Much Ado About Nothing??
On November 5th, St. Louis City voters will have the opportunity to vote up or down on some changes to the City Charter. The final proposed changes offered in November are minimal, but the project didn’t start out that way. And it looks like it won’t end in November, if Board President Megan Green has her way.
In April 2023, City voters approved a Charter Amendment that created a citizens’ commission that would study the City Charter (originally passed in 1914!) and recommend changes that may better meet the needs of their neighbors in the 21st century.
Commissioners were selected by the Mayor with approval of the Board of Aldermen, suggesting to some that “the fix was in.” (In other words, the Commission would make recommendations that reflected the opinions of the Mayor and Aldermen.)
The Commission endured some drama around its original chair-person, which slowed the process and proved to be frustrating to the well-intentioned citizens who served. The Commission shared their recommendations prior to finalizing them.
These early proposals included the elimination of the Comptroller position as an elected official and the creation of a new, powerful Public Advocate role, which would be charged with looking out for citizens in their efforts to utilize City services. Detractors complained that creation of this position would cost taxpayers millions of dollars every year which may be better spent addressing Public Safety issues.
Off the Rails We Go
From its inception, the Commission confronted obstacles. They believed that their recommendations would be delivered directly to the Board of Elections for the November ballot. City lawyers became concerned about that and persuaded the Commission that their recommendations be delivered to the Board of Aldermen. The Aldermen were expected to take each bill through its regular legislative process. That’s when things REALLY got interesting.
Free-for-All
Before the Commission released its final report, opposition arose, particularly from Comptroller Darlene Green. Ms. Green wrote about it here.
Awhile later, Ms. Green and Mayor Jones advised the Charter Commission that they would not support the elimination of the Comptroller’s office and the Commission ultimately did not even submit that change to the Board of Aldermen.
Some Aldermen Seized the Opportunity to Seize Power
Because the bills came to the Board of Aldermen instead of directly to the Election Board, aldermen were emboldened to add their own changes to the mix! A trio of bills basically shifted certain authority and power away from the Mayor and Comptroller and gave it to the Aldermen. Their bills would:
Allow the Board of Aldermen to increase city budgets. Today, only the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E & A) has that authority. The President of the Board of Aldermen sits on E&A with the Mayor and Comptroller.
Allow the Board of Aldermen to combine, eliminate, add and reorganize any City departments.
Allow the Board of Aldermen to fire the City Counselor.
Of these, only the proposal giving aldermen the authority to increase spending passed. If you wish to read it prior to voting in November, you can see it here.
That’s Not All Folks!
Aldermen pushed ahead with a fistful of other proposed Charter changes. They included:
Removal of the $500 limit on fines imposed by the City for ordinance violations.
Changing the name of the Department of Streets to Department of Transportation
Changing the date of municipal elections from March and April, to August and November
Permit the City to assign its special tax bills for collection to quasi-government and governmental agencies
Update and modernize language in the City Charter to include job titles and more inclusive pronouns
Of these, only the first two (removal of $500 fine limit and renaming the Street Department) passed and were signed by the Mayor. The Mayor vetoed the bill that would update Charter language. I’m sure she had her reasons but her City website did not include a veto message or press release outlining the rationale behind her veto.
Majoring in Minor Affairs
A long year of work by the Charter Change Commission ultimately ended with only three ballot proposals, none of which are particularly drastic or important catalysts for change. In summary, they are:
Proposal to rename Street Department to Transportation Department (Board Bill 61)
Proposal to remove $500 cap on municipal fines (Board Bill 72)
Proposal to allow the Board of Aldermen to increase spending (Board Bill 30)
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green said on Monday, August 26, that she intended to create a special committee at the Board of Aldermen to “extend the dialogue on Charter revisions and honor the recommendations made by the Charter Commission.”
You can read more about all of these proposals on the Board of Aldermen website. Click on Board Bills and search for the number.
How Much Did All This Cost?
As I’ve gathered information for this story, I’ve been asked that question over and over. The truth is, I don’t know. I have scoured the City’s website and can find no reference to the budget or who the City hired to assist the Charter Commission. I’ve called City Hall and haven’t been able to get the information. Sooner or later I will, and I will share it with you then.
It’s Boring, I know
But as citizens, we need to be informed about legislative and other proposals. In fact, that’s the whole premise of this newsletter—-to inform citizens of policy initiatives and legislation so that we can all make good decisions. Boring? Yes. Important? Yes. Now eat your peas.
-Nancy Rice
