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Record of Proceedings

Budget and Public Employees Committee Meeting: FY27 Budget Review and Department Presentations (May 15, 2026)

Board of Aldermen Committees — Friday, May 15, 2026
BodySt Louis, Missouri
SessionBoard of Aldermen Committees
DateFriday, May 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:38:19

Original source
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0:04

Good morning.

0:05

It is May 7th.

0:06

This is the budget and public employees committee is 9 39.

0:09

Madam Clerk, please call the row.

0:11

Auto Woman Sanyer.

0:14

Vice Chair Browning.

0:16

Present.

0:17

Auto Woman Velasquez.

0:20

Alderman Devotee.

0:22

Present.

0:23

Chair Aldrick.

0:24

Present.

0:25

Auto Woman Sanyer.

0:27

Auto Woman Velasquez.

0:29

Three present.

0:30

Thank you.

0:30

With that, we have a uh call to roll.

0:33

Next order of business will be item number four board bills for review, which is board bill number one, which is a FY27 budget fiscal year.

0:41

Uh budget.

0:42

Uh we are holding that, and we are going to item number six, which is committee discussion.

0:47

Today we will hear from the building division, followed by corrections, uh small little break in between.

0:56

To get started, we have the building division here.

0:58

Uh so if they want to come on up, whoever's presenting the budget, state your name, your title, and if you have any members here with you from your team that you want to introduce, and then you can jump right on in.

1:11

Uh there's a little button to turn that mic on.

1:13

And we've also pulled up the presentation.

1:15

There we go.

1:18

Uh no.

1:20

What about now?

1:21

Yeah, we can.

1:21

Just make sure you speak, you speak into it.

1:24

Okay, how's everyone doing today?

1:25

Good.

1:26

So I am Tim Jeffries.

1:27

I'm the acting building commissioner for the city of St.

1:30

Louis.

1:30

And I did bring a little team with me today.

1:32

I will introduce.

1:33

We have Dylan Moser, he's the deputy building commissioner.

1:37

Marcus Sanford, he's our accountant.

1:39

And John McLaughlin, program manager too over vacant buildings, problem properties, and so forth.

1:46

So we'll I guess we'll get right into this.

1:48

So see the first slide.

1:56

Dora.

1:56

Aura.

2:06

That's not the first one.

2:10

Can you go back one?

2:11

There you go.

2:11

The mission.

2:12

Okay.

2:13

I will start by just reading this to you, and then we'll talk about our mission.

2:17

Building division does enforce the city building code issues building permits, conducts inspections, demolishes vacant buildings, and enforces the zoning code to ensure the health safety and welfare of the citizens of St.

2:29

Louis.

2:30

And as a mission statement, that pretty much sums up what we do.

2:35

There is uh some things that we we do in the building division that probably need to be worked on as far as a mission of ours.

2:42

If you have people are aware of some problems we've had.

2:46

I thought I think we have a good operations in place, but we probably need to do what we do better, maybe more efficiently as moving forward in the future.

2:55

So that's can we go to the next slide?

3:00

Next slide.

3:03

Okay.

3:04

Getting into the operations, the overview and the functions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Safety██████████████████████████26%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████26%
Procedural███3%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Housing█1%
Public Health█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Budget and Public Employees Committee Meeting: FY27 Budget Review and Department Presentations (May 15, 2026)

The Budget and Public Employees Committee, chaired by Alderman Aldrick, convened on May 15, 2026, at 9:39 AM to review the FY27 budget and hear from city departments. The meeting included presentations from the Building Division, Department of Corrections, Division of Civilian Oversight, and a report from the License Collector's Office. Discussions focused on staffing vacancies, operational challenges, and funding needs for public safety and oversight.

Consent Calendar

  • None.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None.

Discussion Items

Building Division

  • Acting Commissioner Tim Jeffries and team presented a budget of approximately $32 million across 10 cost centers, with 217 FTEs proposed but only 150 active employees and 62 vacancies. The division highlighted a $3.4 million transfer for tornado zone demolitions and a $500,000 retention for other demolitions. The proposed budget included a $5.5 million allocation for demolition and unsafe buildings (up from the requested $3 million).
  • The division reported significant staffing challenges, with half of vacancies in inspector roles. Starting salaries were cited as a primary cause, with trained staff often leaving for higher pay in St. Louis County and other jurisdictions.
  • New positions requested included a customer service manager to handle fine and fee inquiries and a program manager for the lead program. The division also emphasized the need for strategic code enforcement with three dedicated inspectors for vacant and nuisance properties.
  • Technology upgrades were discussed, including the rollout of an online permit system, a contract with Safe Built for third-party plan review, and plans to integrate rental registry requirements into the permitting system. Concerns were raised about state legislation mandating faster permit approvals without additional funding.
  • Demographic data: 24,000 vacant properties citywide, costing an estimated $21 million annually in reactive services. The division noted that LRA-owned properties are easier to demolish than private ones due to legal challenges.

