St. Louis Budget Committee Meeting - January 15, 2026: Assessment Plan Adoption
St. Louis Budget Committee Meeting - January 15, 2026: Assessment Plan Adoption
This meeting of the Budget Committee, chaired by Chair Aldrich, was held on January 15, 2026, with five members present (Sonia, Browning, Velasquez, Devotee, Aldrich), establishing a quorum. The primary agenda included the approval of meeting minutes from prior sessions and the discussion and vote on Resolution 194, the two-year assessment maintenance plan required by state statute. No public comments or testimony were received.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from Thursday, January 8, 2026: After initially approving minutes from December 10, 2025, the committee voted to reconsider and unanimously (5-0) approved the correct date: January 8, 2026.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 194 Committee Substitute – Two-Year Assessment Maintenance Plan: Sponsor Alderwoman Schweitzer introduced the resolution, which adopts the city's assessment maintenance plan for the 2026-2027 reassessment cycle, as required by Chapter 137.115 RSMo. The plan must be submitted to the state tax commission by February 1, 2026. Assessor Sean Ordway presented the plan, noting it is his seventh such plan and the first time he has presented to the committee. Key points included:
- The plan uses a state-provided template and details how the assessor will maintain real and personal property assessments uniformly at the statutorily required percentage of market value.
- Significant challenges: the senior tax freeze has absorbed 1.5–2 full-time equivalent employees (without additional hires), and the office must reassess approximately 14,000+ parcels damaged in the recent tornado as of January 1, 2026.
- The plan ensures continued state reimbursement of $3.30 per parcel (about $450,000 annually) and avoids state enforcement, which could include withholding funds or imposing across-the-board adjustments (as occurred in other counties in 2025).
- Committee members (Browning, Velasquez, Son, Devotee, and Chair Aldrich) expressed appreciation for the assessor’s transparency, responsiveness, and community outreach. Specific questions addressed how the assessor accounts for long-vacant or dilapidated properties (using market sales and condition data) and targeted outreach for the senior tax freeze (ongoing engagement with senior programs and community events).
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approval: The committee unanimously (5-0) approved the corrected minutes from the January 8, 2026 meeting.
- Resolution 194 Committee Substitute Passed: The committee unanimously (5-0) voted to give the resolution a do pass recommendation, forwarding it to the full Board of Aldermen. The city will submit the plan to the state tax commission by the February 1, 2026 deadline.
Meeting Transcript
Audown Sonia Present Alderman Browning. Present. Audowman Velasquez. Here. Alderman Devotee. Chair Aldrich. Present. We have five present. We have quorum. Thank you. With that, we have established a quorum. Next item of business item number three would be approval of the minutes. I'll take a motion to approve the minutes from Wednesday, December 10th, 2025. Second. Move by the Alderman from the fifth, second by the alderman from the ninth. Madam Clerk, please call to row. Alder Woman Sonny. Vice Chair Browning. Aye. Alder Woman Velasquez. Aye. Alderman Devotee. Chair Aldrich. Aye. We have five eye votes. Thank you, Madam Clerk. With that, we have approved the amendment minutes from Wednesday, December 10th, 2025. We will jump down to item number six committee discussion, which we will hear res we will hear resolution 194. Aldo Women's White, so you may come up whenever. Thank you, Chairman Aldrich. Thank you to the members of the budget committee for hearing this resolution today. This resolution 194 is the adoption of the assessment maintenance plan, which is required by the city to do uh per state statute. And here to talk about it today. I do have assessor Sean Ordway. Uh but first and foremost, I would hope that we could uh if the committee feel feels um ready to do so, adopt the committee substitute, which has the exhibits for discussion that actually make up the assessment plan, uh which had to be added as um at uh as a um as an amendment as a committee substitute because it needed to go through the board of estimate and apportionment. Um so that's why we're doing the committee sub today. But I I would hope that we could get that um committee substitute adopted, and then I would love if if it's all right with uh the chairman to have assessor ordway come up. Absolutely. So uh I'll take a motion to put the committee substitute in front of us for resolution 194. I move that we adopt uh resolution number 194 committee substitute. It was moved by the Alderman from the 9th to adopt the committee substitute to resolution 194, seconded by the Alderman from the fifth previous role. Hearing no objection, we have adopted the committee substitute to resolution 194. Alder Woman, you may proceed. Thank you, Chairman Aldrich. Uh and with that, I would love to have uh Assessor Ordway come and speak about what this does and why it's why it's important, why it's needed. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, um, ladies and gentlemen of the uh committee, and uh thank you, Alderman Schweitzer, for uh sponsoring this resolution. So every two years, all assessors in Missouri and all 115 counties, including City of St. Louis, we have to enter into an agreement with the state tax commission.
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