ST. LOUIS — The group tasked with coming up with changes to the city's commission released its suggested changes after dozens of meetings.
St. Louis City Charter Commission presented its proposed changes to the document to the Board of Aldermen. The changes to the budgeting process, moving municipal elections to November of even years and creating a Department of Transportation for the city.
The commission is made up of nine citizen volunteers nominated by members of the Board of Aldermen and appointed by the mayor and six non-voting members. The members held nearly 60 public meetings to gather input.
A news release from the commission said the changes would do the following:
- E&A “Heavy” Reform: Abolish the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, eliminate the Office of Comptroller as an elected office and reassign the Comptroller’s responsibilities to a newly created Director of Finance under Mayoral authority, alter the city’s budget process empowering the Board of Aldermen to increase the budget, and newly create an Office of Public Advocate led by an elected public advocate;
- Standalone Public Advocate: Newly create an Office of Public Advocate led by an elected public advocate – even if E&A “Heavy” Reform does not advance – that responds to complaints regarding city services and is supported by a legal department with subpoena power that is separate and independent from the City Counselor’s Office;
- Standalone Board of Aldermen Enhanced Budget Authority: Empower the Council with authority to increase budgetary amounts even if E&A “Heavy” Reform does not advance;
- Department of Transportation: Newly create a Department of Transportation;
- Mayoral Appointments: Newly allow the mayor to directly appoint the police chief, fire chief and personnel director as well as identify other mayoral appointments of department heads in Article VIII;
- Revamp City Voting: Change the timing of general municipal elections from April to November of even years and primaries to August, increase the notice requirements, expand permitted publications of election notices, lower the threshold for signatures on initiatives petitions, newly require approval voting for all county offices except the circuit attorney, and rename the “Board of Aldermen” to the “City Council”; and
- Modernize Charter Language: Make specific, global changes to charter language to convert pronouns to titles of offices, update methods of advertisement, remove obsolete language, reflect modern titles of offices and officers, and provide for compensation to be set by ordinance.
The changes would still need to be approved by voters in an upcoming election. It has not been decided when the proposed changes will appear on ballots in St. Louis.
The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes on July 1. The time and location of the meeting was not set at the time of this story.
A full draft of the proposed changes can be found in the document below:
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