The board will now come to order.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alderwoman Sweitzer.

Present.

Alderman Oldenburg.

Alderman Cone.

Alderman Narayan.

Alderman Devotee.

Alder Woman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Sanye.

President.

Alder Woman Cox Entri.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Here.

Alder Woman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyres.

Alder Woman Boyd.

Present.

Alderman Aldrick.

President Green.

Present.

Alderman Cohn.

Alder Woman Keys.

Alder Woman Thaez.

We have 12 present.

Accorum being present, we'll be led in an opening reflection by Jordan Braxton with Pride St.

Louis observation of World's AIDS Day.

Thank you very much.

The theme addresses the challenges like the crisis of funding cuts, loss of dedicated employees and volunteers and programs and services disruptions, and the threatened progress toward ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.

The theme also aims to inspire renewed efforts through community leadership, political commitment, and human rights-centered approaches.

We have to keep honoring those 700,000 people who have died of AIDS-related causes in the U.S., which includes 4,304 people in the St.

Louis area since the epidemic began in 1981.

Let's honor and support the 6,852 people living with HIV in the St.

Louis City care region with 3,500 of those individuals, residents of the city of St.

Louis.

Let's honor our community-based organizations whose sole mission is to provide HIV care and treatment, prevention and education programs and services.

These medical advantages we have enabled people to live healthy long lives.

So our honorable board of alders, here's your call to action.

The City of St.

Louis government to allocate more city revenue for HIV testing treatment and services.

Let's work together to see how and where we can find direct city funding.

Other cities fund HIV treatment.

Why can't the City of St.

Louis?

Develop citywide programs and services for our African American community.

In St.

Louis, African Americans are disapportionately affected by HIV, accounting for 62% of new infections.

More public voices speaking up and speaking out in this fight against HIV.

All voices, all stories, all matter.

We are in this fight together.

In closing, just let me say, let's not let this world AIDS day be the only time we unite in the fight against HIV.

Let us make a commitment to working in harmony to battle this current fighting.

Like we said, we are overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response.

Board of Alderman, we need you in this fight with us.

And let's have a moment of silence for all those people that we have lost to HIV.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, can you please read resolution 166?

Resolution number 166, affirming the right to food for all in St.

Louis.

Whereas the City of St.

Louis sits in one of the nation's most agriculturally abundant regions, yet one in six residents and one in three children lack reliable access to affordable, fresh and nutritious food.

And whereas St.

Louis is home to diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, an equitable food access must include culturally affirming options that allow every community to sustain its heritage through nourishment and whereas access to adequate sustaining and culturally meaningful food is a fundamental human right recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and supported by the United States Department of Agriculture as essential to living an active healthy life.

And whereas Food City and St.

Louis Bay Civic Organization strengthens the local food system by collaborating with former chefs, educators, and neighborhood partners to expand access to fresh local and culturally relevant food while supporting community-led initiatives and local economic opportunity.

And whereas through engagement engagement with more than 2,000 residents, Food City Co.

created the Food for All platform, a six-pillar roadmap rooted in community priorities, and has mobilized more than 800,000 to support grassroots leaders, urban farmers, small food businesses, and community organizations working to improve food access and neighborhood resilience.

And whereas food insecurity in St.

Louis results not from scarity, but from inequitable systems of distribution, access, and investment shaped by historic red linings, systemic disinverse investment, and equitable land use, economic exclusion, and fragmented governance.

And whereas food insecurity is closely tied to economic insecurity as inadequate wages and rising costs force families to choose between food, housing, utilities, and health care, underscoring that fair pay and stable employment are essential to food secure city.

And whereas public health emergencies, natural disasters, and systemic shocks, including inflation, supply chain disruption, and political vitality, expose the fragility of our food system and underscore the need for hyperlocal, interconnected supply chains that reduce dependence on outside markets and keep food dollars circulating locally.

And whereas hunger in St.

Louis has too often been addressed through short-term charitable responses rather than sustained public commitment, leaving residents dependent on emergency relief instead of protected by equitable public policy and civic infrastructure.

And whereas reliable access to affordable, safe and nutritious food is essential to health and well-being and its absence drives preventable disease, economic hardship, and intergenerational inequities with maternal, infant, and early childhood nutrition, serving as key detriments of lifelong health.

And whereas these inequities are compounded by limited access to quality health care, affordable housing, transportation, and safe environments contributing to chronic stress, adverse childhood experiences and life expectancy gaps of up to 27 years between Fairground Park in North St.

Louis City and Webster Groves in St.

Louis County.

And whereas a sustainable and climate resilient food system requires protecting the land, air, water, and soil, and sustain it and environmental degradation, including contamination, flooding, extreme heat, and equitable land use, disappropriating homes historically excluded communities and threatens long-term food access.

And whereas the St.

Louis Region generates 667,000 tons of waste food annually, 85% of which comes from households and restaurants underscoring the need for wasted food reduction and recovery strategies that redirect edible food to residents rather than landfills.

And whereas coordinated action across public health, land use, planning transportation, housing, economic development is necessary to ensure all residents have reliable access to nutritious food and regional models such as Kansas City's food policy collaboration, demonstrate the value of aligned frameworks and strengthening urban agriculture and food access.

Now, therefore, be a resolved that the Board of Alderman of the City of St.

Louis affirms that access to adequate affordable, nourishing, and culturally meaningful food is a basic human right and commits to advancing citywide food and nutrition security by coordinating across departments, investing in equitable policies and programs, embedding food access and resilience planning into capital land use and infrastructure decisions, prioritizing regenerative and climate smart practices and collaborating with community organizations and residents, especially those in historically excluded communities to build a sustainable, equitable, and resilient food future for all St.

Louis residents.

Be it further resolved that the clerk of this board shall spread a copy of this resolution across the minutes of these proceedings and prepare a commemorative copy to be presented at a time and place deemed appropriate by the sponsor.

Introduced this fifth day of December 2025 by the Honorable Daniela, Velasquez, Alder Woman Six Ward, adopted this fifth day of December 2025.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

As we sit here in the midst of the holiday season, I think it's a reminder that while we talk about cookies and Christmas, uh sometimes some many of us and many people in our community don't know where their Christmas meal is going to come from or where their next meal is going to come from.

And I think it's an opportunity for us, as you heard in the resolution to address things like food waste and different ways that we can be creative in policy and creative in our communities to make sure that people uh don't go hungry.

So, with that, I'm going to pass it off to uh Food City co-founder Darren Jackson to say a few words.

Um thank you guys.

I have never done this before.

So I am very underdressed, turns out.

Um that was also a long resolution.

We actually had it much longer.

So now I see why they wanted us to cut it back.

Um we have this Food for All book that we put together with other over 30 contributions from leaders across the city.

And when I say leaders, I mean at all levels.

Um we we spent two years listening.

And when people asked us what we were gonna do, we just doubled down on listening.

And we were able to get nearly a million dollars to invest into this work, and we invested all of it in listening.

Um over the last two years, um.

But I feel like I'll save that, and I'll start with some of the things that did not feel that good that we heard.

Um, and some of the things you all just heard.

One of those things is one in three of our children in our city still don't have access to food.

Um, in Fairground Park, a child born in Fairground Park is 27 years less will live 27 years less on average than a kid born in Webster.

Um the saddest part about that statistic is that Jason Prinel and um Barnes in a collective put together a research report um called for sake of all 10 years before that.

And in the last 10 years, we've seen a bigger gap.

And the majority of what they found in the research is that our life expectancy could improve if we have better access to food.

A lot of times, people would blame our legislators.

I being one of those people.

And recently we've been teaching both youth and our partners about government.

And we start by teaching them the org chart.

And we show them the citizens at the top.

And as Ms.

Laura Keyes always says, y'all work for us.

And in reflection on that, the question then is what kind of bosses are we?

And any of the failures that is on Yao is on us also.

So I am sorry that it took us this long to show up.

As a kid, I prayed for food.

And I think a lot of people probably relate to that.

And I was so grateful because it came.

And then I remember a life where I was a teenager and we didn't have food, so I decided I was gonna have to figure out how to get it myself, like me and my other friends.

And many of us got in trouble trying to do things that would get us food.

Um that back then we would say, when I get on, we all go eat.

Like it was a very common phrase, and you can hear it in a lot of songs.

Um to our communities.

Um I've lived on the south side when we had stayed in the dark side, lived on the north side.

And um, and it is sad to see that no matter where we go in our city, that there is still people who are just hungry.

And y'all in this entire building, y'all in this building are in a food desert, low-key.

There is not accessible quality food.

None of us are food secure in real life unless you have food that you are growing, unless your neighbors are growing food.

And when they cut snap, our farmers all over the city were feeding each other and feeding their communities.

When there was no grocery stores, they took the vacant lots.

We have 24,000 vacant lots and properties in the city, and they've taken them and grown food to feed their neighbors to provide education for them, to grow trees around them, to cut back on their neighbors' utilities.

It is crazy.

And to hear their vision and to see this moment for us is really, really uh important because the resolution for us just means we can all agree on both sides, community and institution, that this is a path forward, that we can work together as a collective, that our communities are needed, not needy.

So we need to make sure they are fed.

And we are not asking for saviors but servants in this moment.

And so we do thank all of you truly.

And whenever we ask any of these things from you, part of our commitment is that we won't stop working alongside you and working with you and making sure you have everything you need to do your jobs well.

So thank you guys.

Any further discussion?

Older woman from the 11th.

Madam President, members of the board.

This is one of my favorite organizations and my favorite people.

So it was nice that I got here just a few minutes late and I looked up and I was like, wow, they're here.

So I can't believe you hadn't done that before, because you talked quite a while.

But it is wonderful to have worked with you guys, particularly during the tornado.

Um, you know, that showed up at O'Fallon Park and was so happy to see that that you were there already doing the work and to be able to join in and do as much as we could.

And you all are making a great difference for our residents.

And I just want to say thank you.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I would echo the sentiments of other women on the 11th ward.

I also have the pleasure of being familiar with Food City and being familiar with Darren Jackson, and I'm really encouraged by um the work that you are all doing that you are doing in our communities.

Um, because I met with you all, I went and did research and learned that there are in many other cities they have full offices that are dedicated to food access and dedicated to programming throughout the city.

I learned there are many districts throughout the country that have focuses on food access.

So I really appreciate our meeting, and I would encourage any of my colleagues if you get a chance to meet with Food City, they might even feed you while they talk to you.

Um so I thank you all for being here today, and I would like to make a motion to embank this resolution.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the seventh, seconded by the alderman from the third that we embank resolution one sixty-six.

Is there any discussion?

Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

The resolution's now been embanked, which means that every single member of the Board of Aldermen has signed on the co-sponsor.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Well, then I'll just close by again giving you a big thank you for the work that you do.

I mean, Darren, it feels like everything you touch is meaningful and successful.

And every time I have the pleasure of of getting together with you again, it's like another project, another vision that you actually follow through with.

A lot of folks have vision.

Um it doesn't necessarily come to fruition, but seeing the work that you do and seeing how it's uh how it actually comes to to be is really amazing and inspirational.

And so thank you for all of the work that you do.

All of Food City, thank you for the work that you do in addressing food insecurity.

Um I got my copy of their book uh about a week ago and have started reading through it.

Um so I anticipate in the coming um months and years there will be calls to action from this body based upon the work that they do.

So thank you so much for everything you do.

Uh and if we want to all get a picture together, we can gather on the steps now.

Yes.

We're gonna do one more photo now for World's AIDS Day as well, if we could gather back on the steps.

Somebody had these nice hands.

Alder woman from the 10th, you're recognized on the motion to adopt the courtesy resolution consent calendar.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we adopt the courtesy resolutions consent calendar.

It's been moved by the older woman from the 10th second by the older men from the fourth that we adopt the courtesy resolution calendars.

There are any discussion.

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

Introduction of honored guests.

Any introduction of honored guests.

Older woman from the 10th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Everybody in the gallery is my honored guest today.

There's so many up there.

Of course, our three over there that we always recognize.

And then we have Ben Borgmeyer from the St.

Louis City Board of Elections is honoring us with his presence today.

So welcome.

Um, my honored guest today is my big cousin Ronald Kirk, 25-year retired firefighter private of proud, the very proud St.

Louis um firedo St.

Louis Metropolitan SL STLFD fire department.

Ronald, I know your birthday this year looks different.

But we're gonna move through it together.

We're gonna celebrate.

And I hope you have the happiest.

We gonna make sure that you have the happiest birthday you can, as well as um the streets department, forestry department, all of our first responders, everyone that was uh on the ground immediately, Mayor Spencer's administration, my colleagues down here at the Board of Artman, most and most importantly, our neighborhood improvement specialists and the work that they have done um in the tornado.

I'm sorry, still on the tornado in the weather response this week.

Um, it made the difference.

I was literally on calls with truck drivers on walkie-talkies making a difference.

They are all my special guests, and then for the 10th ward residents, you are all my special guests today.

I want to make sure you note that you do not have to go through me in the 10th war to get salt.

Please do not think that you have to call me.

Do not think that you have to call your neighborhood improvement specialists, you can go directly to the urban leagues.

They have a number that they have set up, or you can go to 1408 uh North King's Highway in the 10th Ward, the Urban League under the direction of Mike McMillan and Furcon Sheigog over the Federation of Block Units.

You all are my special guests, and if you need salt, please go directly to the Urban League.

Thank you.

And could we please cut down on side conversation?

Make sure we can hear the folks at the mic.

Alder woman from the 13th.

Uh thank you, madam uh president and the board.

