St. Louis Board of Aldermen Formal Meeting — October 9, 2026

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen convened on Friday, October 9, 2026, with 13 members present. The meeting opened with a reflection by the alderman from the 3rd ward in honor of National Coming Out Day and a moment of silence for Matthew Shepard, followed by a recognition ceremony for the Code Blue Winter Response Team, first readings of new board bills, and final passage of the neighborhood traffic calming ordinance (Board Bill 75) after extended debate.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the minutes of Friday, October 2, 2026, by voice vote.
• Resolution 150 was adopted by mistake; the board voted 12–1 (Alderman Aldrich dissenting) to reconsider, leaving it on the first-reading calendar, after which Resolution 149 was taken up.
• The perfection consent calendar — Board Bills 64 (closing the 2800 block of Oregon Avenue), 81 (defining and regulating smoke shops), and 76 (codifying the Office of Sustainability) — was adopted by voice vote. The alderman from the 8th ward was added as a co-sponsor of Board Bill 81.
• The third-reading and final-passage consent calendar — Board Bills 69 committee substitute, 51 committee substitute, and 71 — passed by roll call, 14–0.
• The courtesy resolution consent calendar (Resolutions 147, 148, 151, and 152) was adopted en bloc (described in the meeting as "in bank"). The board added several co-sponsors to Resolution 148 and to Resolutions 151 and 152.

Code Blue Winter Response Team Recognition (Resolution 149)

• Resolution 149, introduced by Alderwoman Sonier, honors the Code Blue Winter Response Team. The clerk's reading noted that Code Blue is the city's emergency cold-weather response program with activation levels one through four, and that the 2025 winter season made emergency shelters available to over 600 individuals on the most dangerous nights.
• Alderwoman Sonier said a group of unhoused providers approached her about Code Blue about a year and a half ago, and that the city moved a $3.3 million allocation from the Rams settlement to fund the operation (Director Pearson later cited the figure as $3.34 million).
• Dr. Pearson, Director of Human Services, reported that Code Blue produced nearly 25,000 bed nights and approximately 1,066 shelter transportation riders, and that the city's 400 year-round emergency beds would not have sufficed after the May 16, 2025 tornado displaced thousands of residents. He stated the effort saved lives.
• Ann Warry, Commissioner of the Department of Health, said the department's role was rooted in public health protection, disease prevention, and safety for vulnerable residents.
• Michael Gilbert, of the Department of Health's emergency preparedness team, called the work emotionally powerful and invited every alderman to volunteer to ride along with Code Blue outreach this winter.
• Christina Sturman, of the Code Blue Coalition and St. Louis Winter Outreach, described a man who refused shuttle rides repeatedly before accepting on the third round of pickups on a very cold night, saying Code Blue ensured that "when he was ready to come inside, there was somewhere for him to go." She said the response was built on outreach workers, shelter providers, volunteers, and people with lived experience, and called for Code Blue to become a permanent part of the city's winter response.
• Alderwoman Sonier and President Green noted that the city budget now includes dedicated Code Blue funding and that the Board of Estimate and Apportionment approved contracts for Code Blue providers for the coming winter. President Green said she had never seen the city this prepared for winter by October.

Discussion Items

• First readings: Board Bill 88 (honorary street name "Pruitt Igoe Lane," at North 20th Street and Cass Avenue), sponsored by Alderman Aldrich and Alderwoman Clark Hubbard; Board Bill 89 (honorary street name "Lois Conley Lane," at St. Louis Avenue and North 25th Street), sponsored by Alderman Aldrich; Board Bill 90 (municipal receivership for vacant nuisance properties) and Board Bill 91 (establishing a Code Blue emergency weather response program with a dedicated fund from the city's 3% local sales tax on adult-use marijuana), both sponsored by Alderwoman Sonier with co-sponsors. Board Bill 90 was referred to the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee; Board Bill 91 to the Health and Human Development Committee.
• Second reading: Board Bill 80 (amended and restated lease consent for the Homer G. Phillips Senior Apartments at 2601 Whittier Street) was reported out of the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee with a do-pass recommendation.
• Board Bill 75 (neighborhood traffic calming system), sponsored by Alderman Browning and co-sponsors, was debated at length. Browning said the bill would professionalize traffic calming, create an online portal tracking requests, funding decisions, and completion dates, and require the Department of Transportation to report annually to the Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee. He noted that nearly 90% of city voters approved Proposition T to create the Department of Transportation. The alderwoman from the 12th ward expressed deep distrust of the Streets Department, recalled that ward capital was created by voters in November 1993, called the $900 fee a "farce," and said she would vote present; the alderwoman from the 13th ward voted no, saying she had waited 10 years for speed humps in her ward. The alderwoman from the 12th also said she planned to introduce legislation holding department directors accountable for projects delayed beyond a year. Final roll call: 12 ayes, 1 no, 1 present.

Key Outcomes

• Resolution 149 was adopted, recognizing the Code Blue Winter Response Team.
• Board Bill 75 passed as amended on the floor (12–1–1) and, with Board Bills 51 committee substitute and 71, was signed by the President and ordered to become law.
• Board Bills 88, 89, 90, and 91 received first readings; Board Bills 90 and 91 were referred to committees.
• Board Bill 80 advanced to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.
• The courtesy resolutions (147, 148, 151, 152) were adopted.
• The board excused the alderman from the 5th ward for necessary absence and adjourned until Friday, October 16, 2026, at 10 a.m.

Announcements

• The 24th annual Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing reenactment will take place Saturday, October 10, 2–4 p.m., under the Gateway Arch (Resolution 151 celebrates this event).
• Soulard Octoberfest runs October 9–10.
• A "People's Parade" to Ameren headquarters will be held Saturday, October 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., starting at the Carondelet Pavilion in Lafayette Park, protesting Ameren's 20-year plan to abandon carbon reduction commitments and increase fossil fuel reliance from 5% to 60%.
• Shaw Art Fair runs Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• The Continuum of Care holds a town hall on homelessness Thursday, October 15, 5:30–8 p.m., at 1315 Chestnut Street.
• The board honored STL TV; speakers cited both 35 years and 30 years of service to the city (the transcript contains both figures).
• The alderwoman from the 10th ward recognized 9-year-old Cadence Lewis, national record holder in the 800-meter run for 9-year-old girls (time of 2:25.32 in June 2026, breaking a 10-year standing record) and a 2026 Junior Olympic National Champion in the 800-meter run and the 4x400 relay.