted to freeze all federal grants—which many City departments and residents rely on. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s recent efforts underscore the broader impact national politics has on local funding. And year after year, the Missouri General Assembly threatens to eliminate our earnings tax, which accounts for one-third of our annual budget. Cities like ours now face the challenge of addressing potential budget shortfalls and bracing for four years of uncertainty. One thing is clear: President Trump and his administration are working swiftly to undermine the goals of popularly-elected local and state governments across the country. Throughout his campaign, Trump disavowed Project 2025, an extremely conservative plan for overhauling the federal government and bestowing the president with near-dictatorial powers. Yet, in only a few weeks, he has followed this plan line by line, ordered economically disastrous tariffs on our allies, deployed overwhelming resources to arrest migrants, and dismantled government institutions. But Donald Trump can’t stop St. Louis from investing in itself or supporting the people who live here. Mayor Jones, Comptroller Green, and I, along with the rest of the Board of Aldermen, are committed to preserving democracy in our city and making St. Louis a place where everyone can succeed. For anyone finding it difficult to see progress in this moment, remember that no matter what President Trump says, abortion is legal, crime is down, and facts do matter. |
Moving Forward
What I’ve described today is only a fraction of what the Board has achieved on behalf of our constituents. As we approach the end of this legislative session, my office will release a comprehensive report highlighting the significant legislative accomplishments that are moving our city forward.
We have so many reasons to be optimistic about the future of St. Louis. We managed to commit every cent of the city’s ARPA funds ahead of the federal deadline, investing over $300 million in infrastructure. Under the leadership of Alderman Cohn, we moved forward on a new, consolidated terminal at Lambert Airport and prepared zoning changes for the North-South MetroLink expansion. Though even one crime is too many, under Chief Tracy and Circuit Attorney Gore’s watch, crime has reached its lowest point in decades. And a new era of Downtown redevelopment is underway, bringing fixtures like the Jefferson Arms and the Railway Exchange Building back to life.
To my fellow residents: know that the Board of Aldermen, Mayor Jones, Comptroller Green, and I remain committed to working together—and with you—to make St. Louis a place where success is within reach for everyone who calls it home. And to my colleagues at the Board of Aldermen, I want to thank you again for your commitment to the residents of our city; working alongside you has been an honor, and I can’t wait to get back to work together after elections.
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