I had asked uh my honored guests are the firefighters, and I had requested back in May for us as a city to make sure that we focus on these abandoned buildings and secure them because my fear was people were gonna set them on fire trying to stay warm, the squatters.

So this last week we've had a lot of fires, and with the temperature being as cold as it is, I'm giving honor to our firefighters that have unselfishly went into those buildings to try to sustain them.

And ironically, we had one firefighter that got injured and he had fell through the floor.

We had a squatter they had to go in and get.

They had to bring dogs in to try to find people.

So I want to recognize the St.

Louis Fire Department and the work that they're doing.

And thank you so much because you are our honored guest this today.

Thank you.

Alderman from the fourth.

He wasn't even out before me.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I'd like to have as my honored guest uh anyone who is out over the weekend driving a snowplow.

Um in Dogtown, there's a lot of hill routes, and uh there was uh a real lack of faith in city services after the last uh really bad snowstorm we had.

And I've heard from a lot of people uh that the response was just markedly different this year.

Uh and I want to thank everyone who uh spent their weekend making sure that everyone else could get out and about.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, madam president, members of the board.

As my honor guests, I'd like to have in the gallery our treasurer, Adam Lane, as well as my former colleague and big brother, and uh was just an amazing mentor when I was up in the um state house, Mr.

Kevin Wyndham.

He uh is a former state rep as the 85th district, and when they redistrict turned to the 74th district.

So I want to have both of those amazing two black men as my honor guests, as well as all of the uh forestry workers and our city um streets department that was out uh doing great work over uh the last few days.

It was uh definitely a difference from this year and last year.

Last year was ice, this was snow.

Um, but they have been working extremely hard to make sure that our streets and everything uh were able to for folks to be able to get out and make sure that the streets are safe.

So I had the opportunity to go out with one of the plow drivers uh myself personally and just see how hard it is for them to be able to plow.

So as we continue to have snow over the next few days, months, and years, uh, for our drivers that's out there, please be patient, give our snowplow drivers uh enough room so that they can be able to keep our streets safe and also again thank you to our forestry department that was also uh helping out uh with our street department getting the snow up.

So thank you to our city service workers, city of St.

Louis workers.

Thank you.

Alder Woman from the 6th.

Thank you, Madam President.

As my honor guest, I'd like to uh honor my legislative aide uh Brie Bowen.

She has a birthday this weekend, so uh recognize that.

Uh and my second honor guest is the Burgundy suit for today, since we have a few of them.

Thank you.

Alderman from the third.

Thank you, Madam President.

I I was going to introduce him as my honored guest, says he's a resident of the third ward, uh, but the alder lady from the 10th stole my thunder.

Uh so I was just going to let it roll.

But then the alderman from the 14th also had him as an honored guest.

So I uh would like to have as my honored guest this morning, proud third ward resident, the treasurer of the city of St.

Louis, Adam Lane.

Alder woman from the 11th.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh, I would echo as well.

Uh welcome to the uh the gallery, uh uh Adam Lane.

Uh, and uh so he would be one of my honored guests.

But my daughter in love, who lives in Oberkheim, Germany, her birthday is tomorrow.

So I want to wish Anna Nicola Martin Keys a very happy birthday from your St.

Louis mama.

Thank you.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I forgot one person.

Also, I like to have Mr.

Crotter, Gentry Trotter from Heat Up St.

Louis that is doing amazing work uh to keep people uh utility bills down.

If you need assistance during this time when it comes to your airman aspire bill, please go to heatup St.

Louis.org.

Uh if you live in the city or county, they help both uh um city and county.

So please fill out those applications as somebody who used to volunteer with Heat Up.

Uh, the turnaround for getting assistance is usually within the same day.

So uh thank you, Mr.

Gentry Trotter and all the staff at Heat Up St.

Louis.

Any further introduction of honored guests?

Any further introduction of honored guests?

Seeing none, Alder Woman from the 10th, you're recognized on the approval of the minutes from Friday, November 21st, 2025.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we approve the minutes from Friday, November 21st, 2025.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alderman from the 14th that we approve the minutes from Friday, November 21st, 2025.

Is there any discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries report of city officials.

Report of city officials can be found in A B C and D of the agenda and has been placed in the Google Drive for your review.

Anyone wish to take any bills or resolutions off of any of our informal calendar?

Anyone wish to take any bills or resolutions off of any of our informal calendars?

Seeing none, then aldermen from the 14th.

You're recognized in the motion to suspend the rules for the purposes of introduced board bill one twelve for first reading.

Thank you, Madam President.

Board, I move to suspend the rules and introduce board bill one twelve for introduction of first reading.

It's been moved by the alderman from the 14th, seconded by the Alderwoman from the 7th, that we suspend the rule for purposes.

Board Bill, is there any discussion?

Says uh sorry, this is a non-debatable motion.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alder Woman Sweitzer.

Aye.

Alderman Oldenberg.

Alderman Cohn.

Alderman Orion.

Alderman Devotee.

Alder Woman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Sany.

Alder Woman Cox Antwe.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Alder Woman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyus.

Alder Woman Board.

Thank you.

Alder Woman Board.

Alderman Aldric.

Alder Woman Velasquez.

You miss President Green.

I'm sorry, President Green.

Aye.

Alder Woman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Boyd.

Aye.

14 eye votes.

By your vote, you sustain the motion for the Alderman from the 14th.

If you could please place board bill 112 at the end of the first reading of board bills and add me as a co-sponsor.

Noted.

First reading of board bills.

Board bill number 109 introduced by Alderwoman Velasquez.

An ordinance recommended by the Board of Public Service to conditionally vacate above surface, surface, and subsurface rights for vehicle equestrian and pedestrian travel in a portion of Parker Avenue from Kings Highway Boulevard and extending east to a point in the city of St.

Louis, Missouri, as hereafter, described in accordance with charter authority and in conformity with section 14 of Article 21 of the Charter and imposing certain conditions on such vacation.

Board bill number 110, introduced by Alder Woman Thaez.

An ordinance recommended by the Board of Public Service to conditionally vacate above surface, surface and subsurface rights for vehicle equestrian and pedestrian travel in the northern feet of 20 foot wide north south alley and eastern approximately 219 feet of the 15-foot wide east-west alley and city block of 3708 as bounded by St.

Louis Avenue, Newstead Avenue, Maffitt Avenue, and Taylor Avenue in the City of St.

Louis, Missouri, as hereafter described in accordance with the Charter Authority and in conformity with Section 14 of Article 21 of the Charter on imposing certain conditions on such vacation.

Board bill number 111 introduced by Alder Woman Thais.

An ordinance recommended by the board of public service to conditionally vacate above surface and surface and subsurface rights for vehicle equestrian and pedestrian travel in the East Taylor Avenue from Broadway to Oda Avenue to the City of St.

Louis, Missouri, as hereafter described in accordance with charter authority and in conformity with section 14 of Article 21 of the Charter and imposing certain conditions on such vacation.

Board bill number 112, introduced by Alderman Rashine Aldrich, and ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, making a supplemental appropriation to the annual budget ordinance setting one 995 for fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2025 and ending July 30th, 2026, amounting to the sum of 350,000 and containing an emergency clause.

That is the extent of first reading of board bills.

You could please assign bill 112 to the budget.

Noted.

Reference to committee of board bills.

Board bill number 109, 110, and 111.

That is the extent of reference.

I'm sorry, and to the public infrastructure.

I'm sorry, board bill 109, 110, and 111.

That is the extent of budgeting and to budget 112.

That is the extent of reference to committee and board bills.

Second reading report of standing committees.

The following board bills passed out of transportation and commerce with a due pass recommendation.

Board bill 103 introduced by Alderman Cohn.

An ordinance recommended and approved by the Airport Commission, and Board of Estimate and Apportionment Authorizing and Directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller of the City of St.

Louis, owner and operator of St.

Louis Lambert International Airport to enter into and execute the second amendment to the Wi-Fi and distributed antenna system operating agreement originally authorized by ordinance number six nine nine one nine between the city and concourse communications group LLC and containing a severability clause.

Out of HUD's board bill number 108, introduced by Alder Woman Clark Hubbard, Autor Woman Sanye, Alderman Cohn, Alderman Browning, Alder Woman Keys, and Alderman Aldrich, and ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and apportionment authorizing the mayor to submit the 2026 annual action plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, authorizing the mayor and controller to enter into and execute agreements with HUD for the receipt of 2026 community development block grant, community development block grant, disaster recovery, home investment, partnership emergency solutions grant, and housing opportunities for persons with AIDS funds, authorizing the directors to the community development administration, department of human services, and development of health to execute contracts as may be necessary to expend funds containing a serve ability and emergency clause.

That is the extent of second reading and report of standing committee.

Alder Woman from the 10th, you're recognized in the motion to suspend the rules for the purposes of moving board bills 103 and 108 from second reading to the perfection calendar so we may pass them before we go down for recess.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we suspend the rules for the purposes of moving board bills 103 and 108 from second reading to the perfection consent calendar.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alder Woman from the 7th, that we suspend the rules for the purposes of board bills 108 from second reading to the perfection consent calendar.

This is a non-debatable motion.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Aye.

Alderman Oldenburg.

Alderman Cohn.

Alderman Narayan.

Alderman Devodee.

Alder Woman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Sany.

Alder Woman Cox Antwe.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Alder Woman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyus.

That's recommended.

Alder Woman Boyd.

Aye.

Alderman Aldrick.

President Green.

Aye.

Alder Woman Tyus.

No.

14.

I votes in 1 no.

By your vote, you sustain the motion from the Alder uh woman from the 10th.

If you could please place board bills 108 or 103 and 108 at the end of the board bills for perfection consent.

Then Alder Woman Tyus.

I was saying no because I wanted 108 to be put on the perfection calendar, and I would request that we move it to the perfection calendar, not the consent calendar.

Right.

There's been a request that 108 goes on the regular perfection calendar.

If uh Madam Clerk, you could please place 108 on the regular perfection calendar.

Noted.

Board bills for perfection consent.

Board bill number 83, introduced by Alderman Browning and Alderwoman Clark Hubbard.

An ordinance establishing a sales tax reimbursement account in support of project located at 3942 LaCleed Avenue, approving a development and performance agreement related to such project and authorizing execution thereof.

Board bill number 103 introduced by Alderman Cohn.

An ordinance recommended and approved by the Airborne Commission and Board of Estimate and apportionment authorizing and directing the director of airports and controller of the city of St.

Louis, owner and operator of the St.

Louis Lambert International Airport to enter into and execute the second amendment to the Wi-Fi and distributed antenna system operating originally authorized work ordinance number 69919 between the City and Concourse Communications Group LLC and containing the sere ability clause that exists in a board bills for perfection consent woman from the 10th.

You're recognized on the motion to adopt the board bills for the perfection consent calendar.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we adopt the board bills for perfection consent calendar.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alder Woman from the 11th that we adopt the board bills for the perfection consent calendar.

Is there any discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

Board bills for perfection.

Board bill number 100, introduced by Alder Woman Cox and Mayor Spencer, President Green, Alderman Lyan, Alderman Cone, Alder Woman Clark Hubbard, Alderman Aldrick, Alderman Devotee, and Alderman Browning.

And ordinance submitting to the qualified voters of the city of St.

Louis, pursuant to Section 92.115.

The question of whether to continue the earnings tax imposed by the City of St.

Louis for a period of five years, providing for an election and the manner of voting, providing that if such questions shall receive the votes of a majority of the voters voting thereon that such earnings tax shall continue and contain in a serial ability and clause and emergency clause.

Alder Woman from the 8th, you're recognized under the perfection of Board Bill 100.

Thank you, Madam President, fellow members of the board.

To perfect Board Bill 100.

Thank you.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the Eighth, seconded by the Alderman from the 9th that we perfect Board Bill 100.

Alder Woman, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board today, I would like to put forward Board Bill 100, uh, which presents a question to the voters in 2026 of whether to renew our city's earnings tax.

Uh, this is the process as required by state statute that we complete every five years.

Um, so first I would like to thank uh those that have uh joined me in co-sponsoring this resolution.

I think as servants of the city and the public, we recognize how critical these earnings tax dollars are to help fund our city.

Um, but I do just want to take a few moments to explain to the general public why this is so critical.

Um, our city's general revenue fund relies on these earnings tax dollars to help us to improve our infrastructure to provide dollars to support uh critical emergency services for our police and our firefighters, and over one third of our general revenue fund comes from this one percent earnings tax that we all pay into every year.

So this is a very critical source of revenue for our city that allows us to do the things that we do and provide the basic services to our residents every day.

So I would just like to ask that all of my colleagues joining me and putting forward this question to the voters today, and I hope that our voters recognize how important this is that we move forward.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Alder Woman from the 7th.

Hello, Madam President, members of the board.

Um, I had requested at our last meeting that I be edited as co-sponsor this, but I don't see myself today, so I just wanted to ask again.

Madam Clerk, if you could please make sure the Alder Woman from the 7th is listed as a co-sponsor.

Noted.

Uh Alder Woman from the 6th.

You're green.

I can't hear it.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh I would also like to be added as a clerk's uh as a co-sponsor.

Gosh, I can't talk.

Clerk sponsor new word.

Hey, noted.

Um I also just want to echo what the Alder Woman from the Eighth said.

This is very important for our city.

I know that sometimes there is robust discussion around the earnings tax.

I just want to add that uh an earnings tax is not unusual for a city.

Many cities have it.

In fact, St.

Louis has one of the lowest earning taxes in the country.

