St. Louis City Council Meeting Summary: December 1, 2025
St. Louis City Council Meeting: December 1, 2025
The Board of Aldermen convened for a special meeting focused on honoring departing Community Development Administration (CDA) Director Noel Pfeiffer, advocating for janitorial workers' rights, and advancing various legislative items including a sales tax referendum. The session featured emotional tributes to Pfeiffer's decade of service, public testimonies from union representatives, and discussions on structural city reforms proposed by the outgoing director.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The minutes from the regular meeting on Friday, November 14, 2025, were unanimously approved.
- Courtesy Resolutions: Resolution 161 (introduction motion passed) and Resolution 162 (Honoring Noel Pfeiffer) were adopted via unanimous consent with the entire board signing as co-sponsors.
- Board Bills (First Reading): Board Bills 101, 102, 104, and 107 (speed humps); Bill 103 (Airport Wi-Fi); Bill 105 (missed from roll call but implied in list); Bill 106 (Sales Tax referendum); and Bill 108 (HUD grants) were introduced for first reading and referred to appropriate committees.
- Referral Reports: Board Bills 83 (Sales tax reimbursement for 3942 The Cleed Ave), 100 (Earnings tax referendum), and 88 (Election code updates) were reported out of committee with a "due pass" recommendation.
- Perfection Consent Calendar: Board Bills 79, 86, and 96 were adopted unanimously.
- Final Passage: Board Bills 55, 58, 43, and 74 were passed on third reading with 12 aye votes (Alderman Cone and Alderwoman Boyd initially voted present but corrected to aye).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Pastor Robert White (Martin's Temple Church of God in Christ): Led the opening prayer, expressing a position advocating for spiritual revival in the city following the tornado. He expressed a position of supplication that the Board vote in the "manner that will be effective" and align with God's will, specifically asking for resources to restore schools, churches, and safety for children after the storm.
- Eugene Hubbard (Janitor, Clean Tech): Representing the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local One, he expressed a position seeking a living wage, health benefits, and retirement security, noting that despite 18 years of service, the company treats long-term workers as entry-level without benefits.
- SEIU Representatives (Shante, Stanley, Kente): Expressed positions of solidarity with the union's fight for livable wages, framing the struggle as a fight for human rights and family survival, specifically highlighting the risks faced by workers speaking out against corporate exploitation.
- Alderwoman Keith (11th Ward): While not a direct speaker for a cause in this section, she expressed support for SEIU, highlighting their role as a voice for "forgotten" service workers in hospitals and long-term care facilities who are essential to institutional survival.
- Alderwoman Keith (11th Ward): Reiterated a position that SEIU is a vital ally in advocating for children and families, particularly given Missouri's poor standing in childcare services.
Discussion Items
- Honoring Noel Pfeiffer (Resolution 162): Alderwoman Mahfany moved to honor Pfeiffer for 10 years of service across three mayoral administrations. Alderwoman Keith expressed full support for Pfeiffer's dedication and responsiveness to community needs.
- Pfeiffer's Farewell Remarks: Noel Pfeiffer expressed his continued investment in St. Louis success. He articulated three specific positions for future policy:
- Consolidation of Agencies: He argued for the integration of fractured development agencies (CDA, SLDC, Planning, Affordable Housing Commission) into a single "Department of Housing and Community Development" to eliminate competing priorities and administrative overhead.
- Tornado Recovery Funding: He expressed an urgent position that the city must appropriate tornado recovery funds immediately with a specific focus on housing, citing an immediate need of $150 million and a total need exceeding $500 million. He warned that failure to invest in rebuilding risks repeating historical patterns of neighborhood clearance.
- Charter Reform: He expressed a strong position that the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) is broken and must be abolished, arguing that the current system's excessive checks and balances prevent energetic leadership necessary for disaster response and renaissance.
- Resolution 150 (SEIU Janitors): Alderman Browning introduced the resolution with the support of Alderman Aldridge and Alderwoman Boyd. They expressed unwavering support for the SEIU's demand for a living wage and benefits, describing the janitorial work as vital and deserving of dignity. Multiple members expressed a position of total alignment with the union's broader Fight for $15 movement.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 162 Adopted: The Board unanimously adopted Resolution 162 honoring Noel Pfeiffer, with all members signing as co-sponsors.
- Resolution 150 Adopted: The Board unanimously adopted Resolution 150 supporting the SEIU Local One's appeal for a living wage and retirement benefits for janitorial workers in City of St. Louis buildings. The resolution directs the Clerk to present the formal copy to building owners (4M, HES Facilities Management, SBM, Woodley Building Maintenance, and ABM).
