St. Louis Board of Aldermen Meeting - October 9, 2025

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen convened on Thursday, October 9, 2025, with 12 members present. The meeting opened with an observance of World Homelessness Day, followed by the approval of minutes from October 3, 2025, and the consideration of several board bills and resolutions. Key actions included perfecting a street vacation bill (BB 73) with an amendment, perfecting a flood-prone property acquisition bill (BB 43), and adopting a resolution voluntarily recognizing the UAW as the bargaining representative for legislative staff (Resolution 118).

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The minutes from Friday, October 3, 2025, were approved unanimously.
• Appointments: Mayor Kara Spencer's appointment of Madeline Swanstrom to the Cousins MLK Grand Community Improvement District was approved unanimously.
• Perfection Consent Calendar: Board Bills 64, 65, 71, 72, and 74 were adopted without discussion.
• Third Reading and Final Passage Consent Calendar: Board Bills 52, 61, 69, and 74 floor substitute were passed with 14 aye votes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were recorded.

Discussion Items

• Observance of World Homelessness Day: Kathy Connors, Executive Director of Gateway 180 and Continuum of Care Chairperson, presented statistics: 440 year-round shelter beds in use, 23 individuals rehoused per month, 150 tornado victims sheltered, a looming federal cap of 30% of HUD CoC funding on permanent supportive housing, a potential loss of $6.4 million in HUD CoC funding, and a reduction of 478 permanent supportive housing units from 683 currently. She called for unity and advocacy to end homelessness.
• Board Bill 73 (Street Vacation): Introduced by Alderman Aldrich (14th Ward), the bill proposed vacating surface and subsurface rights for 13th Street from Cole Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and adjacent alleys. An amendment (Amendment No. 1) was adopted to strike language suggesting the vacated area would be used for an athletic field or future stadium. The bill as amended was perfected.
• Board Bill 43 (Flood-Prone Properties): Introduced by Alderman Narayan (4th Ward), this bill establishes a policy to purchase and demolish seven flood-prone properties in the Ellendale neighborhood using Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding ($697,678.87 from SEMA, with city match). It was perfected as a companion to BB 74, which was previously adopted on the consent calendar.
• Resolution 118 (Legislative Staff Union): Alderman Aldrich (14th Ward) introduced a floor substitute to voluntarily recognize the United Auto Workers (UAW) as the bargaining representative for non-managerial legislative staff, including legal staff and staff of the Board President. The resolution noted that 75% of the bargaining unit signed authorization cards. After discussion, the floor substitute was adopted by a roll call vote of 11 ayes, 3 abstentions (no opposed). The board declared this a historic step for the city and for Missouri.
• Introduction of Board Bill 82: The rules were suspended (13 aye votes) to introduce BB 82, which authorizes the sale of city-owned property at 1134 and 1138 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to 900 North Tucker 5 Building LLC for $275,000. The bill was assigned to the HUDS committee.

Key Outcomes

• Board Bill 73 (as amended): Perfected (moved to next stage).
• Board Bill 43: Perfected (moved to next stage).
• Resolution 118 (floor substitute): Adopted (11 aye, 3 abstentions). The Board of Aldermen will begin collective bargaining with UAW.
• Board Bill 82: Introduced and assigned to committee.
• Upcoming Meetings: Committee meetings scheduled for October 14-16, 2025, and the next full board meeting on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 10 a.m.
• Absence Excused: Alderman from the 12th Ward was excused for necessary absence.