St. Louis Board of Aldermen Meeting - March 6, 2026
St. Louis Board of Aldermen Meeting - March 6, 2026
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen convened on March 6, 2026, with 12 members present. The meeting featured a resolution honoring journalist Justina Coronel, numerous board bills, committee reports, and announcements about community events and city operations. Votes were conducted by roll call where needed, and the meeting adjourned to March 13, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- Courtesy Resolution Consent Calendar: Adopted unanimously. Included resolutions 259 and 260.
- Board Bills for Perfection Consent: Adopted unanimously, covering multiple street vacation and funding ordinances.
- Board Bills for Third Reading and Final Passage (Consent Calendar): Passed with 14 aye votes. Bills included board bills 131, 132, 157 as amended, 158 floor substitute, and 160.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Justina Coronel (Honoree): Expressed surprise and gratitude for the resolution, describing her move to St. Louis as “the best thing that’s ever happened to me” and stating she loves the city. Noted she is pregnant.
- Alderwoman from the 10th Ward: Praised Coronel for her authentic reporting and community trust. Moved the resolution “in bank” (co-sponsorship by all board members).
- Alderman from the 9th Ward: Seconded the motion for the resolution to be placed in bank.
- Alderman from the 4th Ward: Thanked Coronel for her civic work with St. Martha’s Hall and domestic violence survivors, noting she did “unglamorous work behind the scenes.”
- Alderwoman from the 8th Ward: Thanked Coronel for breaking stigma around survivor stories.
- Alderwoman from the 10th Ward (closing): Recognized all women in trades to close Women in Trades Week, and encouraged attendance at a construction career expo and a city job fair.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 259: Honoring Justina Coronel for seven years of distinguished journalism at KSDK, community advocacy, and leadership (including founding the St. Louis chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists). The resolution listed numerous awards (e.g., two Associated Press awards, a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Emmy nominations, 2023 Reporter of the Year). It also noted her service on boards (St. Martha’s Hall, Hispanic Leaders Group) and as a volunteer crisis worker. The resolution was moved “in bank” (all 14 members as co-sponsors) and adopted.
- Board Bill 171 – Floor Substitute: Introduced by Alderwoman from the 7th Ward. Raises the minor purchase order threshold from $500 to $2,500 for city departments, aiming to streamline procurement from a process that can take up to two months to about three days. Supported by the Board of Aldermen President, Mayor’s Office, Comptroller’s Office, and Supply Commissioner. Passed unanimously.
- Board Bill 167 (Transportation and Commerce Committee): Creates a limited exemption from convention facility regulations for certain private events/trade shows, with a severability clause.
- Board Bill 66 – Committee Substitute (HUDS Committee): Amends city code to define criteria for impact assessments of redevelopment projects, with a severability clause.
- Board Bill 155 (HUDS): Approves the establishment of the Downtown St. Louis Sports and Entertainment Community Improvement District.
- Board Bill 161 – Committee Substitute (HUDS): Reappropriates $5,464,157.84 for water infrastructure replacement and repair, with an emergency clause.
- Street Vacation Bills (Board Bills 110, 111, 136): Conditional street vacations for commercial development/parking, petitioned by Care STL Health, Hopkins Property of St. Louis LLC, and others.
- Board Bill 148: Appropriates $1,363,875.78 from National Opioid Settlement funds to the Department of Health, with an emergency clause.
- Board Bill 150: Calms traffic on the 600 block of Washington Avenue.
- Board Bill 156: Updates forestry division regulations for tree planting, maintenance, preservation, and management.
- Board Bill 159: Authorizes a municipal stormwater grant agreement with the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District for a flood wall project, with an emergency clause.
- Board Bill 170: Establishes a two-way stop at Forest Avenue and Glades Avenue, with an emergency clause.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 259 (honoring Justina Coronel) was adopted after being placed “in bank” by unanimous consent.
- Board Bill 171 (purchase order threshold increase) was perfected and passed unanimously.
- Fourteen board bills on the consent calendar passed third reading and final passage with 14 aye votes.
- Resolution 258 was referred to the Public Safety Committee (meeting March 12 at 2 p.m.).
- Announcements included: a Gravoy Corridor Town Hall on March 7 (resource fair 10-11 a.m., town hall 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), a special tax sale property submission deadline by end of next week, a women in trades career expo on March 6 (1-4 p.m.), and a city job fair on March 6.
- The meeting adjourned to March 13, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
The board will now come to order. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Alder Woman Schweitzer. Alderman Oldenberg. Alderman Cone. Alderman Orion. Alderman Devotee. Alder Woman Velasquez. Alder Woman Sonia. Alder Woman Cox Antwee. Alderman Browning. Alder Woman Clark Hubbard. Alder Woman Keys. Alder Woman Tyus. Present. Alder Woman Boyd. Present. Alderman Aldrick. President Green. Present. Alderman Oldenberg. Alder Woman Sonier. Alder Woman Keys. Twelve present. Accorum being present, we will dispense with line item three and take up the courtesy resolution calendar. Alder Woman from the tenth, you're recognized on the motion to suspend the rules for the purposes of introducing resolution two fifty-nine and two sixty. Thank you, Madam President, members of the board. I move that we suspend the rules for the purposes of introducing resolutions two fifty-nine and two sixty. This is a non-debatable motion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. One present. If you could please place resolutions two fifty-nine and two sixty at the end of the courtesy resolution calendar. So noted. And at this time, I would like to invite the Alder Woman from the sixth to approach the dais with your honored guests for the presentation of resolution nine. Thank you, Madam President. With that, can I please have Justina Coronel come to the daisy? Surprise. I don't need like a drum roll. Uh how many minutes do we have? I think Mark's I know we need the Mark. Do you have your back to the presentation? Alderman from the Fourteenth, would you like to make a motion to recess? Thank you, Madam President. Members of the board, I'd like to make a motion that we go into recess. It's been moved by the alderman from the fourteenth, seconded by the Alder Woman from the seventh that we go into recess. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed motion carries. And we are back. So today we are uh those claps are for you, yes.
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