OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings
St. Louis Board of Aldermen Regular Session – October 30, 2026
Board of Aldermen — Friday, October 30, 2026
BodySt Louis, Missouri
SessionBoard of Aldermen
DateFriday, October 30, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Transcript — Verbatim
Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit37%
Procedural27%
Community Engagement12%
Criminal Justice5%
Public Engagement5%
Transportation Safety4%
Racial Equity4%
Animal Welfare3%
Legal Process1%
Summary of Proceedings
St. Louis Board of Aldermen Regular Session – October 30, 2026
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen convened on October 30, 2026, with President Green presiding. The meeting featured an opening reflection from Stray Rescue for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, the adoption of resolutions honoring community leaders, and extensive debate on the future of the North-South transit tax.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from October 23, 2026 were approved.
- Resolution 165 was adopted honoring Judge Newton J. McCoy for his decades of service to the municipal courts.
- Resolution 168 was adopted honoring Harris-Stowe State University, Sandra K. Kelly, Three Daughters and a Thousand Sons, and the Clean Slate Initiative for their expungement clinic.
- Board Bills 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 directing speed humps in the 13th Ward were adopted.
- Board Bill 79 directing speed humps in the 9th Ward was adopted.
- Board Bill 91 establishing the Cold Weather Emergency Response Program (Code Blue Fund), funded by the city's 3% sales tax on adult-use marijuana, was adopted.
- Board Bill 94 appropriating funds from national opiate settlement agreements was adopted.
- Board Bills 47, 57, and 82 received final passage on the consent calendar.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sandra K. Kelly, Founder of Three Daughters and a Thousand Sons, testified with community partners. She spoke about the importance of record expungement for returning citizens, framing it as a community effort to restore opportunity. Alderwomen celebrating the work noted over 1,000 records have been cleared.
- Judge Newton J. McCoy gave retiring remarks, thanking staff and emphasizing the need to treat everyone with respect.
- Honored Guests included Major Brittany Wells (U.S. Army), SLU policy pod students, and Sterling Samuel Miller.
Discussion Items
- Board Bill 59 Committee Substitute (Transit Tax Restructuring): The central debate was over a bill to let voters decide whether to redirect a half-cent sales tax (collected since 2017 for a North-South light rail line) to also allow Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
- Supporters (Aldermen from the 14th, 5th, 1st, 7th, and 13th Wards) argued the $1.1 billion light rail project is not feasible, while the 11.5-mile BRT line ($360-$590 million) connects more neighborhoods and puts the decision in voters' hands.
- Opponents (Alderwoman from the 12th Ward) delivered a detailed history of broken promises to North St. Louis for rail transit, calling the current proposal a "cheat" and "fraud." She requested a roll call to vote no.
- Outcome and Discrepancy: The bill was perfected. The clerk's tally recorded the vote as 13 in favor, 1 opposed (Alderwoman Keys). A discrepancy exists as Alderwoman Marlin (12th Ward) explicitly requested the roll call to register her dissenting vote, which was not reflected in the final count.
- Introduction of Board Bills: BB 106 (Housing Act), BB 107 (ARPA funds), and BB 108 (Dickman Park) were introduced and referred to the HUDS Committee.
Key Outcomes
- BB 59 was perfected and heads to third reading and the April 2027 ballot.
- Resolutions 165 and 168 were officially adopted.
- Next Meeting: The board adjourned until Friday, November 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
The board will now come to order. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Alder Woman Sweitzer. Alderman Odenberg. Alderman Cone. Alderman Orion. Alderman Devotee. Alder Woman Velasquez. Alder Woman Sony A. Alder Woman Cox Anchwee. Alderman Browning. Alder Woman Clark Hubbard. Alder Woman Keys. Alder Woman Board. Present. Alderman Aldrich. President Green. Present. Alderman Odenberg. Present. Alderman Cohn. Alder Woman Velasquez. Alder Woman Sonya. Present. Alder Woman Cox Antoine. Alderman Browning. Alderman Aldrich. 12 present. A quorum being present, we will be led in an opening reflection by the Director of Community Engagement and Impact for Stray Rescue, Kate Eisenhofer for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Good morning. My name is Kate Eisenhofer, and I'm the director of community engagement and impact at Straight Rescue of St. Louis. I'm gonna tell you guys a little bit about what we've got working behind the scenes to bring to our community. Um, for those who aren't familiar with Stray Rescue, we're a nonprofit animal rescue organization founded in 1998, dedicated to helping animals who've been abandoned, neglected, injured, or forgotten. We seek out and take out, take in those who know other organizations will help or simply euthanize because they're too expensive to heal. We've rescued and rehabilitated tens of thousands of animals in and around St. Louis by getting them the help they need and making sure they have somewhere safe to rest, heal, and flourish in our care. Our dedicated team works hard every day to get these animals the care they need and help finding loving homes no matter the time or cost. Today, Stray Rescue's grown in to be the home of 60 committed staff members, over a thousand volunteers, more than 600 foster families who open their homes to us in saving these animals. We're incredibly proud of the work we've done in the St. Louis community, and we're really excited about what the future holds. We're looking forward to opening our brand new facility in 2028 in the Dutchtown Bivo area, which represents a $25 million investment in the city of St. Louis, which is going to change the landscape of our city and animal welfare. This is a really big step for us, but more importantly, it's an opportunity to make an even bigger impact on our community.
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