- Appointments Approved: The Board unanimously approved the Mayor's appointments of Leslie Yancy, Susan Knowles, Mark Buron, Madison Drobosclavy, and Ryan Kroger to the 4101 LeCleud Community Improvement District.
- Legislative Referrals:
- Speed hump ordinances (Bills 101, 102, 104, 107) referred to Public Infrastructure and Utilities.
- Airport Wi-Fi agreement (Bill 103) referred to Transportation and Commerce.
- Sales tax referendum (Bill 106) referred to Budget.
- HUD grant authorizations (Bill 108) referred to HUDS.
- Consent Calendar Actions:
- Board Bills 100 (Earnings tax referendum), 83, 88, 79, 86, 96, 55, 58, 43, and 74 were all adopted with a motion to suspend rules or direct adoption.
- Next Meeting: The Board adjourned with the next scheduled meeting set for Friday, December 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM.
- Tornado Context Note: The transcript contains a recurring reference to a "tornado that has ravaged our communities" and discussions regarding "tornado recovery funds." This appears in the context of the December 1, 2025, meeting, though the transcript mentions a tornado event in the prayer and Pfeiffer's remarks.
- Attendance Discrepancy: The roll call listed various members with names like "Alder Woman Velasquez," "Alder Woman Tith," and "Alder Woman Keith" appearing in multiple variations (e.g., "Tith," "Tyus," "Tith"), and the clerk's call had inconsistencies between members present and named. The summary notes members by their final identified titles as they appeared in votes.
- Holiday Announcements: Multiple Aldermen announced local turkey and food giveaways for Thanksgiving, with Alderwoman Keith (11th) and Alderwoman Keys (10th) coordinating to ensure the Urban League turkey giveaway was correctly identified as occurring on Tuesday, not Saturday or Sunday, based on corrections made during the session.
Meeting Transcript
The board will now come to order. Madam Clerk, please call the role. Alder Woman Schweitzer. Alderman Odenberg. Alderman Cone. Alderman DeBrian. Alderman Devotee. All the women of Alaska. Alder Woman, Sonny. Alder Woman Cox Anthony. Alderman Browning. Alder Woman Clark Hubbard. Alder Woman Keith. Alder Woman Tith. Out of the woman, all the woman boy. Present. Alderman Aldridge. President Green. Present. Alder Woman Spicer. Alderman Cone. All the women Velasquez. Alder Woman Keith. Alder Woman Tith. Present. We have 12 present. According being present will be led in an opening prayer by Pastor Robert White with Martin's Temple Church of God in Christ. Thank you, and good morning to President Green and to the all the persons of this great leadership board. Um, before we go into prayer, I wanted to just I was told I could say two things. One of the things I was thinking about as a leader in this city, as a pastor in church, is one of the things that we find ourselves doing is calling for revival when things have gone astray or when leadership has kind of fallen off the edge, the pastor calls for the revival to indoctrinate reminders to the parishioners of who we are and what God has called us to do. And as we travel through our city after the effects of this tornado that has ravaged our communities, I think that it's time that there's a revival that takes place in our city. And so, on behalf of my bishop Shabbat Martin and my wonderful com uh Alder Woman, uh Clark Hubbard. I just wanted to thank you guys for allowing us to be here and just be reminded when you go to vote. Uh as we say in the church, what would Jesus do? How will he vote for these resolutions for the people of God? Let us pray. Father, it is in the match name of Jesus the Christ that we come before you. I humbly submit myself to you, God, before this great board, before this city, asking God that you are God each and every last one of them to do the right thing to vote in the manner that will be effective and produce the things that you desire for this city. Lord, we need your strength back into this community, back among the homes of our people who have been ravaged by the storm. Father, I ask that you give your presence in the lives of these people that they may understand and that you will provide the resources that are necessary to restore this city from the highways to the byways, bring our schools back into power, bring our churches back into power, God, protect our children in the street, bring peace, let the crime fall down. God, protect our children in the street, bring peace, let the crime fall down. God, I ask that every resolution that is under your guidance be passed, and anything, God, that is outside of your will that it does not pass. Bless this leadership, God. Bless our mayor, bless our police officers, bless our people in this city, God, that we can be better than we've ever been before and keep this city at the forefront as we are the gateway to the West. Let us be the example to this country of how to lead and how to dwell together in unity. Restore our communities right now. And it's now in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you.
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