St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills Week 27 of 2019-2020 Session

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen meet at 10am today, their 27th meeting of the 2019-2020 session. As previously noted, they have the first two meetings labeled as Week #1, so they list this as week/meeting 26.

Today’s agenda includes four (4) new bills.

• B.B.#187 – Arnowitz – An Ordinance authorizing and directing the Director of the Department of Human Services, to accept a Grant Award from the St. Louis Community Foundation in the amount of $26,000 for the current fiscal year and to expend those funds for the City of St. Louis “You Matter! Appropriating such funds and authorizing the Director of the Department of Human Services, upon approval of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to expend such funds as permitted by the Grant Award Agreement; and containing an Emergency Clause.
• B.B.#188 – Davis – An ordinance recommended and approved by the Airport Commission, the Comptroller and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, making certain findings with respect to the transfer of up to $13,727,769 of excess moneys that The City of St. Louis, the owner and operator of St. Louis Lambert International Airport, to be used to make funds available to mitigate rates on an annual basis during the term of the Airport Use and Lease Agreement commencing July 1, 2016; containing a severability clause; and containing an emergency clause.
• B.B.#189 – Ingrassia/Spencer/Middlebrook – An ordinance prohibiting the carrying of concealed firearms by persons who are subject to a restraining order or who have been convicted of misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as provided in this ordinance, and the firearm such person is in receipt of has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce as prohibited by Title 18, Section 922g (8) and (9) of the United States Code; and containing an emergency clause.
• B.B.#190 – Vaccaro – An Ordinance establishing a four-way stop site at the intersection of Oleatha Avenue and January Avenue regulating all traffic traveling northbound and southbound on January Avenue at Oleatha Avenue and regulating all traffic traveling eastbound and westbound on Oleatha Avenue at January Avenue, and containing an emergency clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills Week 25 of 2019-2020 Session

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen meet at 10am today, their 25th meeting of the 2019-2020 session. As previously noted, they have the first two meetings labeled as Week #1, so they list this as week/meeting 24.

Today’s agenda includes eight (8) new bills.

• B.B.#174 – Muhammad – An ordinance establishing a Racial Equity Oversight Committee under the authority of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to incorporate racial equity into all branches of government in the City of St. Louis.
• B.B.#175 – Green/Vaccaro/Spencer/Ingrassia/Todd/Rice/
  Navarro/Narayan/Guenther – An ordinance submitting to the qualified voters of the City of St. Louis a proposal to amend the Charter of the City of St. Louis to require, that no public utility as herein may be sold, leased, conveyed, gifted, or otherwise disposed of either in whole or in part, or its management or business operations taken charge of or controlled either in whole or in part by another party pursuant to an agreement with the City unless such agreement has been approved by a majority of the Board of Aldermen by Resolution, and then by a majority of the qualified voters of the City of St. Louis voting thereon at a City-wide election; and containing a severability clause and emergency clause.
• B.B.#176 – Davis – An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller of The City of St. Louis (the “City”) to enter into and execute on behalf of the City the Third Amendment to Fuel System Lease and Use Agreement AL- 442 to the St. Louis Lambert International Airport® Fuel System containing a severability clause and an emergency clause.
• B.B.#177 – Clark-Hubbard – An ordinance approving a blighting study and Redevelopment Plan for the 5311-6123 and 5302- 6122 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. Redevelopment Area.
• B.B.#178 – Roddy – An ordinance determining that the Tax Increment Financing Plans listed in Exhibit “A” are making satisfactory progress under the proposed time schedule for completion of projects therein.
• B.B.#179 – Davis – An Ordinance establishing a four-way stop site at the intersection of North Garrison Avenue and Locust Street regulating all traffic traveling northbound and southbound on North Garrison Avenue at Locust Street and regulating all traffic traveling eastbound and westbound on Locust Street at North Garrison Avenue, and containing an emergency clause.
• B.B.#180 – Davis – An ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any 3:00 a.m. closing permits for any non-3:00 a.m. licensed premises within the boundaries of the Nineteenth Ward Liquor Control District, as established herein, for a period of three years from the effective date hereof; containing exceptions and allowing, during the moratorium period, for the renewal of or transfer of existing licenses, under certain circumstances; and containing an emergency clause.
• B.B.#181 – Davis – An ordinance repealing Ordinance 70445 and in lieu thereof enacting a new ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any package or drink liquor licenses for any currently non-licensed premises within the boundaries of the Nineteenth Ward Liquor Control District, as established herein, for a period of three years from the effective date hereof; containing exceptions and allowing, during the moratorium period, for the transfer of existing licenses, under certain circumstances, the issuance of a drink license to non-profit corporations at currently non-licensed premises, the issuance of a drink license to persons operating a restaurant at a previously non-licensed premises and the issuance of liquor licenses in a specifically defined area and containing an emergency clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills Week 24 of 2019-2020 Session