Uh so, and it is a third of our budget, and it is very important when we talk about all the services that uh we need to provide to residents as well as the health and financial health and stability of our city.

Uh, it is very important, despite what folks in the legislature may say.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Alder woman from the 12th.

Sorry, can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay.

Um, so um I have a competent relationship with the earnings tax.

I know how very important it is for our city.

But I also know that our city wastes um valuable money and uh and maybe valuable political um uh ability to do something correct in that we don't do the earnings tax right.

We have exceptions that should not be.

I've had the this pleasure of serving at the board of Alderman who were tricked by the uh civic progress in Ross Group Arena about giving an exception um that ended up costing us the city millions of dollars.

It was supposed to be a couple of hundred thousand dollars, but it was a trick so that the people who then got to sell their stock shares got lots of money, not the city.

We also give all kind of acceptions to our earnings tax, very wealthy people while we um have uh people who don't make substantial money pay the earnings tax.

If the earnings tax is so important, then we ought to make sure that everybody pays it, and we should take every exception out for the earnings tax, and everybody has to pay it.

But we don't do that for that reason.

I will be voting no.

I do not expect, I hope we do not lose the earnings tax.

But uh my um vote will be a protest vote that continues to be so because we don't do it right.

Um, and we even had a dog and pony show where Walston Corina, after I brought it up several times and brought up proof of how they lied to us.

Um they came down here with the dogs and the puppies in the field goods.

Um, and people said, Oh, well, they're a good corporation since if they're a good corporation, they ought to pay us our money back.

Then they'll be a good cooperation.

You can't just say, Oh, yeah, we lied, but that's okay.

Um, and we are also letting other people we put them in all kinds of uh development forms um and development bills where we give people out for earnings tax.

Everybody ought to pay the earnings tax.

I agree we need it, and but for the protest vote, I will be voting no because we do not administer it fairly.

Um, and we ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Alderman from the second, and then I'll go to Alder Woman from the first.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I think it's important also to underscore that the the work of us as community leaders in support of this important tax.

Um doesn't stop just with us voting here today and next week to put it on the ballot.

It's important that we remind residents and voters that this ensures critical city services take place.

This is 36% of the city's general revenue operating plan.

So it's very important from that perspective.

It's also worth reminding the community that this has overwhelmingly passed every five years when it comes to the polls.

80% high 70s.

So the work just doesn't stop with us putting it on the ballot today and next week with the final vote.

Let's make sure we're in the communities and running an active campaign to remind people.

This is about police and fire response.

This is about potholes, this is about lighting, this is about forestry, these about critical components in the city that takes cash to operate.

Thank you.

Alder woman from the first.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Uh, I want to echo everything that the alderman from the second just said.

It's so important that we're out there advocating for this in our communities, um, knocking on doors for it as well.

You know, it's a really important thing for people to show up for.

Um, and I also just wanted to make sure I'm at it as a co-sponsor.

Thank you so much.

Note it.

Alder woman from the 11th.

Hello.

Oh, there we are.

I'd like to be added as a co-sponsor, please.

Madam Clerk, please make note of that.

Note it.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Um, first I want to um thank the Alder Woman from the Eighth Ward for bringing us forward.

I know you're newly elected and taking on, I think, a charge and a board bill that is uh you know extremely important for the city of St.

Louis.

As you mentioned, you know, the earnings tax makes up one third of the city of St.

Louis uh revenue to our budget.

And when we're talking about um, as the Alderman from the second said, you know, our police, our fire, our streets department, our forestry department, all the departments that help make the city run and be a great city.

Could they be more efficient?

Absolutely.

There's nothing perfect in city government.

But if we were to lose this, this would put the city in a position where those city services are extremely important to keep all our neighborhoods safe, to keep our neighborhoods functioning and going, uh, would be a difficult.

So I just want to thank you and also agree as an alderman from the second said outside of getting this bill passed today.

It is upon us to make sure that uh you see all these co-sponsors that we keep not only the energy of us being in collaboration on this bill, but working together to get people out to vote to make sure that we keep this earnings tax uh going within the city of St.

Louis.

So to all my colleagues that signed on as a co-sponsor and to the alder women who sponsor this bill.

I appreciate your leadership and look forward to supporting this legislation.

Thank you.

Alder woman from the 12th.

And hopefully this time they can hear it because uh a few weeks ago I got uh so that I couldn't get through to the board.

I was prevented from coming through to the board, even though I was waiting online.

I usually am there very early.

I know that we need the uh earnings tax.

I was here before we even had to vote for the earnings tax every five years.

We oppose that at the polls.

A very wealthy, well funded person wants the uh earnings tax to go away, and he was able to win that uh vote at the polls.

Well, we also need to do a better job.

Yes, we pay for a very important city services, but we don't tell people the exceptions.

If we're gonna ask for that, we ought to get rid of the exceptions, and short of that, we ought to have a list every year of the exceptions to the earnings tax so that people would be aware of that we do not make everybody pay the earnings tax.

My vote will be a no, and I'm asking for a roll call because we let Ralston Perina in civic progress fool the city of St.

Louis until saying that we could give an exception that ended up being millions of dollars.

Kansas, we had gone to court and won the right to have the earnings tax under Ronald McGet, Ronald Leggett.

I'm sorry.

And then after all of that, we gave an exception because people fooled the city officials and told us it was going to be only a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and that involved arena in a very uh uh well published uh in the uh root front times kind of trade-off that they ended up coming right back, and the people who had stock options made millions of dollars that they didn't have to pay.

So my vote is uh a no for the protest, not that because I don't want us to have an earning tax, but I want us to have a transparent and full robust earning tax that covers everyone, not just some people.

Okay, if you have the lowest of income, okay, and earnings tax, but you give um loopholes for the very wealthy, that is a problem that is not fair uh administration of the earnings tax.

And my vote will be no because we do not do that.

We have not cleaned it up in all this time.

Whenever I've brought it up, when people say, Oh, yeah, we should address that, and then we don't address it, we continue to do it.

And we need to take earnings tax uh out as in uh an exception for development.

We need to do a development, we had it in all kind of development bills that needs to stop, and we need to say everybody pays the earnings tax.

We uh lost a lot of money um in this past couple of years during the pandemic because we made people pay earnings tax who actually worked in the city but stayed home and we had to pay that money back, and that was a great hit to us, but we were able to pay it back.

But we should just like we paid those people back, you either need to make a threshold of if you make a certain amount of money that you don't have to pay the term earnings tax, or we should make it so that everybody pays it a percentage, whether you are very wealthy or if you do the development, or if you're uh very poor.

If everybody pays it, that's fair.

And so my vote is a no because we have not been able to do this in the 20-something years in the school, and we ought to have corrected this by now.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, alder woman from the eighth here recognized close.

Thank you, madam president.

Uh, I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of my colleagues that spoke up in support of this and added yourself as a co-sponsor.

I truly think the show of unity is really important.

And as the alderman from the second said, if this passes today, the work does not stop today.

This question is going to go before the voters, and I think it's important that all of us continue to speak about how important it is that we fund and provide adequately the resources our city needs to serve the public.

And I appreciate uh the Alder Woman's from the 12th's comments as well.

I understand we may not always get this right and get this perfect.

Uh, but at the same time, if we do not have this process and we don't put the question before the voters, we will not have an ability to do it at all.

Uh so with that, Madam President, I renew my motion.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 8th, seconded by the Alderman from the 9th that we perfect board bill 100.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Apologies, madam clerk, please call the roll.

Alderwoman Sweitzer.

Aye.

Alderman Oldenberg.

Aye.

Alderman Cone.

Alderman Narayan.

Aye.

Alderman Devoty.

Alderwoman Velasquez.

Alderwoman Sanye.

Alder Woman Cox Antwe.

Aye.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Aye.

Alderwoman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyus.

No.

Alderwoman Boyd.

Alderman Aldrich.

Alder Green.

President Green.

Aye.

Alderwoman Boyd.

Aye.

Fourteen aye votes and one no.

Your vote you sustain the motion from the Alder Woman from the eighth to perfect board bill one hundred.

Board bill number eighty-eight introduced by Alderman Browning, President Green and Alderman Devotee.

An ordinance updating title to elections of municipal code of the city of St.

Louis.

Updating, clarifying, and removing outdated language within the election code, including filing fees, the certificate for nomination, and containing procedures in the event of a tie.

Alderman from the ninth, you're recognized for the perfection of Board Bill 88.

Thank you.

It's been moved by the Alderman from the 9th, seconded by the Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President.

So this bill revises chapter 2 of our city code, which pertains to how we hold our elections in the city.

Which can also lead to legal battles in contentious elections, which cost the city money and erode faith in our democracy.

This bill cleans up that code throughout chapter two, such as language pertaining to political parties.

It clarifies the process in the case of a time, how an election is called, how petition signatures are counted.

Another feature of this bill is that it puts the filing fee for the offices of Alderperson, President of the Board, Comp Shore, and Mayor in line with the other elected offices in the region, whereas it currently costs more to file for Alderman than it does for U.S.

Senate.

The signature requirement will remain in place as it is a true test of a candidate's willingness to speak with voters as they seek to represent them.

Since 2020, we have had nonpartisan approval voting in the city.

The code was never updated to reflect that.

And so this bill makes that code consistent by eliminating old references in the uh code as well as including um eliminatute that hasn't existed since the 1970s.

We worked closely with the Board of Election Commissioners and their lawyer to ensure that this bill is well written and legal, uh consistent with the charter and state law.

The Board of Election Commissioners supports this bill.

I also want to thank the Weague of Women Voters who met with us and gave feedback that was incorporated into the bill.

Uh we're proud to have earned their support as well.

Finally, I want to thank all of the alders who met with my office over the past few months, Gus and uh change parts of this bill.

Uh the mayor, the Compsore, and the President are all in support of this bill, and we really appreciate uh their engagement as well.

I'm happy to take any questions from my colleagues and ask all of you uh for your favorable support of this bill.

Alderman from the fourth thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Um while I want to thank the Alderman for his work on this bill, I can't help but note that uh many of the folks that he said worked on this bill are the same folks that brought us Prop D, which is really the mess that this bill is trying to clean up.

And I just don't think it gets there.

Um we're we're messing this up even further.

Uh if we if we move forward with this.

Uh and I I can't be more in opposition of this.

The Democratic Party is in opposition to this, organized labor's in opposition to this.

This is a mistake.

Thank you.

Alder Woman from the 12th.

Madam President, members of the board, it's the uh Alderman, Alder Woman.

You are very muffled again.

Can you hear me better now?

Yes.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Um, if the Alderman from the 9th would uh yield.

Well, the Alderman from the 9th yields questioning from the Alder Woman from the 12th.

Yes.

Alder Woman, you may proceed.

Alderman, um, the Alderman from the fourth said much of what I had to say, but I said it way before proposition D got passed.

I wrote up treatises and long things about why it was a mess, as was the previous proposition that was passed before it.

Um, but you said that I have a question about, and is that you said that in this language we get rid of a state statute that was long ago um dismissed or removed.

And could you uh elaborate on that, please?

Yes, um, if you look at the current code, there's a reference to a state statute that does not exist.

So that's just an example of uh some of the cleanup that we did.

Uh this code really hasn't been looked at or fully updated since even long before that, I think since the 50s.

Uh so this is really trying to bring the code into the 21st century.

And um I I disagree with the Alderman from the fourth, and that I don't think this is making a bigger mess.

This is actually clarifying it, putting it in chronological order, making it much easier to understand.

It's very consistent.

It is not from the same folks who brought us Prop D.

That was an outside group that brought that.

This was drafted in coordination with our board of election commissioners who run our elections every year.

And the last thing I'll say is that uh, you know, Prop D for all its flaws was passed by the voters in 2020.

Uh, and I am very much in favor of honoring what the people voted for.

Okay, thank you very much.

So um I agree with taking out outdated language that refers to the case.

Alder one, it's hard to understand you again.

Okay, I'm sorry.

I said it's really hard.

Can you hear me any better now?

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

Um, so um, I agree with removing outdated uh references to state statutes that no longer um exist.

That is always a good way to do legislation.

Um, and that is in fact, if we actually did what our charter said, our charter uh requires the board of alderman to go so many years and redo our uh uh ordinances because of things that change like that.

But we don't we've never done it in the 34 years I've uh been in office, so that hasn't happened.

But um as far as proposition D getting passed, it was as was the previous proposition.

Um and they're mess that is what is created this.

Um, and in fact, I have things predated to anything you're doing now that I wrote up saying these will be the problems, um problems that were created because we rushed something, both of its propositions, D and what whatever the other one was called, maybe S.

We rushed them and got them passed.

And the previous one we got passed in November, then we had to file for election, and people did not understand what was going on, a lot of them.

I'm not saying everybody didn't, because the people who were pushing it certainly did.

But um, in a town that has been known for being democratic, all of a sudden we got rid of all the Democrats, most certainly any Democratic Party with their two cents would not have okayed that.

And the people didn't understand that was going on.

Then we pushed it further, and we we put all kind of things in there about that we're going to in proposition D, that we're gonna make sure that we have a board of Alderman.

We used code words to point out to that, oh, we're gonna make sure that we run this board in a certain way, and there's not gonna be any conflicts of interest and all of that.

And the things that they said that they were gonna do, it was already in place.

It is a mess.

I will share with you what I wrote before because it it um because it didn't do any of those things.

It was just a furtherance of an agenda that some certain people have had that has not been in the best interest of the board of Alderman at all.