Department of Corrections

  • Commissioner Nate Haywick requested $40.7 million, with a proposed budget of $33.76 million. He stated $36 million would be acceptable, with the additional $2 million primarily needed for personnel.
  • Staffing: The department requested 133 Correctional Officer 1s and 26 Correctional Officer 2s; the proposed budget allocated 113 and 21 respectively. Currently, 85 CO1 positions are filled. The ideal fully staffed level is 195 CO1s, with a minimum of 150. The jail population rose from 680 in September 2025 to 793 by May 2026, increasing demands.
  • Accomplishments included hiring 50 officers since September, reducing the shortage from 85, but turnover remains high due to better pay in St. Charles and St. Louis County.
  • Key needs: A PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) coordinator and an accreditation manager to ensure compliance and reduce lawsuit risks. The department also highlighted broken cameras with blind spots, a need for more radios, and a request for a second locksmith.
  • Programs for detainees include reentry services, anger management, GED, Serve Safe, yoga for females, and a talent show. The classification unit (with four new case managers) will help segregate detainees by risk level.
  • Collaboration with the Sheriff's Department for medical transports has strained staffing; the sheriff sends one deputy and the jail provides one officer, further reducing available staff.

Division of Civilian Oversight

  • Commissioner Dr. Barbara Mylan presented a budget request of $1,144,385, with a proposed $1,158,330. The division has 11 staff positions, all funded.
  • The division has established partnerships with Harris-Stowe State University and regional oversight offices. Investigators now have access to the City Justice Center to interview detainees and attend dorm rep meetings.
  • A 2020-2024 misconduct analysis showed a steady rise in allegations, particularly in uncivil treatment, abuse of authority, and discourtesy, accounting for nearly 40% of complaints. The state takeover of the police department has limited direct oversight of SLMPD, but the board continues meetings and policy work.
  • Priorities include finalizing a consolidated policy manual, attending the NACO conference for investigator certification, and updating public outreach materials.

License Collector's Office

  • The License Collector reported that the office is fee-based and not funded by the city budget. In FY2025 (June 2024-May 2025), the office collected $74,729,181 and distributed $72,283,051 to the city and other entities, retaining $2.1 million for operations.
  • Key priorities include migrating to a new automated database system (CityWorks and PayIt) and hiring an in-house IT consultant. No service impacts are anticipated from funding levels.
  • The office collaborates with small businesses through forums and events in the City Hall rotunda.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee recessed at 12:00 PM and reconvened at 12:00 PM to hear from the Department of Corrections, then continued with the Division of Civilian Oversight and License Collector's Office.
  • No formal votes were taken on budget items; the meeting was informational for committee discussion.
  • The committee adjourned at approximately 2:00 PM after hearing all presentations.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. It is May 7th. This is the budget and public employees committee is 9 39. Madam Clerk, please call the row. Auto Woman Sanyer. Vice Chair Browning. Present. Auto Woman Velasquez. Alderman Devotee. Present. Chair Aldrick. Present. Auto Woman Sanyer. Auto Woman Velasquez. Three present. Thank you. With that, we have a uh call to roll. Next order of business will be item number four board bills for review, which is board bill number one, which is a FY27 budget fiscal year. Uh budget. Uh we are holding that, and we are going to item number six, which is committee discussion. Today we will hear from the building division, followed by corrections, uh small little break in between. To get started, we have the building division here. Uh so if they want to come on up, whoever's presenting the budget, state your name, your title, and if you have any members here with you from your team that you want to introduce, and then you can jump right on in. Uh there's a little button to turn that mic on. And we've also pulled up the presentation. There we go. Uh no. What about now? Yeah, we can. Just make sure you speak, you speak into it. Okay, how's everyone doing today? Good. So I am Tim Jeffries. I'm the acting building commissioner for the city of St. Louis. And I did bring a little team with me today. I will introduce. We have Dylan Moser, he's the deputy building commissioner. Marcus Sanford, he's our accountant. And John McLaughlin, program manager too over vacant buildings, problem properties, and so forth. So we'll I guess we'll get right into this. So see the first slide. Dora. Aura. That's not the first one. Can you go back one? There you go. The mission. Okay. I will start by just reading this to you, and then we'll talk about our mission.

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