ST. LOUIS — Tuesday afternoon, St. Louis residents have another chance to weigh in on which citywide issues St. Louis leaders should tackle using the settlement money from the Rams' relocation.
The St. Louis Board of Alderman is considering using the funds to fix two of the top priorities residents voted to address.
Tuesday's public meeting starts at 3:30 in the afternoon at City Hall. Aldermen will consider using the Rams Settlement money to make city streets more pedestrian-friendly and to fund free or subsidized childcare for residents, two of the top 6 allocations St. Louisans voted to prioritize in February.
If you can't attend the meeting in person, it will be available via Zoom. Find information on how to join the call and how to share your comments in person and online here.
A total of $280 million was allocated to St. Louis City under the Rams Settlement. Thirty million dollars of that payment has already been set aside to make improvements to the America's Center. In March, St. Louis Business Journal reported on more funding allocated for the project. Read more here. A subscription is required.
The funding, passed by an 11-3 vote of aldermen and backed by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, came from interest gained on the city's federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
Now, city leaders are trying to figure out how to spend the remaining $250 million.
There is an updated information section on the Rams Settlement information page, where St. Louisans can still comment on the project's top 6 'Priority Ideas' selected in February. Find the link to comment on proposed ideas here.
5 on Your Side brought you the latest on the funding survey results when they were announced in February. The Rams Settlement Survey garnered 12,442 responses from residents and non-residents.
Here are the top 6 'Priority Ideas' that received the most votes in February:
- Water Main Replacement
- Traffic Calming and Pedestrian-Friendly Street Design
- Increase Wages/ Salaries for City Employees
- Free or Municipally Subsidized Childcare for Residents
- Improve Downtown Street/ Sidewalk Infrastructure
- Establish a Redevelopment Loan Fund
The city reported that residents who reported having an annual income of $50,000 or less prioritized 'Free or Municipally Subsidized Childcare' and 'Increasing Wages/ Salaries for City Employees' as their top choices to receive funding.
St. Louisans' top choice was to replace water mains in the city, with 9% of the total votes. The Board of Aldermen estimates this project could cost roughly $27 million. In May, 2024, a public hearing was held at St. Louis City Hall to discuss fixing the city's aging water infrastructure. Some residents who attended vocalized their desire to have the city pay to install water meters in all homes to make billing more fair.
The second most popular choice by residents was to use the Rams settlement funding to redesign St. Louis streets. The goal of the project is to reduce speeds and calm the flow of traffic. Changes could include wider sidewalks, narrower lanes and adding pedestrian-only areas. The St. Louis Board of Aldermen is still assessing the total cost of this project. This option secured 8% of votes.
The third most popular option was to increase pay for city workers, with 8% of the votes. The total cost of this initiative is still being assessed.
There were several other ideas that residents supported, including free or subsidized child care for residents and a push to improve downtown streets and sidewalks, both options gathering 6% of the vote, respectively. Establishing a Redevelopment Fund followed these options in popularity.
Back in June, the Board of Aldermen met to discuss options for allocating funding toward a redevelopment revolving loan fund and increasing city worker pay.