And so we are at this point, which now we're trying to clean up things as we did with the previous uh uh uh proposition, in which we had it that if even two people ran and you won by 60 percent or 55 percent or 80 percent, you still had to run against that same person.

So I had to spend my money and run twice against people that I had already beat.

Some people beat people like Brandon Bosley in the third war beat people 80 percent and still had to run against that person again.

The things that we passed as proposition, um uh as propositions were ill-thought out, and they also were trickery and deceit.

And as more people have found out about it, people still cannot believe that we are not allowed to run as Democrats.

And I always put Democrat on mine because I'm a Democrat and I want people to know that.

But to try to make it now backdoor it, we should come back and tell the truth.

We wrote horrible propositions, and they have not been um in the best interest of the city of St.

Louis.

They have been in the best interest of a few people who want to have a dictatorship on our city.

And we don't want diversity of we want, we don't want people to have uh different uh opinions.

And the whole point of the Board of Alderman originally was uh to um make sure that we had all parts of the cities would have representation.

Um Alderman Bowl, Alder Woman Boyd and I can tell you our part of the city has almost no representation because of the things that we have done.

And I we I've stood on that this floor for years and said this was gonna be a mess.

This is a mess.

The previous proposition proposition is a mess, and going to 14 is a mess.

We now spend two and a half times more money to have 14 aldermen than we did to have 28, which was a diverse group of people that did not always agree, but we did not have dictatorships that we have now.

This is not going to help.

I am opposed to it, and I have not been lobbied because I was opposed to it already.

The people were calling me.

I started laughing, and I said, You remember when I was writing up this stuff and telling you this would not work, you would not want to hear it.

And now I'm glad to hear that labor is opposed to it.

I'm glad to hear I know the Democratic Party is opposed to it.

The Republican Party, the Green Party should be opposed to it.

What we should do is when we make mistakes like this, which is I said earlier about the earnings tax, we need to address it and not pretend like, well, this is great, and how could we backdoor and make it okay?

Um, if you want to change legislation that says, hey, we no longer have a state statute that's that indicates this, I am all for it.

But to try to clean up something that is a mess and that's gonna be made worse with this, um, as the alderman from the fourth said, it's not gonna make it better.

It's just gonna try to change something.

The um that we made a mess of in the first place.

After we made a mess of the proposition that made us have to run twice, even if there were only two people, um, then we backdoored it and we changed it at the board of alderman secretly.

We didn't go back out to the voters as if we had said we would do.

We don't go back out to the voters, then we start cleaning things up so the voters don't know that what we originally put out, and we don't hold accountable those people who put this mess out, and we should hold them accountable and said this is what you said, and this is what actually happened, and you are accountable for lying to us or misleading us or tricking us, and that's what we're doing now is trying to cover it up, and I'm absolutely opposed to it.

And um, I want to make sure I call roll call so that I can vote against not you cleaning up language because I will always be with you cleaning up language, and if you are following laws that need to be followed, but this is not one of them.

Thank you.

Other woman from the eighth, and then I'll go to the fifth and then the fourteenth.

Thank you, madam president.

Um, I just want to say that uh I do hear my colleagues that have raised about some of the confusing things within uh our city's election code.

I don't disagree that there are flaws and concerns, but what I think this legislation is doing is making the corrections and fixing the exact things that we are complaining about as problems.

I don't think the solution to having a flaw is to leave it as it is because it wasn't done perfectly.

Our job as a legislative body is to take a look at the code and examine what's wrong and try to make improvements about it.

And I think that's our responsibility as a legislature.

I recognize that there are a lot of minute things in here that maybe are the result of things that were done in the past or even outside of this body, but I don't think it's fair for us to have a filing fee uh that is more than what it is to run for higher statewide or even city offices.

That is not proposing democracy, as some folks are arguing is the responsibility of us having a democracy in the first place.

I also don't think it makes sense to have outdated uh state codes that are still left within our election codes that no longer exist.

That is our responsibility to clean up these things.

So I do hear the problems and concerns, but I also respect the office of the board of elections that is charged with handling these elections and navigating this complex code every time there is an election.

I respect their advice and guidance on what it takes to get cleaned up, and I think they have told us what we're responsible for doing and worked really closely with the aldermen of the ninth and trying to fix these problems.

So, with that, I am very supportive of this legislation and would like to be added as a co-sponsor noted from the fifth madam president, members of the board.

Madam President, members of the board, I would stand in support of the alderman from the 9th on this particular uh bill.

Obviously, I'm a co-sponsor, but I think it's important to recognize the tremendous amount of work that went through looking at where we stand, both in terms of the code, where we stand in terms of the charter, and modernizing where we are with respect to this particular issue.

I understand the comment with respect to proposition D.

I respect the comment.

Having said that, proposition D passed.

And that's where we are today.

And so within that context, I think that Board Bill 88 does a commendable job, more than commendable job of getting us where we need to be.

And I support this particular legislation.

Thank you.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I also echo uh the comments from the Alderman from uh the fifth.

Uh I'm gonna get us kind of back on track because this legislation actually is not about Prop D.

I think that's important if people actually you know read the bill, they will see the changes that are in this bill does not address things that Prop D did.

And Prop D overwhelmingly over 68% pass.

But uh if the Alderman from the 9th would yield for questioning.

Yes.

Oh, Alderman from the 9th, will you yield to questioning from the Alderman from the 14th?

Yes.

All right.

Alderman, you may proceed.

Sorry.

Sometimes I get a little pregnancy brain these days.

You are good, Madam President.

You're looking good with that baby bump up there.

Uh Alderman, can you walk through some of the changes?

Because you know, I hear the alderman saying, you know, Prop D is a horrible uh from the fourth, Prop D is horrible, and this is and we're cleaning up that mess now.

But again, I think if you read the legislation, you'll read the changes that we're making, does not address the things that were Prop D.

So can you walk through some of those changes that this legislation actually would address when cleaning up the election code?

Yeah, I'm happy to.

So just to clarify, when Prompt D was passed, the only relation this has to Prop D is that when Prompt D was passed, it added language in at the end of the code and then just kind of said, uh ignore the parts that conflict with this, which is very confusing to read through.

So we are just clarifying and reordering things in this code to try to make it very consistent and easy to read and easy to understand.

So what this bill does is it cleans up language throughout Chapter 2 uh regarding political parties, as St.

Louis now does not have uh partisan elections.

It reorders the election code to be in chronological order of events instead of jumping all over the place.

It clearly that order of events has nothing to do with Prop D at all, correct?

No.

That's just cleaning up the long code that we have when it comes to our our election code, but that has nothing to do with Prop D that passed.

Correct.

Correct.

Um it clarifies the process in case of a tie.

Right now, it uh we would have to refer to state statute, which actually sends it back to the Board of Aldermen to decide a tie, which feels like a survivor situation where we might have to vote a colleague off the island.

Nope.

It uh clarifies how an election is called.

Again, that is just simply how the Board of Elections calls an election.

It is uh really to do with their process.

And uh I think I I should say at this point that really the way that voters will experience elections uh from this bill, if this bill is passed, will not really change.

Uh this is really clarifying the process in the code so that we have legal basis to justify how we've been running our elections and how we uh conduct our elections.

So this bill also um clarifies how petition signatures are counted.

Uh for instance, uh when you're collecting petitions to get on the ballot.

Um it used to be the case that you can only sign one petition, but with approval voting, you can vote for more than one candidate.

So this allows people to sign more than one petition if they'd like.

Uh this also strengthens the process for the Board of Elections and the Collector of Revenue to identify if candidates haven't paid their taxes in full, just adding a second layer in of checking to make sure that everyone's pay their taxes.

Uh it clarifies uh Board of Election policies like ballot order.

Uh as I mentioned, it changes the filing fee.

Again, nothing to do with Prop D.

Uh it clarifies the process for special elections.

Uh we are eliminating the primary.

Uh I think that was actually a complaint I heard.

We're eliminating the primary and a special election if there's only two candidates, so that we're not holding a completely unnecessary primary uh for um a case where there's two candidates who are going to go on in the first place.

Uh and it also uh adds that um there are going to be um if the charter changes in the future, it's flexible so that it can adapt with that instead of having to re go back and revisit the code again.

Uh finally it it takes out old language that's no longer relevant as previous previously mentioned.

So a lot of it is is general cleanup.

Uh I I did hear the alder woman from the 12th say that we are per the charter supposed to go back and revise the codes.

Uh and that is actually what my office has been working on.

Is stay tuned, and when we come back from Christmas break, I'll have one for forestry.

Uh so this is something that I think we should be doing as a board, and uh this is something we took on in my office because we believed it was necessary.

We really think our elections are important because when people can understand how we run our elections, we can restore faith in our democracy, which I think is important in our country right now.

Can you talk a little bit about I know during the committee hearing we had uh several central committee members come, uh including the chair of the party, including both my committee man and committee woman, and after I think you've had conversations with my committee woman to actually clear up, I think some of the confusion of what the central committee was being told that this bill would do or as taking away the power from central committee to be able to nominate.

Is that what this bill does?

And um have you talked to central committee members after uh that hearing?

Uh talked to a couple of them.

Uh I've been playing phone tag with your committee woman uh to be clear.

But if you're listening, um uh committee woman, I'm I'm gonna reach out back out to you after this.

Uh the conversation's never over.

But just to be very clear, this does not affect the central committee in any way.

They will still be able to endorse the candidates they choose, they'll still be able to uh identify as Democrats.

I run as a Democrat every year when that I'm on the ballot because I do identify with the Democratic Party.

Uh so that's still an option for people.

Uh this simply again makes things consistent with how we run our elections in the city, which is a nonpartisan ballot.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

Uh again, uh to my members uh and colleagues of the board, I'll be supporting this.

I know the Alderman uh has done a really good job of reaching out to everybody around this uh legislation.

I think you attempted to reach out to every single alder to make sure before we got to the floor that anybody had questions, concerns that we could have had that dialogue, um, but it's also good to do that on the floor.

We can make changes on the floor.

But um, I think as important as we are talking about this piece of legislation that it is a cleanup of the code.

This is not in spirit of Prop D.

Are there some things in the code that uh because of now prop D that it addresses nonpartisan elections and what that works with special election?

Yes, but I would say uh about 80, 85 percent of this bill cleans up things such as there if there's a tie.

And instead of just flipping a coin saying who's gonna be the winner, you know, it's gonna be based off the signatures that we already have to collect.

It's changing the filing fees that has nothing to do with um proposition D.

And I know when the changing of the filing fees was a concern with the central committee in the past, I totally understand.

But right now, the way that our elections are set up, uh, if we keep the filing fees at what they are or change them, the central committee, the republican committee, you know, they don't get them anyway.

And I know that's a longer fight that the central committee is working on to try to change that process E, but uh until then this filing fees has nothing to do.

Uh uh again, about 85% of the bill has nothing to do with proposition D.

I think it's trying to clean up the code.

I think it's making our code a little bit more readable and uh appreciate the board of elections for agreeing and supporting this uh so that we can support them when elections happen to make the process a little easier.

So I'll be voting for it.

And could you add me as a co-sponsor, madam or madam clerk noted?

Go alder woman from the 12th, and then to the fourth.

Alder woman from the 12th.

We cannot hear you now.

Okay, let's see here.

Can you hear me now?

Yes, that's better.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Um he's missed the alderman from the ninth is misquoting me.

I did not say that our charter said we need to redo codes.

Codes are uh population of our different ordinances.

I said the charter says we need to do ordinances.

An ordinance and a code is not the same at all.

And we need to learn that.

Okay, they're not the same.

The code attempts to uh make it easier to know what the ordinance is, but you should always go back to the original document.

So that is the code is not what I say it.

I said the charter says we are supposed to redo ordinances.

So when you're redoing codes, you're not necessarily doing yourself any favors.

Um and um uh to the alder woman from the uh eighth, I want to say I'm so glad that she has such faith in the board of election.

I don't get to have that.

From the minute that I got elected, is because I've had to sue the board of elections on many occasions.

Um when I got ready to run, the original alderman from the 20th withdrew after we were in an election, and then the board of uh election ruled, even though we had three other candidates, was well, since he withdrew, they had to open it back up.

That was false.

The board of elections is often political, often political.

I've had several recalls that they came after me, which they lost, and I got so tired I let them have a recall election, which they lost, but they didn't know how to count uh the uh the recall um uh petitions, they counted two and three and four and five uh names on petitions.

Only we worked and had to turn it in and had to challenge that.

That was not fun.

When the 28th ward committee man um uh came in when um light approved in the 28th ward alder woman became the mayor, the 28th ward committee man wanted to run and was nominated, and then the board of elections ruled he couldn't run as a Democrat, and that was not true, and it's all on tape you can go see.

And when I finished with the Board of Election, they went back and did just what I said they were supposed to do, which is they changed it and let him run as a uh uh as a Democrat as he should have been able to do.

So um I don't have the same faith in the board of elections, they're awful, often wrong.

Um, and they have people whispering in their ear.

And um, we even have a the board of election is uh uh appointed by the sitting governor, so who controls it is based on the sitting governor, not any really kind of fairness.

Um, and they support they appoint both the Republicans and the Democratic members.

So there's a lot of improvement that can be made there.

So while you might be able to believe in them, I have been fortunate enough not to believe what they said and to challenge them in court and to win most of the time because they're not correct oftentimes.

Um and so when people say we're not addressing uh errors that were done by propositions that previously went before us, we are.

The people did vote on them, but the problem is that the people who wrote them in the first place and support them, um, and the alderman from the 14th is one of the people that did support them, they were poorly written, and they did not do what they were supposed to do.

