OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Louis Board of Aldermen Meeting – May 21, 2026

Board of Aldermen — Thursday, May 21, 2026
BodySt Louis, Missouri
SessionBoard of Aldermen
DateThursday, May 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 43:35

Transcript — Verbatim
0:30

Alder Woman Sweitzer Alderman Odenberg.

0:36

President.

0:40

Acting Chair.

0:41

Acting President Cohn.

0:42

Present.

0:43

Alderman Narayan.

0:46

Alderman Devoting.

0:49

Alder Woman Velasquez.

0:52

Alder Woman Sonier.

0:55

Present.

0:56

Alder Woman Cox Antoine.

1:00

Alderman Browning.

1:03

Alder Woman Clark Hubbard.

1:07

Alder Woman Keys.

1:09

Alder Woman Thais.

1:18

Alder Woman Boy.

1:21

President.

1:22

Can you all hear me?

1:24

Yes.

1:24

Yes, we can't see you, but we can hear you.

1:26

We see you now.

1:27

Alderman Audrey.

1:30

President Green.

1:32

Audible Velasquez.

1:35

Alder Woman Cox Answee.

1:38

Alder Woman Keys.

2:03

Alder Woman Thais.

2:11

President.

2:13

Can you hear me present?

2:14

We can't all the woman.

2:19

We have 12 presents.

2:21

We have a quorum.

2:22

A quorum being present, we will be led an opening reflection by Jordan Braxta.

2:34

Oh.

2:35

Thank you and good morning.

2:38

Thank you to the Board of Alderman for allowing me to stand before you and reflect on the transgender day of visibility and why it's important.

2:46

On this 17th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Visibil Visibility, we as trans people literally fight for our lives every single day.

2:54

On a national level and in the face of increasing anti-transgender legislation, there have been 747 bills proposed, 23 bills passed, 12 signed into law, all because of hateful rhetoric.

3:09

Our community is grateful for promo for increasingly defeating all 58 anti-LGBTQA bills proposed during this current Missouri legislative session.

3:19

We're grateful for executive order number 77 signed in May of 2020 that established policies to protect and support the City of St.

3:28

Louis transgender community.

3:41

St.

3:41

Louis is a very trans-friendly city and a major Middlewestern hub for the trans community.

3:47

Based on state level figures and gallop polling, gallop polling for the region, it is estimated that up to 4,000 transgender adults live in the St.

3:56

Louis area.

3:57

We all know that being a progressive blue dot in a red state is very hard.

4:03

So again, thank you all for consistently showing up for our trans community.

4:07

Transgender Day of Visibility offers powerful opportunities to take action, stand in solidarity with each other.

4:14

These observances challenge us to reflect on the pervasive impact of discrimination and to amplify the voices of those too often silenced.

4:23

Transgender Day of Visibility is a powerful, active declaration of our persistence, resistance, and our existence.

5:06

Today, by passing the resolution, acknowledges Transgender Day of Visibility and it shifts the narrative towards celebrating the lives, the joy and the accomplishment of trans individuals.

5:17

It actively counters hateful stereotypes and provides a pathway to vital to ensure that our human rights and safety.

5:26

It recognizes that visibility is a critical part of our existence and helps dismantle systemic barriers by showing support for our from our elected officials.

5:37

Thank you for your support.

5:38

Thank you for your empowerment, and most of all, thank you for this resolution.

5:44

Thank you.

5:53

Oh, yeah, okay.

5:54

Okay.

5:56

I just want to uh take a personal note.

5:59

I've known Jordan uh pretty much my entire adult adult life.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Community Engagement█████████████████████████36%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Louis Board of Aldermen Meeting – May 21, 2026

