ST. LOUIS — More than two years after the announcement of the Rams settlement, St. Louisans have an idea of where the money could go. Almost 12,000 residents cast their votes on improvement projects for the city.
When the St. Louis Rams NFL team relocated to Los Angeles in 2016, St. Louis City, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority filed a lawsuit against the NFL.
In November 2021, the parties and the NFL reached a historic settlement agreement. In November 2022, the city, county and RSA decided to divide the settlement between the three parties:
- $280 million to the City of St. Louis, including $30 million to expand the Dome at America's Center.
- $169 million to St. Louis County.
- $70 million to St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority.
$30 million of St. Louis' settlement is going toward an expansion at the Dome at America's Center.
Residents got to vote on what to do with the rest of that money in a citywide survey that closed Friday, Feb. 6.
Their 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.
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.
Next is the "idea vetting and public discussion" phase of the Rams settlement project.
This spring, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen will meet to figure out how feasible the top-voted ideas are and estimate the costs.
The board will meet virtually on Feb. 15 to review the survey results. They'll also discuss the Municipal Endowment Fund and Convention Center construction. A link to watch is posted on the St. Louis city website.
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