They did not do what they were advertised to do, and so now we are backdooring them.

So I just want you to know that.

And if the alderman from the 9th with would yield the alderman from the ninth, yields questioning from the alder woman from the 12th.

Yes, alder woman, you may proceed.

Um, and alderman, um, so where exactly is the uh the amount that the alderman is uh supposed to pay or we have had to pay to file the filing fee.

Where does that come from?

It comes from uh chapter two, where there is uh passage that says that it is one percent of the salary for office.

So when the board of aldermen's salaries doubled, um when the board was consolidated down to 14 wards, which I think was a good move because we should pay a wedding wage.

Uh but at the same time it doubled this uh the filing fee, which caused it to go up to over $700.

The filing for fee for U.S.

Senate is $500.

Kansas City has no filing fees, so we thought this was uh nice middle ground uh that puts it in line with the other offices, such as treasurer in our city, which has a hundred dollar filing fee, collector of revenue, hundred dollar filing fee, uh license collector, 100 filing fee.

Those are all county level positions, but uh we believe the responsibility level of all their uh does not fall above that of U.S.

Senator.

So we think this is in line with um the other offices.

Thank you.

You went way.

I want to know, did you ever look at the ordinance or are you quoting the quote the code?

Because behind every code, there is original ordinance, which is the original document.

Yes, and I'm aware, and and thank you for correcting me earlier.

I did mean to say that we're the ordinance.

You are correct about that.

Um honestly, Alderman, I I need to go back and look.

It's been a little bit this bill is something we've been working on for months, but uh I I do believe that we're addressing it correctly in the bill.

Uh we've been over this several times.

In fact, this isn't the first bill, as you may know that we've tried to change the filing fee, but this time we came back and we really took a look at the whole code uh because uh we wanted to make sure that it was consistent in its entirety instead of just editing a small part of it.

Actually, I don't have a problem with the filing fee.

In fact, before proposition D and then other came into effect, we also had a way that if you I think that people that don't have a lot of money should be able to run.

So we had a way for it it the uh fee to be weighed.

I don't know if that's uh possible anymore with what we got passed.

But you could uh if you were indigenous and you wanted to run, it gave people a chance.

Okay.

I don't like the petition because it does stop people who want to run from running um for a whole bunch of reasons.

And I don't think that you have to get out and speak to the people.

I do believe that you should be able to run.

Um, and I liked it better than um you had a primary, and everybody knew when the primary was over.

If you're getting 80 percent, nobody's beaten you, except for let me just say, except for when Tina, uh the 17th ward alderman came in after uh Michelle beat her by uh five, six hundred votes, and then he came and won by fourteen.

That was just a travesty.

I love James Page of the fifth ward, but he also lost to Tamika Hubbard and then came back and barely beat her.

Those were all bad things that happened under a proposition that was poorly written.

They these things have been poorly written, and we are backdooring trying to clean them up instead of saying that they were addressing them, bringing them out in the open and saying this is a mistake.

We make mistakes.

So I would uh encourage you to go and look at the ordinance, the original ordinance.

So my my problem is not lowering the cost to run.

That's okay.

Um I wish we would get rid of the petition.

I wish we would go back to the way we ran.

And I wish we would go back to, if not 2820, because it is uh so hard to represent people and for them to know you in a personal way.

When right now I I actually represent three different wards that used to be North St.

Louis.

I represent the original old 20th, the original fourth, and then a copulation of 18 uh 21, uh 22, two, and I want to say 26 part of.

So that's three North St.

Louis wards.

That's ridiculous.

Okay.

And then it was we did population.

Um, we did the census count at a time we had uh the epidemic going on, the pandemic rather, and I don't think we got a good count.

And I really wish we wouldn't have gone to that 14.

It is not a good fit.

It does not serve the pop population well.

It does serve politicians and people who want to be uh in charge of everything and don't want other people to have a say in things.

It serves them well, but it does not serve the city well, and it does not serve the city that we don't admit our mistakes and bring them out and say we made a mistake and this is we we want to uh correct it in the correct way.

So when you tell me you haven't read the ordinance and you're just trying to change the uh the codes, I think that's a mistake right there.

And I still agree with the alderman from the fourth when he says when he says that this is all cleaning up stuff, not only from D, but from the previous, I can't even remember what it was called, SR or whatever it was, um, ordinances too.

And we ought to be uh careful about one to have more people participate in the process, not less.

I've not seen an improvement in what is going on, and I've been watching the different members of the board of alderman, different makeups of the board of aldermen for a long time.

This is not an improvement.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Alderman from the fourth.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I also just want to bring something up.

Uh that I think it's curious every time it it it works out this way.

Um sometimes we talk about Prop R, sometimes we don't.

Uh and on this particular issue, if we were to look at Prop R, we shouldn't be passing anything that may result in a personal or financial benefit for ourselves.

Anyone in this room who's running for re-election who votes to lower the filing fee, that sounds a lot like a uh financial benefit to me.

And I'll leave it at that.

Any further discussion?

Any further roll call.

Seeing none, then alderman from the ninth year recognized close.

Thank you.

Um so just to close, I want to clarify that I didn't say I didn't look at the ordinances.

In fact, if you read the bill carefully, it does repeal the necessary ordinances so that we can correct these uh these conflicts and these uh lack of clarity within the code.

So uh we we've we've gone through this diligently, we've worked really closely with uh multiple parties to try to get different perspectives.

We've worked really closely with uh multiple parties to try to get different perspectives.

Uh we've really tried to make sure we get this right because the whole point is to make it more clear for voters to understand.

Um I really appreciate all the colleagues who met with us to uh give their input and make sure that this bill that can do what it says.

Um and then to just address one last point.

This bill doesn't address uh what Prop R did and a cold conflict of interest.

Uh that is actually a separate part of the code, and uh we we thought about taking that on, but realized it's really a separate subject that needs correction.

Uh and uh to that note, I think there's a lot that's unenforceable in that as it is right now.

But if if we can't vote to fix uh our election code, then we'll we will be in trouble in the city.

So um suffice to say that if we if we're unable to pass this today, I think that it will continue to lead to confusion and continue to lead to issues with our elections, which I I just really strongly believe we need to be better uh as we move forward because we are undermining democracy in every corner of this state and country right now, and I would love it if this body could lead by example and show that we are serious about uh being clear to our voters um and making sure that when we run elections we run them fairly and clearly uh and um the last thing I'll say about uh you know the alder one from the twelfth comments.

I I understand the concerns about Prop D, but again, this is not changing Prop D.

Uh uh the the way that elections are held, you do have to run until cross the finish line.

Um it's it's a little bit like the tortoise in the hair story, if you think about that, where uh you really can't give up on the race until you get uh through that general election and you win the seat.

Uh so uh I think this this board, when I look at it, uh every single one of us were elected by that style of voting and uh and if you look at this board is um for the first time ever, I think a majority black board.

Uh it is also uh one of the most diverse boards we've ever had, uh which I think is a beautiful thing to see.

No, it is thank you.

And um I ask for uh favorable consideration and renew my motion.

It's been moved by the Alderman from the ninth, seconded by the Alderman from the 14th.

That we perfect board bill eighty-eight.

There's been a request for roll call, Madam Clerk.

Please call the roll.

Alder Woman Sweat, sir.

Aye, Alderman Oldenberg, Alderman Cone, Alderman Ryan, Alderman Devotee, Alderwoman Velasquez, Alderwoman Sany, Alderwoman Cox Antwick, Alderman Browning, Alderwoman Clark Hubbard, Alderwoman Keys.

Alderwoman Tyus.

No, Alderwoman Boyd.

Alderman Aldred.

Alderman Clohn.

President Green.

I'm sorry, President Green.

Aye.

So sorry.

Alderman Cone.

Alderwoman Boyd.

Aye.

Twelve eye votes, two no's, and one president.

By your vote, you sustain the motion from the Alderman from the ninth to perfect board bill eighty-eight.

Board bill number one oh eight introduced by Alderwoman Clark Hubbard, Alderwoman Sanye, Alderman Cohn, Alderman Browning, Alderwoman Keys, and Alderman Aldric.

An ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportion authorizing the mayor to submit the 2026 annual action plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, authorizing the mayor and comptroller to enter into and execute agreements with Hood for the receipt of 2026 community development block grant, community development block grant disaster, recovery, home investment partnership, emergency solutions grant, and housing opportunities for persons with AIDS funds, authorizing the directors of the community development administration, Department of Human Services, and Department of Health to execute contracts as may be necessary to expend funds containing a serial ability and emergency clause.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we perfect Board Bill 108.

Been moved by the older woman from the 10th, seconded by the older woman from the 7th, that we perfect Board Bill 108.

Alder Woman, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

And I was as I was working the room down here and um confirming all of my colleagues' support for Board Bill 108.

They were saying, why do you keep referring to them as numbers?

How can we re numbers?

I guess it's better for me.

I don't know.

I just always remember the numbers, especially the ones that I work so hard to show up for legislation.

Um, so just for a reminder to some of the to some of us, Board Billy mirrors, Board Bill 84.

This is an annual board bill that we passed down here at the Board of Uh Alderman for our CDBG block grant funding.

Uh it passed unanimously out of HUDs on October the 28th.

And that was a very thorough presentation from then Director Pfeiffer.

And because we legislated that bill the way we did, it kind of had a mix up with our Board of EA schedule.

So we had to now re-legislate and accommodate it going back through ENA, which they held a special meeting, which we do appreciate the flexibility on both ends, not down just down here at the Board of Albert Men, but from the mayor's office and the comptroller's office and board EA to legislate in EA, and then we came back down here and did our very important part, right?

During a four-hour HUDs meeting to re-legislate and pass it again unanimously, again unanimously out of the HUDS committee on this past Tuesday.

So with that, um, I did work uh the room and see if anybody had any additional questions.

Again, it mirrors that board bill.

Uh there may be never know when you're dealing with funding like this, how changes may come up in the future.

Um, but as for this board bill 108, it mirrors 84.

And with that, I'm continuing to ask for my colleagues' support uh as we perfect Board Bill 108 so that we can then third reading finally pass it uh next week to continue to get these transformative funds that come out of CDBG funding moving down here.

Um I guess with that, unless there are any questions from some of the older woman from the 12th.

Was the Alder Woman from the 10th finished?

I'm sorry, we can't hear you.

The Alder Woman from the 10th was still talking when you called on me.

Was she finished?

I think she was finished.

We can proceed.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Um, so one of the reasons I had uh the board bill put on the I'm sorry, the perfection calendar is that when you suspend the rules and bring something down like that, then it ought to be put on the perfection, not the perfection consent.

In this case, I need to vote present, and you did not give me that uh chance to do that by putting it on the perfection consent calendar.

And I would suggest in the future that when we're suspending rules, and it used to be that we would be put on the regular calendar, not the consent calendar.

Um, and so I will be voting uh present, um, but not because I'm against it, because I need to vote present, and I could not do that if you put it on the consent calendar.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Madam Clerk, if you could add me as a co-sponsor.

And would you do a roll call, please?

Note it.

Alder Woman from the 7th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Um, I just wanted to thank the Alder Woman for bringing this forward and talked just very briefly about some of the things that these funds will be helping to fund.

Um, today we actually had a presentation um that talks a bit about AIDS, and there is um 2026 housing opportunities for person with AIDS in these funds that will be appropriated.

There's some funds that are gonna go to the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health as well.

Um, there is also 2026 home investment partnership.

There's 2026 emergency solutions grants.

Um, we got a very extensive presentation within committee about the many things that these funds will be helping to um helping to support.

Um, there may be some changes in place, but I think the core of this legislation is to make sure that a lot of housing initiatives are supported, and obviously we know how critical that is in our city right now that there are a lot of people that are looking for housing and looking for housing that's accessible and affordable to them, and that's really one of the core focuses and focus of these funds.

Um, I would say to anyone at home that might be watching and just not as unclear, there was a robust, robust conversation within HUDS committee that really walked through these funds, explained what they are, talked about what the possible changes may be.

Um, but I just want to point out that you know our city has a lot of work to do.

We have funding for housing being cut a lot at the federal level.

We have a tornado that we have thousands of people trying to recover for, and so I'm always really excited whenever I see us moving funds in that direction to address our housing crisis and be able to support a city that is in need of recovery.

Thank you.

Alder woman from the 13th.

Thank you, Madam President and board.

I'm I'm glad the Alder Woman from the 7th brought that up.

But as I spoke at the HUDs hearing, I think people don't understand.

You we telling these these organizations and people, this money is going to be available.

But I'm getting calls where they are applying, and it's process is so slow.

The money is not getting out there.

So we need to make sure that those processes are improved, or these people are being taken care of.

Because we are in a crisis situation from the tornado, and now it's cold.

And so now we have people that have nowhere to go because the landlords weren't able to get the funding so they could fix the property so the people can move in.

So we need to be real careful about being excited about this money going out, and it's not hitting the street.

So I just want that to be, you know, put on record.

We need to be real sure that these people are actually these landlords, uh, whoever's supposed to get the funding is getting the funding.

So people need to understand that because I'm getting the calls that these organizations said they're not getting these dollars.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion.

Seeing none of it, uh, Alder Woman from the tent you're recognized, close.

Okay, thank you.

I raised my hand just in case someone else needs because I wanted to make sure I cleared that up directly after um Alderwoman Boyd.

Thank you uh for your comments and for uplifting those and continuing to uplift those just for clarity for the people watching.

