Crestwood Charter Review Commission Meeting — November 12, 2025

The Crestwood (Missouri) Charter Review Commission met at the Crestwood Government Center (1 Detjen Drive, St. Louis, MO), beginning shortly after 6:30 p.m. The agenda lists the meeting date as Monday, November 10, 2025, while the provided timestamp indicates Wednesday, November 12, 2025; this summary uses the provided timestamp. Chair Bob Sweeney (Ward 2) presided, with Angela Sebben (Ward 4) as Vice Chair. Commissioners Lisa Bozdeck, Beth Johnston, Matthew Koehler, Christopher Pickel, Mayor Scott Shipley, Megan Vedder, and Ted Yemm were also present. The Commission reviewed the draft ballot propositions containing proposed Charter amendments, recommended four propositions to the Board of Aldermen, folded Proposition 5 into Proposition 2, and directed the city attorney to finalize the ordinance language.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes: Motion made and approved to adopt the October 13, 2025 meeting minutes, as amended.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A speaker identifying herself as the wife of a former Ward 3 alderman opposed Ballot Proposition 4, which would extend the terms of the mayor and Board of Aldermen from three years to four years. She argued the change should be generated 'bottom-up' from residents or aldermen rather than 'top-down' from the administration; said no elected official she has known since 2005 had expressed concern about term length; cautioned against a 'cookie cutter, one size fits all charter'; and argued that longer terms increase the likelihood an official cannot complete the term. She asked the Commission to remove Proposition 4 and maintain the integrity of the charter.

Discussion Items

• Ballot Proposition 1 (legislative process and procedures): The Commission reviewed the ordinance attachment format, in which red-line and strike-through text shows the exact change from the current charter. Members discussed adding language clarifying that the item would not increase any city tax or fee, since voters often assume any change means more money; the city attorney was asked to determine what language is legally permissible. The Commission voted by roll call to recommend Ballot Proposition 1 to the Board of Aldermen.
• Ballot Proposition 2 (legislative proceedings, ordinance publication, audits, vacancies): The Commission discussed consolidating Proposition 5 — which would let the Board adopt a biennial budget — into Proposition 2 as budget flexibility. Members debated whether deleting annual-budget language could be read as allowing the Board to skip a budget, while others countered that restating purely legal requirements 'clogs up' the charter and could create unintended loopholes. The Commission voted unanimously to incorporate Proposition 5 into Proposition 2, then voted by separate roll call to recommend the amended Proposition 2.
• Ballot Proposition 3 (election alignment): The Commission reviewed aligning Crestwood elections with Missouri statutes and placing charter items on the municipal election ballot every year, avoiding the cost of additional elections. The change would take effect with the next general municipal term. A motion to recommend Proposition 3 was approved by roll call.
• Ballot Proposition 4 (term lengths): The Commission discussed the proposal to extend terms from three years to four. A commissioner noted the idea can have more than one origin and that he had not previously known it came from the National League of Cities, and observed that declining to place the item on the ballot would mean none of the nine members had made the decision. A motion to recommend Proposition 4 to the Board of Aldermen passed by roll call (individual vote tally not stated in the transcript).
• Ballot Proposition 5 (biennial budget flexibility): The Commission noted for the record that Proposition 5 was subsumed and incorporated into Proposition 2 and would not proceed as a separate ballot measure.

Key Outcomes

• Recommended Ballot Proposition 1 to the Board of Aldermen by roll-call vote.
• Unanimously consolidated Ballot Proposition 5 into Ballot Proposition 2, then recommended the amended Ballot Proposition 2 to the Board of Aldermen by separate roll-call vote.
• Recommended Ballot Proposition 3 to the Board of Aldermen by roll-call vote.
• Recommended Ballot Proposition 4 to the Board of Aldermen by roll-call vote.
• Recorded that Ballot Proposition 5 was incorporated into Ballot Proposition 2.
• Directed the city attorney to finalize the ordinance language and cleaned-up attachments.
• Discussed presenting the recommendations at the November 25 Board of Aldermen meeting; some members could not attend, and the Chair, who regularly attends Board meetings, offered to represent the Commission.
• The meeting was adjourned with no further business.