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen convened on May 21, 2026, with 12 members present, establishing a quorum. The meeting featured a special order celebrating the Transgender Day of Visibility, multiple unanimous approvals, and introductions of new legislation. Key actions included the adoption of a resolution recognizing March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility, approval of appointments to the Lighthouse Community Improvement District, and suspension of rules to introduce a bill concerning Homer G. Phillips Senior Apartments.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The Board unanimously approved the minutes from the May 15, 2026 meeting.
  • Adoption of Courtesy Resolution Consent Calendar: Adopted by voice vote without opposition.
  • Adoption of Board Bills for Perfection Consent Calendar: Board Bill 2 (Water Division funding for community water fluoridation equipment repair/replacement) and Board Bill 11 (installation of speed humps on the 5100 block of Vernon Avenue) were advanced unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jordan Braxton (resident of the 14th Ward, Miss Trans USA 2026) delivered an opening reflection on the Transgender Day of Visibility. She noted that 747 anti-transgender bills had been proposed nationally, 23 passed, and 12 signed into law, while 58 anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated in Missouri during the current legislative session. She estimated that up to 4,000 transgender adults live in the St. Louis area. She expressed gratitude for the city’s support and urged year-round visibility.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 28 – Transgender Day of Visibility: Sponsored by Alderman Aldridge (14th Ward), the resolution formally recognized March 31, 2026 as Transgender Day of Visibility in St. Louis, commending the organizers of the “Visibility for Our Lives” events. Alderman Aldridge and several colleagues voiced strong support for the trans community, emphasizing solidarity amid state and federal attacks. The resolution was adopted by unanimous voice vote and then “embanked” (all Board members signed on as co-sponsors).
  • Suspension of Rules for Board Bill 27: Alderman Tyus (12th Ward) moved to suspend the rules to introduce Board Bill 27, which concerns the transfer of an amended lease for the Homer G. Phillips Senior Apartments (2601 Whittier Street). The motion passed with 13 aye votes.
  • First Reading of Board Bills:
    • Board Bill 24 (Fire EMS funding for emergency medical transportation) – sponsored by Alderman Velasquez, Devoting, and Clark Hubbard.
    • Board Bill 25 (Water rates increase) – sponsored by Alderman Browning and Cone.
    • Board Bill 26 (Position classifications and salaries in the Treasurer’s Office) – sponsored by Alderman Aldridge.
    • Board Bill 27 (Homer G. Phillips lease) – sponsored by Alderman Tyus.
  • Second Reading and Committee Report: Board Bill 12 (employee compensation plan for classified service) was reported out of the Budget and Public Employees Committee with a “do pass” recommendation. It includes an emergency clause effective June 14, 2026.
  • Appointments to Lighthouse St. Louis Community Improvement District: The Board approved Mayor Spencer’s appointments: new appointment of Philip Schrack and reappointments of Dan Cook and Scott Riley. The roll call vote resulted in 13 ayes.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 28 adopted unanimously – all members co-sponsored the resolution.
  • Lighthouse CID appointments approved (13 ayes).
  • Rules suspended for Board Bill 27 (13 ayes) – placed on first reading and referred to the Housing, Urban Development, and Zoning (HUDs) committee.
  • Board Bills 24, 25, 26, and 27 received first reading and were referred to committees (Budget & Public Employees; Public Infrastructure; HUDs).
  • Board Bill 12 advanced from committee for further consideration.
  • Meeting adjourned until Friday, May 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Board of Aldermen Chambers.

Meeting Transcript

Alder Woman Sweitzer Alderman Odenberg. President. Acting Chair. Acting President Cohn. Present. Alderman Narayan. Alderman Devoting. Alder Woman Velasquez. Alder Woman Sonier. Present. Alder Woman Cox Antoine. Alderman Browning. Alder Woman Clark Hubbard. Alder Woman Keys. Alder Woman Thais. Alder Woman Boy. President. Can you all hear me? Yes. Yes, we can't see you, but we can hear you. We see you now. Alderman Audrey. President Green. Audible Velasquez. Alder Woman Cox Answee. Alder Woman Keys. Alder Woman Thais. President. Can you hear me present? We can't all the woman. We have 12 presents. We have a quorum. A quorum being present, we will be led an opening reflection by Jordan Braxta. Oh. Thank you and good morning. Thank you to the Board of Alderman for allowing me to stand before you and reflect on the transgender day of visibility and why it's important. On this 17th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Visibil Visibility, we as trans people literally fight for our lives every single day. On a national level and in the face of increasing anti-transgender legislation, there have been 747 bills proposed, 23 bills passed, 12 signed into law, all because of hateful rhetoric. Our community is grateful for promo for increasingly defeating all 58 anti-LGBTQA bills proposed during this current Missouri legislative session. We're grateful for executive order number 77 signed in May of 2020 that established policies to protect and support the City of St. Louis transgender community. St. Louis is a very trans-friendly city and a major Middlewestern hub for the trans community. Based on state level figures and gallop polling, gallop polling for the region, it is estimated that up to 4,000 transgender adults live in the St. Louis area. We all know that being a progressive blue dot in a red state is very hard. So again, thank you all for consistently showing up for our trans community. Transgender Day of Visibility offers powerful opportunities to take action, stand in solidarity with each other. These observances challenge us to reflect on the pervasive impact of discrimination and to amplify the voices of those too often silenced. Transgender Day of Visibility is a powerful, active declaration of our persistence, resistance, and our existence.

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