Um, I want to ensure that they know that Alderman Boy was referring to uh ARPA funding that was we had a very thorough presentation on this past uh meeting that we had past HUS meeting we had on Tuesday on from the different departments in the city of St.

Louis.

You thanks to STO TV and for all of their hard work that day.

She has um, I mean, they have rather captured that, and you can go back and watch that.

But again, just for clarity today, um, Board Bill 108 is not um funding or allocating funding or impacting any of the ARPA funding.

It is um the recommended uh 2026 annual action plan um for their CDBG, our community development block grant funding.

And with that, um thank you all again for your flexibility for your commitment to your constituents in your neighborhoods as we know this CD BG money reaches the entire city from north to south, south to north.

And with that, we um I'm asking again for your commitment and your favorable consideration, your I vote as we perfect Board Bill 108.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alder Woman from the 7th.

That we uh perfect board bill 108.

There's been a request for roll call.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alder Woman Schweitzer.

I alderman Odenberg, Alderman Cohn, Alderman Narayan, Alderman Devotee, Alder Woman Velasquez, Alder Woman Sonny, Alder Woman Cox and Tween, Alderman Browning, Alder Woman Clark Hubbard, Alder Woman Keys, Alder Woman Tyus.

Present Alder Woman Boyd Present Alderman Aldric, President Green.

Hi.

13 I votes to present.

Are your vote you sustain the motion from the Alder Woman from the 10th to perfect board bill 101?

And that is the extent of board bills for perfection.

Report of Engrossment.

Board Bill 79 has submitted in committee.

Number 86, number 96, and number 97.

Third reading and final passage board bills consent.

Board bill number 79 is submitted in committee, board bill number 86, board bill number 96, board bill number 97.

Alder Woman from the 10th.

You're recognized in the motion to adopt the third reading and final passage of board bills on the consent calendar.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I move that we adopt the third reading, final passage of bills on the consent calendar.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alderman from the third that we adopt the third reading final passage of board bills on the consent calendar.

Is there any discussion?

Seeing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alderwoman Sweitzer.

Aye.

Alderman Oldenberg.

Alderman Cone.

Alderman Narayan.

Alderman Devotee.

Alderwoman Velasquez.

Alderwoman Sanye.

Alderwoman Cox Antwee.

Alderman Browning.

Aye.

Alderwoman Clark Hubbard.

Aye.

Alderwoman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyus.

Alderwoman Boyd.

Aye.

Alderman Aldrick.

President Green.

Aye.

Alderwoman Velasquez.

Alderwoman Tayas.

Aye.

Fifteen I votes.

By your vote, you sustain the motion from the Alderwoman from the 10th to third reading.

Finally pass the aforementioned bills.

Third reading and final passage of board bills.

We have none.

We can dispense with line item 20.

Report of the finally passed and signed by the president.

Board bill 79 is admitted in committee.

Board bill number 86, 96, and 97.

All other business being suspended.

The president shall in open session affix her signature here to the end that these may become law.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I move that we suspend the rules for the introduction of resolution 193.

It's been moved by the Alderman from the fourth, seconded by the Alderwoman from the 11th that we suspend the rules for the purposes of introducing resolution 193.

This is a non-debatable motion.

Alderwoman Sweitzer.

Alderman Cohn.

Alderman Narayan.

Aye.

Alderman Devoty.

Alderwoman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Sanyer.

Alderwoman Cox and Twee.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Aye.

Alderwoman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyers.

Aye.

Alder Woman Boyd.

Alderman Aldric.

President Green.

Aye.

Alderman Browning.

Alderwoman Boyd.

14 aye votes.

By your vote, you sustain the motion of the Alderman from the fourth.

If you could please place resolution 193 at the uh first reading resolutions.

Noted.

First reading of resolutions of reference to committees.

Resolution number 193.

Board of Alderman participation in the appointment of a new sheriff's post, permanent vacancy from office.

Alderman from the fourth, you're recognized on the first reading of resolution 193.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I request unanimous consent.

Hearing no objection, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh resolution 193 is a a resolution that basically directs the city councillor that the board of aldermen considers itself a necessary party in the event of any litigation surrounding the replacement of Sheriff Montgomery if he's removed or resigns from office.

As we we've had this discussion for for quite some time.

That's what courts are for, but we have to be in the room in order for our voice to be heard.

So uh this is basically just us telling him that we expect to be in the room and to be heard.

Uh and with that, I'll take any questions.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Alderwoman from the 12th.

The Alderman from the Fourth would yield.

The Alderman from the Fourth yields questioning from the Alder Woman from the 12th.

Absolutely.

Okay, so um I haven't read your resolution.

As I said, I'm out of town.

And so um, can you tell me a little so it is directed to the city councilor?

Uh yes.

Uh upon passage of this, we will uh be giving a copy of the resolution to the mayor, the comptroller, and the uh interim city councilor Garvin.

Can I ask a question?

Do you have a problem if asked the would you have a problem with the uh clerk reading the resolution, please?

I don't have an issue with that.

Uh Madam Clerk, would you uh read the resolution for uh the alderman alder woman from the 12th?

Resolution number 193, Board of Alderman participation and appointment of new sheriff's post-permanent vacancy from office, whereas state statutes case law and historical practice establish that the city of St.

Louis performs county functions in the same manner as if it were a county, and that general laws relating to county officers apply equally to the city of St.

Louis, and whereas one point zero eight zero RSMO provides that when the word county appears in Missouri statutes, it includes the City of St.

Louis and 57.450 RSM states that all general laws applicable to county sheriffs apply to the sheriff of the city of St.

Louis.

And whereas 57.080 requires that when a sheriff's office becomes vacant, more than nine months before the next general election, the vacancy shall be filled by the county commission and a special election must be called.

And whereas prior decisions of the Missouri Supreme Court, McKintrick versus Dwyer, 1938, Dwyer and Nulty 1943, and Hart versus City of St.

Louis 1947 affirm that the municipal assembly performs county court functions and that appointment authority for county offices must comply with the state law.

And whereas this 1972 opinion issue by the acting city counselor Eugene Freeman concluded that the mayor has no function in the process of appointing a sheriff, reasoning that the residual of county authority resides in the Board of Alderman unless authorized, assigned by statute or charter.

And whereas historical practice in the city of St.

Louis shows that in 1972, 1977, and 1978, the Board of Alderman appointed interim sheriffs and authorized special elections to fill unexpired terms, and whereas subsequent to the legal opinion in case law cited above the Missouri Supreme Court in state ex-rail 22nd Judicial Circuit versus Jones, 1992, held that for purposes of county commission functions, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the Board of Alderman and the Mayor jointly constitute the County Commission of the City of St.

Louis.

Whereas 57 point 527.110 or MSMO provides when declaratory relief is sought, all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interests which would be affected by the declaration and no declaration shall prejudice the rights of persons not parties to the proceedings.

And whereas nine members of the Board of Aldermen, along with the president of the Board of Aldermen, have recently expressed their expectation in the form of a letter to the mayor that the four board must be included in any process involving an interim appointment to the office of the sheriff upon a permanent vacancy, and that any process excluded the board would be inconsistent with state law, case law, and pass president.

Now therefore be a resolve by the Board of Alderman of the City of St.

Louis as follows.

Number one, the Board of Alderman declares that it must participate for the reasons stated above in any process to fill a permanent vacancy in the office of the sheriffs occurring more than nine months before the next general election.

Furthermore, the full board of aldermen, including the president, should be a party to any declaratory judgment, petition filed regarding the authority to fill such a vacancy.

And the board of alderman affirms its intention to engage collaborately with the mayor and the comptroller in any appointment process that may be occurred.

Number three, the board of aldermen expects that any future discussions, procedures, timelines, legal strategy or legal proceedings developed regarding an interim sheriff appointment include the full board from the offset.

And number four, the clerk of board of aldermen shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the mayor, the comptroller and their interim city councilor upon this passage introduced this fifth day of December 2025 by the honorable Bretton Ryan Alderman, fourth ward co-sponsors, Megan Green, President of the Board, Alderman, Honorable Ann Sweisser, First Ward, Tom Alderman, Second Board, Alderman Shane, third ward, Alderman Devotee of the Fifth Ward, Alderwoman Velasquez of the Sixth Board, Alderwoman Sanyay of the Seventh Ward, Alderman Browning of the Ninth Ward, and Honorable Rashim Audrick of the 14th ward adopted this fifth day of December 2025.

Excuse me.

Now we can hear you.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

I think we can hear you now.

Thank you.

Would the alderman for the fourth yields questioning from the alder woman from the 12th?

Absolutely.

Alder Woman, you may proceed.

Okay, so in this resolution, is it your contention that the uh current uh temporary uh martial that has been put in place was done so improperly?

Uh this resolution doesn't speak to that.

Uh this resolution is discussing uh an interim after the resignation or removal from the sheriff of a sheriff.

Um I I think that there's some questions uh about the the way that the process has worked out so far.

Um, but I know enough to uh not pick fights with judges, and so uh, you know, that's that's what the court decided on that as far as a temporary uh interim.

But when it comes to the permanent interim, if you will, um I think that uh both the law and precedent is pretty clear.

And so um, and so I like to read and do my research, and so I'm at a disadvantage here.

So it is your contention that the board of aldermen, um the E and A, and who else?

What was the third party that should be at the table?

Was it only two?

I I believe it should that uh so in the past uh it's been the board of aldermen that's made the uh uh the decision on the interim mayor.

Um I I think that it's a reasonable interpretation of the law as well that it would be the board of aldermen and the uh the mayor and the comptroller.

Um, but I think it's it's it's either the board of aldermen or the board of aldermen plus the comptroller and the mayor is my contention there.

Uh I I don't believe that you can in good faith read county commission and say that that's just the mayor.

Okay, so I thought that um and I'm listening, but that's why I was trying to listen.

I thought that there were three parties that, and while he was reading the uh resolution that um your citation said there were three parties that were that made up the county commission.

Could you tell me what those parties were again?

Was it just the board of DNA and the board of aldermen?

Because I thought no, no.

So uh I I believe what you're getting at is who who's getting a copy of this.

Is that what you're asking?

Um no, because you said I understand Michael Garvin as the interim uh uh uh city councilor, the mayor, they there and the computer, I guess, will be getting copies of it.

Is that correct?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, but what was the per the law?

How what how is the county commission made up of?

What who makes up the county commission per the law in the city of St.

Louis since we are a county within, we are a city within a county.

So I I think that's ultimately what the question uh and any declaratory judgment is going to be.

Um, but the Jones case, uh cited.

Um, but the Jones case uh uh cited um I don't have the citation uh right here, but it's XREL 22nd Judicial Circuit versus Jones.

It's a 1992 case held that for the purpose of county commission functions, the board of ENA, the Board of Alderman and the Mayor jointly constitute the county commission of the So they counted the Board of ENA, that's what I thought.

They counted the Board of EA as a body, they counted the board of aldermen as a body, but they also said the mayor who is already on ENA also was a separate function.

Is that what I heard?

Uh I I believe so.

Uh that that's what that uh the Jones case holds.

Uh it it does create kind of a a strange situation.

Uh we're in both the uh president of the board of aldermen as well as the mayor of the city of St.

Louis would be there kind of yeah, twice.

But if you think about it, the president of the board of aldermen basically votes twice on everything.

Correct.

I actually was here in 1992.

So okay, um, I need to just read a little bit more.

So uh you're planning on passing this uh resolution, not sending it to committee.

You want to pass it today, is that correct?

Yes, ma'am.

Uh we we're not sure when um the judge may come back uh with a decision on the resignation and a removal.

And from a letter that I got from the mayor earlier today, it seems like legal proceedings may have already started uh as far as a declaratory judgment goes.

Okay.

Okay.

Um and I do I want to pull this out and read it.

So I'll be a I'm gonna ask for I want a roll call and I'll be a present because I'm I don't have enough information.

I kind of hear what you're saying.

Um, and I do like a strong board, um, but I like a board that follows the law, and we often don't.

So I'll be a president.

Any further discussion?

Alderman from the 14th.

So is that possible?

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I'll keep this uh short.

Um do want to thank the all NIF of filing this resolution.

Um I think there's a lot of confusion on as far as like the permanent removal of the sheriff and who has um authority, even though there has been a precedent that has been set, uh, I think in the past when the sheriff was uh removed that it was at the board.

I think this resolution is timely, especially as we received um an email, all board of alderman members from the mayor administration that they've already filed a lawsuit and have not included the board in that party.

Um and I'm not a lawyer, but I was hoping maybe if the alderman from the fourth, if you read it, just looking at it already, looks like they have either the vacancy stays within the city, but it doesn't quite say, or there's like another option that the mayor picks and it kind of leaves a board out.

But um as we try to find that clarity, I think is important that we as a board are also as uh Garvin is an attorney for the city of St.

Louis and the attorney for the board, and as he's representing the mayor now, I think there's a uh a good strong showing that we want to be part of uh whatever judgment is made uh when it comes to the vacancy of the sheriff.

Thank you.

Alder woman from the 12th.

Um sorry, I had another question.

If the alderman from the fourth would yield, the alderman from the fourth yields questioning from the alder woman from the 12th, yes.

Alder woman you may proceed.

Okay, so back in the day for the junk when Jones and Shamel used to fight all the time, it actually became a the reason why we have a uh well, not us, but other people can hire lawyers is because it was ruled by Durker that it was a lot of conflict of interest to ask the city counselor to represent all the different parties.

Uh the charter needs to be changed on that.

Um, because and we need to have a conflict office or something with the city councilors because uh to ask Mr.

Garvin to then um I don't are you you're not asking him to represent us, are you?