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen meet at 10am today, their 15th meeting of the 2019-2020 session. As previously noted, they have the first two meetings labeled as Week #1, so they list this as week/meeting 23.

Today’s agenda includes three (12) new bills.

• B.B.#171 – Ingrassia – An ordinance prohibiting the City of St. Louis, the offices of the City’s Collector of Revenue, Treasurer, Recorder of Deeds, License Collector, Circuit Attorney, and Sheriff, and the City’s Board of Election Commissioners from asking applicants for employment about their salary history, including wages, benefits, and any other compensation, unless otherwise provided therein; and containing a severability clause.
• B.B.#172 – J. Boyd – An Ordinance relating to the unlawful possession of a handgun by a minor; to be added to the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis as Chapter 15.130.
• B.B.#173 – P. Boyd – An ordinance approving a blighting study and redevelopment plan for the Goodfellow/West Florissant Scattered Sites Redevelopment Area.

The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Keep Cut From 28 To 14 Aldermen

Unsurprisingly, the majority of those who voted in the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll prefer to keep the planned cut from 28 to 14 Aldermen.

Q: Agree or disagree: St. Louis voters should vote to keep the Board of Aldermen at 28, rather than be reduced to 14 by 2022.

• Strongly agree: 1 [2.94%]
• Agree: 0 [0%]
• Somewhat agree: 1 [2.94%]
• Neither agree or disagree: 1 [2.94%]
• Somewhat disagree: 1 [2.94%]
• Disagree: 5 [14.71%]
• Strongly disagree:25 [73.53%]
• Unsure/No Answer: 0 [0%]

While I agree with the majority, I also think we need safeguards to make sure the establishment doesn’t end up controlling all 14 seats. We need to do something to make sure the members represent all of St. Louis — not just whites, or blacks. St. Louis is more ethnically diverse than just black & white. Do what?

Look at the process for drawing ward boundaries. Will it be fair or will the lines be drawn in such a way as to make it harder for racial minorities to get elected?

Before the 1914 charter was adopted St. Louis had two legislative bodies — a Council and a House of Delegates. The Council had 12 members, plus a president. The House of Delegates had 28.

The 1880 & 1910 census had St. Louis’ population at 350,518 & 687,029, respectively. So population was increasing rapidly, but they cut back on the total number of legislators from 40 to 28.

The freeholders at the time were looking ahead 10-50 years, not more than 100 years. Given our population, reducing to 14 makes sense — as long as we make sure the new 14-member Board of Aldermen looks as diverse as our population.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Should the Size of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen Stay at 28 or be cut to 14?

St. Louis voters have made some  notoriously bad decisions at the polls — the 1876 “divorce” from St. Louis County topping the list, the 1916 pro-segregation vote a close second.

Back in 2012, city voters passed a measure cutting the Wards and Aldermen in half to 14. The measure takes effect in 2022. Mayor Lyda Krewson opposes a re-vote; she already threatened to veto a similar bill last year. (Fox2)

Some think the 2012 measure was another bad decision, while others think having a new vote to reverse that outcome would be a bad decision.

This is the subject of today’s poll:

This poll will close at 8pm tonight, my thoughts and results on Wednesday.

— Steve Patterson