ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said the proposed city budget, that is now in the hands of the Board of Aldermen, gives police the chance to expand their operations, and will pay the officers more.
She said she never even considered a “plan B budget” that police wanted, which would give SLMPD tens of millions more.
“The plan B would be catastrophic,” said Spencer.
Spencer telling First Alert 4 the city cannot afford what the Police Board of Commissioners is asking for, but what the Board of Estimate and Apportionment advanced Tuesday gives the police department plenty to work with.
“Provides a path for them to increase staffing and do some things they want to do while respecting the many other departments,” said Spencer.
This comes as the City of St. Louis is suing the police board after they asked the city for $250 million, while the city offered $219 million.
The city asks the courts to strike down the law allowing for board control of SLMPD, as well clarifying the law on how much money the city needs to spend on police annually.
“It would be devastating to the operation of the city in general,” said Spencer.
We also learned Tuesday that the police board will not participate in city budget hearings, with board Vice President Sonya Jenkins-Gray citing litigation.
“It is important that we ensure any engagement aligns with legal guidance and does not inadvertently impact that process,” said Jenkins-Gray.
“I think it’s ludicrous to rest on a lawsuit,” said Spencer.
Chair of the Budget Committee Ald. Rasheen Aldridge said these hearings allow for better budgets and more transparency, and he is disappointed they won’t be coming.
“We won’t be able to really ask those hard questions to figure out what’s working, what’s not working,” said Aldridge. “I think it’s extremely important for the public to actually hear from the department that takes up the most money in our budget.”
Still, Jenkins-Gray said both sides will stay engaged.
“I want to emphasize that we remain committed to a collaborative and transparent relationship with you and the Board of Aldermen. Public safety and fiscal stewardship are shared priorities, and I believe there is value in continued dialogue as we navigate these issues,” said Jenkins-Gray.
And Mayor Spencer helped advance the budget less than a day after getting back from the inaugural London flight and a trade mission while there. She said dozens of companies interested in the U.S. are considering St. Louis.
“This was an opportunity to introduce them on what we had to offer and the response was overwhelmingly positive,” said Spencer.
While the mayor was in London, a picture of the mayor, sitting next to the founder of Clayco, Bob Clark, was found online. This came the same day the Board of Public Service approved a data center near the Armory, Clark is a vocal supporter of data centers.
“Timing was just unfortunate,” said Spencer. “I have not spoken to Bob Clark about data centers in the city of St. Louis ever, not before that trip, not during that trip and not even subsequently during that trip.”
Mayor Spencer said the data center is going to be highly regulated with protections for residents, adding the city could eventually get hundreds of millions of taxes from the project.
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