Or are you?

That's my question.

Are you asking him to represent the board at the same time he represents the mayor?

I I'm not sure that that's really possible.

Uh you know, I know I know big law firms are able to create walls um in order to protect against conflicts.

Um and you know, the city of St.

Louis uh city councillor's office is a a large office, so I'm not sure of the their uh functional uh uh availability to to create a wall like that, or if there uh would be a a genuine conflict there wherein the board of aldermen may need to uh be represented by outside counsel as well.

And that's kind of my question.

I think they can.

So when I was a public defender, we also had a special public defender, and even though we were under the big umbrella of the public defender, we when when we had conflicted cases, they went to the public defender first and then the special and then the outside council.

I have always maintained for a lot of years now that the city councilor should have a some kind of wall in which they should have a uh city councilor of when it was the mayor and the comproller differing, or the mayor and the board of aldermen.

But at this point, I guess my question then, if you're not are you if you're not asking for outside counsel, you just want him to notify us, or you want him to include us as part of what should happen anything that should happen.

And can he do that if he's representing the mayor?

Uh so that that gets into uh you know a a genuine conflicts check.

Um, and I'm not sure of the the operational ability uh of that office, but I believe that uh for any declaratory judgment, uh all necessary parties, all interested parties should be uh in front of the court, and I think that the board of aldermen is an interested party just as much as the So would our real procedure be to ask him because before I've had conflicts when I've people sued me and they ended up paying for a separate lawyer.

Um would it be that we would ask to be that we are being included and that we are hiring a lawyer or we're using our own lawyer rather than asking Mr.

Garvin to include us because I don't think he can do that now that he's representing the mayor.

I I think that there's there's a real concern about conflicts.

Um, and ultimately I think that'll be a decision for for uh him to make uh if his office is able to successfully navigate that conflict, or if it's something that'll need to be farmed out.

If so, if he says he cannot, but um we can hire a lawyer, would that satisfy you?

Absolutely your question for us to be included at the table.

Absolutely.

Uh I'm not saying uh kind of one way or another which way that this should go.

What I'm what I'm saying is that it's imperative that the board of aldermen have a seat at the table.

So even if he well, if what if he doesn't say either way, could we not use our own lawyer or somebody else that we would hire to represent our interests at the board?

I believe so.

Um it's uh it gets a bit complicated uh when you look at the charter.

Um, but ultimately the city counselor's office is to represent both the mayor and the board of aldermen.

Uh, but if he ethically feels like he cannot do that, I think it'd be appropriate to uh to use outside counsel.

So I will say again, there is also a case, uh Jones case, and which uh the and that might be the case, and that's why I want to read it.

The Jones case is it with Shamel, and which Durker said, told the comptroller who was Burbus Jones that he could hire his own lawyer because the city counselor could not do it.

And that became the standard bearer for other uh departments and divisions when they had conflict.

So I might say that uh a speedier way might be for us to you might send that over, but if you're looking to uh do things expeditiously, I would say that you should be looking at hiring your own lawyer because I don't think that the city counselor is going to include us or or say that we should be included because he already has a uh client before him.

Now, just a little bit of history.

If you read the charter, the charter actually says the city counselor represents the board of aldermen first.

We are named first, even before the mayor.

Nobody acts like that, but um that is actually how the the uh charter reads.

So um I I do think if you're looking for something expeditiously, you should we should hire a lawyer and try to have the board be represented.

Um I still will be uh um a present because I think that's the best way we should do sending something to the uh to the city councilor is gonna get us an answer.

I'm pretty sure that he represents he's already representing the mayor, and that would slow the process down if the process is already begun.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Thank you, madam president, members of the board.

Um, I wanted to thank the Alderman of the Fourth War for bringing this resolution forward and just make sure I stayed on record that it's really concerning to me that this was brought forward and the board of aldermen was not notified beforehand.

I do appreciate the mayor's office communication now on the letter that it's been done.

Um, but I feel like this is really relevant to us, and we are a stakeholder in this decision since we've been uh you know a party before in these decisions.

So um, and in the injunction also for the record, I just wanted to make sure that the public was clear.

What's concerning to me about the question that is going to the judge is that the question is only phased, phrased in a way that asked about the mayor's role of involvement.

It does not mention the board of aldermen.

That is not the question that is being addressed and what is being sent to the judge to weigh in, and that's concerning to me since historically we have.

And so with that, I actually would like to know if the alderman of the fourth would be willing to yield to an inquiry.

The alderman for the fourth yields questioning for the alder woman from the seventh.

Sure.

Alder Woman, you may proceed.

Thank you, Alderman again.

Thank you for your work on this.

Um, I just have a question.

Is there an option for the board of aldermen to make a motion to intervene, given that we are a stakeholder?

And right now, as it moves, we're a non-party, and that would give us the option to be included.

Yes.

Uh essentially, that's what we're we're asking here.

Is that one way or another, whether it's kind of uh amending the uh initial filing to include us and to put the to change the question basically going before the judge on who is the county commission rather than saying is the mayor the county commission.

Yes, thank you.

Um that is just the extent of my questions.

I just think that clarification is important for the public to understand that that is an option for us to do a motion to intervene and to add us listed as a party, and just highlight like again my concern that as it is the judge will only be weighing in on the mayor's role in the process and not ours.

And I think it's important that the board of alderman's role in this process is something that the judge offers their guidance on as well.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Alder Woman from the sixth okay.

Never mind.

Alder Woman from the sixth is good.

Um, I think Alderman from the fourth or fourteenth.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Uh also want to uh just hearing from the clerk that we can amend the resolution as I read the resolution when it comes to uh intervening.

I don't know if the alderman maybe be willing to add a whereas we're we're making it very clear that um by passing this that we're asking to uh intervene on the current now.

You know, when this resolution was being drafted, there was no um there was no filing from the city of St.

Louis now that there is a filing.

If there is uh the potential to maybe adding a new whereas where we're making it very clear by passing the board is taking a stance to um intervene on the current judgment that uh has now been filed.

But um as an alder woman from the the seventh was speaking, I think the resolution is it's clear that we want to be part of the process, but I don't think we're making it very clear that we would like to uh you know, now that something is filed to intervene on the current um filing that is out there.

Yeah, I and I will ask the alderman from the fourth to yield.

Just gonna say that.

Alderman for the fourth, will you yield to question for the alderman from the alderman for the 14th?

You may ask your question now.

You can proceed.

Uh I I have no issue at all with uh with an amendment like that.

I would consider that.

Okay.

Um do is that amendment being drafted?

I will work with the alderman from the fifth right now to uh draft something up with or the seventh altogether to draft something up so we can get that to uh together.

Matt any further discussion.

Alder woman from the sixth I'd like to request a roll call for this vote when that happens.

Okay.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Any further discussion?

Uh Alder Woman from the 12th.

Um, Madam President, members of the board, I will say this again.

Um the reason why it uh the draft was for the mayor is because that's who the uh city counselor's client is.

Um you do not have to ask for permission to do a motion to intervene.

I've done them on several occasions.

We have a right to get our own lawyer and do a motion to intervene.

But at this point, um we want to be included.

Uh okay, we want to be included.

I would not, if I was the city councilor, I would say thanks a lot, need to get your own mayor.

I mean, I'm sorry, need to get your own uh a lawyer because I'm representing this because obviously we have some divergent interests at this point.

Okay, so you can do all of that.

Um, and that process will be slowed down.

I do not agree with now as I hear more about it.

I don't agree with sending it to the city councilor at all because he has a client, and that is the mayor.

And he cannot if the mayor wishes to take this on and did not include us unless the mayor is willing to add us which I don't know why she would because she's a separate entity in in listening to the alderman from the fourth say the mayor has it then the board of VNA then the board of aldermen we have three separate entities and so she has a right as the mayor to ask the city councillor to represent her interests and that does not necessarily uh coincide with the interest of the board of the andor the board of aldermen.

And so um I think that um I would not if I were um the city council or acting city counselor Michael Garvin uh bring us in and I think we need to look at getting our own lawyer if this is something we really want to pursue.

And we do not have to ask permission for a motion to intervene.

Thank you.

Any further discussion any further discussion aldermen from the top made the motion to adopt so if you want to go ahead and make the motion to adopt while we're waiting on I had amendment sure uh I move that we adopt resolution one ninety three second it's been moved by the alderman from the fourth second and by the alderman for the second that we adopt res 193 now it looks like aldermen from the 14th thank you madam present members of the board will the alderman from the fourth yeal for questioning the alderman from the fourth yield to questioning for the aldermen from the third 14th.

Sure.

Alderman you may proceed thank you madam president members of the board alderman could you pull up I guess the uh do you have your computer uh not out no okay I got mine's out let me not a lawyer and I don't want to play one on TV today so I think you're a lawyer right kinda so uh what I put in front of you is the the uh the motion that uh it looks like that the mayor has made on behalf of the city of us trying to figure out what is the next steps as you read that uh filing and I know you're just skimming over it first time you seen it also this is you know we received I think this documentation uh today roughly around like 1030 eleven the meeting had already started yeah yeah so were you uh made aware of uh this motion or any or or the the filing that was made on behalf of the city of St.

Louis I was aware that the mayor's office thought that the uh the process moving forward would be to get a declaratory judgment to figure out to to make sure that we were doing it the right way basically okay and I think we got the email roughly about 1103 um so we were deep in the the thick of things uh for as our our day to day operations as you read that do you get the sense that it's saying the city and the mayor believing out the board of aldermen um from what I'm looking at uh you know at this point it it it looks like this this motion is only asking about the the mayor's right to uh to make this appointment is that that's the way that you read it uh yes at first glance okay and historically uh I know you talked about like in the past in the past have uh can you talk about maybe some historic content have the board been um part of those filing in the past sure so in uh 1972 1977 and 198 there was uh uh vacancies in the sheriff's uh at the sheriff position and in each of those instances the board of aldermen uh both made the interim appointment as well as uh uh set up the special election you said can you say that again my father sure uh so in 1972 1977 and 1978 there were vacancies uh with the sheriff position and in each of those instances the board of aldermen uh both selected the interim sheriff as well as set up the special election gotcha okay um and it was a board that set up those special elections in the past uh yes sir we print it out yeah okay so i think we are getting this to the clerk right now for everybody to see uh we're getting the amendment printed off but before we get to the amendment um kind of the uh what we'll be adding will be on to page two uh where it talks about now there be a resolve that the board take action um and we added a number five and I took the the language from a lawyer uh our one of our great lawyers here at the board alderman from the federal

Okay.

So I think we are getting this to the clerk right now for everybody to see.

Uh we're getting the amendment printed off.

But before we get to the amendment, um kind of the uh what we'll be adding will be on to page two, uh, where it talks about now there be a resolve that the board take action.

Um and we added a number five, and I took the the language from a lawyer, uh our one of our great lawyers here at the board of alderman from the fifth ward, uh, that would be putting language that now that there is a a filing that is filed, uh basically saying that the board of aldermen want to intervene into that and be part of that uh filing.

And it I know we got to get the language so you can see it, but would that be something that you're fine with?

Sure.

No, I would I would consider that a friendly amendment, and you know, technically we could do this one of two ways.

Um the city councilor could amend that motion, um, the motion uh that's been filed, or else uh you know we can intervene as a a necessary party.

Yeah.

Well, I guess since you know, we uh won't be talking to the city councilor, you know, since it's already filed, and we only have two more board of alderman meetings outside of this, and we got one more.

I think you know the the second option may be the best to um ask to intervene today, vote on it, and then be able to uh send this not only to the mayor, the city councilor, and the responsible parties that are uh part of it.

So I think the old woman from the 12th has her hand up, so I'll yield so that she can speak.

Thank you.

Oh, the woman from the 12th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Um the Alderman for the 14th has just reiterated what I said in the first place, um, which is that we are since we have three different bodies, there are three different responsibilities with that.

If the mayor was intervening as a member of the board of the and a, she would have every necessary, uh she would be required to also talk to um the other two members and it try to get two members to say that.

Um if the president of the board was intervening as a member of the board of aldermen, she would be doing what she's doing.

The mayor has no responsibility since as the alderman from the fourth ward said that there are three different entities, the mayor, the board of the and a and the board of aldermen, to even notify us or to request our participation in something that is strictly for the mayor.

Um, and so um I would ask if the alderman from the fourth would um yield again.

The alderman from the fourth yields questioning from the alder woman from the 12th.

Sure.

Alder women, you may proceed.

Alderman, so um I think you talked about that when the sheriff was replaced back in the 70s, but the case law that you uh quoted to me um was in 92, was that correct?

Yes.

Okay, so what happened in the 70s might may not be what should happen in 2025.

The law has changed.

Is that correct?

Uh so in the 70s, uh we we moved forward based on uh opinions from the city councilor.

Uh this was not litigated.

Uh in 92, we had a definition put forward from the Supreme Court on what a county uh what the county commission is.

Uh and so we we we have a a new definition basically uh in 92.

Correct.

That's what and so based on that, if you got a request from one of the three from the mayor, if you're practicing as a lawyer from the mayor, from the pre from the board of aldermen or the ENA, are they three separate entities in this case under the definition of the Supreme Court?

Uh I I would read it as three separate entities at that point.

I think where the question comes in is uh since we were we're working with the same facts and controversy.

Do those three separate entities have uh a conflict on what they're ultimately asking the court to make uh a judgment on.

So and again, this is why I say I haven't read this.

This is so um just taking your word, um, and I you know you I'm not knowing you not to tell me the truth.

So um we've served together for a while.

So in this case law, the Supreme Court said we have these three entities, and they have to be the decision makers to how to replace the uh so that that decision wasn't uh the the Jones decision was not on uh a replacement, but it's a time that the court defined county commission for the city of St.

Louis.

Okay, and county commission is what who what entity or entity would replace um the chair, right?

Yes, okay.

So the county commit again, county entity is the mayor in her capacity only solely as the mayor, the board of the a is their capacity of the board board of DNA, which is the mayor, the comproller, and the president, and then the board of alderman, which also is the president and 14 aldermen, right?

Those are the entities.

That's that's my understanding of the Jones case, yes.

Okay, did it go into what would happen?

Do you have to have the majority, which I think is what happens with uh uh would you have with the board of alderman being one instead of uh uh instance and then the mayor, another one, and then the board of the another one.

So if you have for instance the mayor and the board of the a saying one thing and the board of alderman saying another, would they did they go into uh what would happen if they the three entities disagreed or two of the three entities agreed and the third entity did not agree?

They really didn't go into uh that in this instance, they just made the definition.

Okay, all right, but in normal procedures, if you have a vote, if uh the mayor has a vote and the board of VA has a vote and the board of aldermen has a vote, and they're not counting on how many people, then two of the entities could make the decision, and the third could disagree.

Potentially.

Yes.

Okay.

Again, I would suggest you're doing all of this wrong way.

You should get a lawyer and do a motion to intervene.

Um, that would be my suggestion.

You can do it this way.

If I was uh Michael Garvin, acting city counselor, I would say I have a client already, and you need to get a lawyer because we have a conflict at this point.

Thank you very much.

Absolutely.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Uh, before I offer my amendment, I do want us also uh and point back as we're talking about state statue, uh statue five seven point zero eight zero vacancy in office, and it talks about the vacancy pertaining to the sheriff's office.

Um and it actually, as you continue to read it, it says it's very clear that the county commission uh is the body that picks.

Uh and and I know that the Alderman has talked about that.

Uh, you know, we are the board alderman, but you know, county commission typically are the individuals that have uh legislative ability uh and power and vote, and that would be you know at the board of aldermen, not necessarily the mayor, but uh I have amendment number one to resolution one ninety-three that is on everybody's desk.

It has been sent to the clerk, uh, and I'll read it, but I would uh ask to uh approve adopt amendment number one to uh resolution one ninety-three.

It's been moved by the alderman from the fourteenth, seconded by the alder woman from the seventh.

We adopt amendment number one to resolution one ninety-three.

Alderman, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

So amendment number one would amend resolution one ninety-three starting on page two, adding point five said that the board of alderman affirms it is intention to intervene in the preceding case of the city of St.

Louis versus the state of Missouri filed this same day in the appropriate.

It should say engage.

So that's a little scribble's error instead of gauge, engage independent counsel to represent the board of alderman interests in this case.

And I do want to thank uh Alderman Devotee, Alderwoman, Sanye, uh, my LA Matt, um, all the woman from the 7th, LA David, for kind of pulling this together really quickly uh for this amendment, and I'll open up for any questions.

Any questions on the amendment?

Any discussion on the amendment.

Seeing none, then it's been moved by the alderman from the 14th, seconded by the alderman from the seventh that we adopt amendment number one to resolution 193.

There's been a request from roll call.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alder Woman's white sir.

I alderman Aldenberg.

Alderman Cohn.

Alderman Narayan.

Alderman Devotee.

Alderwoman Velasquez.

Alder Woman Sonia, Alderwoman Cox entwick.

Alderman Browning.

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

Alder Woman Keys.

Alder Woman Tyus.

No.

I said it went to the Alderwoman Boyd.

Yeah, I'll be Alderman Aldric.

Aye.

President Green.

I alder woman Cox entry.

We have 13 aye votes and one no.

By your vote, you sustain the motion for the Alderman for uh from the 14th.

Alderman from the fourth.

Um you can now make a motion to adopt resolution 193 as amended.

I move that we adopt resolution 193 as amended.

It's been moved by the alderman from the fourth, seconded by the alder woman from the seventh that we adopt 193 as amended.

Alderman from the uh alderman from the fourth.

If there's no uh further discussion, then you are recognized to close.

Uh thank you, madam president, members of the board.

Uh I want to be very clear.

Uh, this resolution is not about picking a fight with the mayor's office over who's gonna serve as sheriff for 10 weeks.

Um, what this is is uh making sure that we're protecting this institution, basically.

The the history, the precedent says that we should be involved in this process.

And at the federal level and the state level, we're seeing executive grabs, and I think it's important that uh legislatures stand up and uh protect what is theirs.

Uh and with that I ask for your favorable consideration.

It's been moved by the alderman from the fourth, seconded by the alder woman from the seventh.

We adopt amendment number and uh sorry, resolution one ninety-three as amended on the floor.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Alder Woman Schweitzer.

Aye, Alderman Oldenberg, Alderman Cohn, Alderman Narayan, Alderman Devoty, Alderwoman Velasquez, Alder Woman Sanye, Alder Woman Cox and Twee, Alderman Browning, Alderwoman Clark Hubbard, Alderwoman Keys, Alderwoman Tyus, no, Alderwoman Boyd.

Aye.

Alderman Aldric.

President Green.

Aye.

Alderwoman Cox and Twee.

14 aye votes, one no.

By your vote, you sustain the motion from the Alderman from the fourth to uh adopt resolution 193 as amended.

That's the extent of first reading of resolutions in reference to committee.

Second reading resolutions, committee reports and adoptions report from personnel committee.

I will entertain a motion that meetings of the full board of aldermen be closed to the public under the provisions of 610.0213 and section 10.022 of the Missouri revised statutes in order to permit the members of the board to discuss matters related to the hiring, firing, disciplining, or promoting of employees at the board of alderman.

It's been moved by the alderman from the third, seconded by the alder woman from the 10th.

That we go into closed session.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Aye, Alderman Aldenberg, Alderman Cohn.

Aye, Alderman Narayan.

Alderman Devoty.

Alder Woman Velasquez, Alderwoman Sanye, Alderwoman Cox Entwee, Alderman Browning, Alderwoman Clark Hubbard, Alder Woman Keys, Alderwoman Tayas.

Aye.

Alderwoman Boyd.

Aye.

Alderman Aldrich.

Alderman Aldrick.

President Green.

Aye.

Alderman Oldenberg.

14 aye votes.

For your vote, you sustain the motion from the alderman from the third.

SCLTV, if you could please place us in closed session.

And if everyone could please vacate the chambers except for uh the clerk and members of the board.

Okay.

We're good.

And we are back.

Miscellaneous and unfinished business.

We have none.

Dispense with line item 25.

Announcement.

Tuesday, December the 9th, 2025.

There's a hoods meeting in a committee room at 11 a.m.

Wednesday, December the 10th, 2025, budget and public employees in the Kennedy room at 10 a.m.

Budget and public employees in the Kennedy room at 10 a.m.

Public Infrastructure and Utilities in the Kennedy room at 3:30 p.m.

And on Friday, December the 12th will board meet meeting in the chambers at 10 a.m.

Any further announcements.

Elder woman from the 10th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

First, uh, I want to give the number because I got a couple of texts from my announcement earlier during um honor guest.

So the number for you to access the free soft for ice and snow removal program that the mayor's office is doing in collaboration with the Urban League and the St.

Louis Public Safety Collaborative is 314 391 568.

That's 314 391 5688.

Or you can email at Federation at Urban League-STO.org.

And then my other announcements is it's Sagittarius season in the Hubbard family.

So happy birthday to my sister in love, Tiffany, my husband, Rodney, my sister, and I'm sorry, my brother in love, Tony.

And then we share my brother in love and my husband, of course, between Share a Birthday.

But they also share a birthday with an amazing uh city servant here, a veteran down at the forestry department.

Harriet Jackson, happy birthday, and also to my niece.

Happy birthday, Ariana.

I love you all.

I hope you all share amazing.

Uh share an amazing day.

Celebrate the way best way you can.

We love you, and about to have a good time.

Alder Woman from the 11th.

No announcement for you.

Hello.

There we go.

Thank you so much.

So I'd like everyone to join me tomorrow at Fairground Park at 4 p.m.

for our second annual tree lighting ceremony.

Again, that's 4 p.m.

Saturday, December 6th at Fairground Park.

We will be in the same location as last year, near the corner of Grand and Natural Bridge.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Thank you.

Alderman from the 4th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

Public safety is going to meet at 2 p.m.

on Thursday, December the 11th in the Kennedy room to take up discussion on two issues.

One, the uh environmental impact of debris removal in uh the storm-affected areas, and the second is uh CJC uh Commissioner Hayward has been on the job now for more than 60 days, and he has a uh a report and update basically that uh he'd like to discuss with the committee.

Okay, thank you.

Alder Woman from the 8th.

Thank you, Madam President.

In the spirit of holiday season, it is parlor tour season and the eighth ward.

So this will be the parlor tours taking place on Saturday and Sunday, and also next Sunday, the Lafayette Square holiday parlor tours will be happening.

So come out and see our beautiful uh stick historic homes decorated.

Also next weekend, the 7th and 8th ward will be hosting a community resource fair.

So myself and Alder Woman Sarnier will be partnering on that at Guardian Angel from 10 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

Uh and last but not least, in the spirit of Sagittarius season, it is AJ's birthday week.

So happy birthday to AJ.

Alderman from the 5th.

Not only not only is it beginning to look like Christmas, but in the Hill neighborhood, Christmas actually arriving on Saturday.

Christmas on the Hill is being celebrated beginning at 11 a.m.

throughout the neighborhood.

And Santa is making an appearance at the Piazza Emo.

So please stop by and visit Santa.

But that's not enough Christmas on the Hill because on Sunday night we're gonna do it again, sponsored by the Hill Business Association from 3 to 7 p.m.

We've got local merchants, restaurants, a whole bunch of folks in the area on Daggett Avenue around the Olivo restaurant, the famous place for windown Wednesday that I'm sure many of you have been to.

And then finally, today is my anniversary.

So shout out shout out to Warren who puts up with me.

Did you still have an announcement?

Alder Woman, I think you're muted.

So noted.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I wanted to echo obviously the first fair that the Alder Woman, the 8th and I are going to host.

But also tomorrow is Cherokee Print Bazaar from 11 a.m.

to 6 p.m.

This is a number of artists from our community who work hard all year in one place, along with many options for food and drinks.

So I would look forward to seeing everyone there tomorrow.

And then also wanted to announce that the Daily Drip Coffee Shop is also having an event tomorrow.

Um a grand opening at 10 a.m.

tomorrow, um, a ribbon cutting.

And there is also a utility resist uh utility assistance resource fair that is happening that Representative Collins is putting on that is um December 10th from 10 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

at 4145 Kennerly Avenue.

There will be on site utility assistance as well as a number of other organizations there.

I think I should be alder woman from the 6th.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh a couple of announcements.

Tomorrow, December 6th is the Tower Grove South Neighborhood Holiday Party.

Uh, you can we're having a cookie exchange and there's a raffle prize, and they're also uh doing some gift wrapping for man elementary school Secret Santa.

So that is tomorrow, Saturday, December 6th, from 1 p.m.

to 4 p.m.

at Power Creative at 3221 Oak Hill Avenue.

And then for anybody at City Hall or coming to City Hall from now until December 12th, there is a board of Alderman Toy Drive.

There's a box in front of room 230, and all the toys will go to St.

Louis Crisis Nursery.

So you have an extra toy or have it in your heart to pick up an extra toy, drop it in the box so we can get it to the kids.

Thank you.

Alderman from the 14th.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board.

Also added to the end of this Wednesday, uh budget committee at 10.

If we can add board bill uh 112.

Uh we will have a budget committee this Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Outside of it, beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Saturday or whatever the Alderman from the 5th said.

Santa is coming to town in the 14th ward.

So tomorrow we are having a holiday event in Old North.

Uh we will have our amazing Black Santa that always comes every year.

Uh the event will take place uh at 14th Street and St.

Louis Avenue, and as well as uh the opening of the Drip Coffee Shop, Black Owned Coffee Shop, right across the street from Crown Candy.

That event actually will start at 11 with ribbon cutting and the event.

So we look forward to people coming on out to the 14th and having a good time.

Thank you.

Any further announcements?

Alder Woman from the 10th.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the board.

I would um also like to ask that we have a moment of silence.

Uh no Alderman Alderman Odenberg introduced the resolution in honor of former mayor uh James F.

Conway.

Many of us attended uh the wake yesterday.

We know that the family is as we speak um celebrating the amazing life of service that former mayor James F.

Conway um gave to the city of St.

Louis.

So with that, I'm asking for a moment of silence for former mayor James F.

Conway.

We could please stand and bow our heads for a moment of silence.

Thank you.

Any further announcements?

Any further announcements?

Seeing none, Alder Woman from the 10th, you're recognized to the motion to excuse.

There is no one to excuse this morning.

We were um all members were present, and most especially Alder Woman from the first and Vinny.

Thank you.

Welcome, Vinny.

Alder Woman from the 10th, you are recognized on the motion to adjourn.

Thank you, Madam President.

Members of the board, I move that we adjourn until Friday, December 12th, 2025 in the Board of Alderman Chambers at 10 a.m.

It's been moved by the Alder Woman from the 10th, seconded by the Alder Woman from the 7th.

We adjourn until Friday, December 12th, 2025 in the Board of Alderman Chambers at 10 a.m.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

Aye.

Motion carries.

We are adjourned.