On Friday May 12th, in the final minutes of the session, the Missouri legislature sent a bill to Governor Greitens that would nullify St. Louis’ recent increase in the minimum wage.
The House failed to adopt an emergency clause on the bill, meaning it won’t immediately take effect should Gov. Eric Greitens sign it, which sponsoring House Rep. Jason Chipman said he had promised to do. The new minimum wage in St. Louis would instead be nullified in August if the measure becomes law.
Speaking to reporters after session’s end, Greitens said he’d have to take a close look at the bill before making a final decision. (Post-Dispatch)
Missouri’s minimum wage is $7,70/hr while St. Louis’ new minimum wage is $10/hr.
May 19, 2017Board of Aldermen, FeaturedComments Off on St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills 5/19/2017 (#35-#36), Update On Board Bill #34 From Prior Week
B.B.#35 – Vaccaro – An ordinance protecting victims of automobile theft from paying storing, towing and administrative fees directly related to recovery of a stolen automobile by amending Ordinance 64668, approved June 11, 1999 and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#36 – Vaccaro – An ordinance mandating that the Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry shall cause the construction of four well?lit basketball courts in Forest Park by October 1, 2017.
As of 5:30am the pages with the full bill language are not posted online, I’ll update this post once these are available. [UPDATED @10AM]
Today’s agenda can be viewed here. The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.
An update on last week’s meeting. Just before 7am on Thursday May 11th I downloaded the Week #4 agenda (view on Scribd). I then copied and pasted the list of new bills (#25-#34) into the post for the next morning. That night I updated the post with links to the bill pages. The Week 4 agenda currently posted online (Scribd) doesn’t include Bill #34 — 25 through 33 all match The video of the meeting shows no #34 was introduced — BB#33 was introduced at 28:53 in the video. However, a Board Bill #34 creating a buffer zone at abortion clinics is listed, though it shows no legislative action taken. Perhaps #34 will be formally introduced at a later date? I’ve downloaded copies in case it disappears.
B.B.#25 – Ingrassia – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission, to change the zoning of property as indicated on the District Map and in City Block 2076 at 2801 & 2803 Magnolia, from “J” Industrial District to the “F” Neighborhood Commercial District; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#26 – Ingrassia –An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission, to change the zoning of property as indicated on the District Map and in City Block 2076 at 2809 & 2811-13 Magnolia, from “J” Industrial District to the “C” Multiple?Family Dwelling District; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#27 – Davis –An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller, owner and operator of St. Louis Lambert International Airport to enter into and execute the “Enterprise Leasing Company, Lease Agreement AL?045 between the City and Enterprise Leasing Company, granting to the Lessee, subject to and in accordance with the terms, covenants, and conditions of the Lease Agreement, certain rights and privileges in connection with the occupancy and use of the Leased Premises, which is defined and more fully described in Section 201 of the Lease Agreement that was approved by the Airport Commission; containing a severability clause; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#28 – Davis –An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller, owner and operator of St. Louis Lambert International Airport to enter into and execute the Common Use Airport Club Concession Agreement AL?048 between the City and Airport Terminal Services, d/b/a Wingtips, granting to Concessionaire, subject to and in accordance with the terms, covenants, and conditions of the Agreement, certain rights and privileges in connection with the occupancy and use of the Premises, which is defined and more fully described in Section 201 of the Agreement that was approved by the Airport Commission; containing a severability clause; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#29 – Davis –An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller, owner and operator of St. Louis Lambert International Airport to enter into and execute the Union Electric Company d/b/a Ameren? Missouri Lease Agreement AL?044 between the City and Union Electric Company d/b/a Ameren?Missouri, granting to the Lessee, subject to and in accordance with the terms, covenants, and conditions of the Lease Agreement, certain rights and privileges in connection with the occupancy and use of the Premises, which is defined and more fully described in Section 201 of the Lease Agreement that was approved by the Airport Commission; containing a severability clause; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#30 – Moore –An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Taylor and Kennerly by regulating all northeast? bound and southwest?bound traffic traveling on Taylor at Kennerly and regulating all northwest?bound traffic traveling on Kennerly at Taylor, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#31 – Vaccaro/Howard/Flowers/Coatar/Conway/Williamson/ Vollmer/Boyd/Cohn/Ogilvie/Guenther –An Ordinance enabling the City, to join the Missouri Clean Energy District pursuant to the Property Assessment Clean Energy Act, Sections 67.280 to 67.2835, inclusive, RSMo, in order to provide an additional authorized entity through which owners of property within the City may obtain financings for energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy improvements to their property; stating the terms under which the City will conduct activities as a member of such District; prescribing the form and details thereof; authorizing certain actions by City officials; and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#32 – Roddy –An ordinance recommended by the Board of Public Service to conditionally vacate above surface, surface and sub? surface rights for travel in an irregular width section of the east/west alley in City Block 3965 beginning west of Sarah and continuing westwardly 191.41 feet to a point and being bounded by Papin, Sarah, Chouteau and Talmage.
B.B.#33 – Spencer –Ordinance establishing a two?way stop site at the intersection of Chippewa and Marine by regulating all eastbound traffic traveling on Chippewa at Marine and regulating all northbound traffic traveling on Marine at Chippewa, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#34 – Arnowitz –An Ordinance recommended by the Utilities Committee on May 10, 2017, to support the Missouri Economic Development and Infrastructure Investment Act, or similar legislation which acknowledges that the electric grid is the backbone of Missouri’s economy and updates to 100 year old policies are needed to spur economic development and support the state’s electric investor?owned utilities in building a smarter, stronger energy grid for Missouri consumers. [UPDATE 5/18/17 @ 9:11am: This bill appeared on the agenda downloaded at 6:49am on 5/11/17, but was removed in a later version. No BB34 was introduced, see video. But a #34 is listed online.
Today’s agenda can be viewed here. The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.
The afternoon of Sunday April 29th I posted a news story to this blog’s Facebook page with a title that read: “MoDot: Very good chance Route 141 at I-44 underwater by Monday morning.” It was. Route 141 didn’t reopen again until late Monday May 8th. When posting the article I’d said: “Sprawl is to blame.”
Two comments stood out:
Maybe rain is to blame. Not everything needs to be blamed folks.
Poor design is to blame – how hard is it to to (re) build a road higher than known flood levels?! Higher than the adjacent flood wall?!
These two comments, both from individuals I know personally, demonstrate why the region is in this mess in the first place. The “it rains, it floods” and “just build higher” is exactly why such a major flood happened again so soon after the December 2015 flood. We’ve been building higher which helps some initially — but water must go somewhere. More on this later.
Those who believe in a diety might say something like “It’s all part of his plan.” This is the “I can’t understand it so God must have done it” response.
Flooding on the St. Louis riverfront is a common occurrence. At least now the light fixtures stayed dry by being on raised concrete piers. May 7, 2017
The phrase “act of God” does have legal meaning:
act of God n. a natural catastrophe which no one can prevent such as an earthquake, a tidal wave, a volcanic eruption, a hurricane or a tornado. Acts of God are significant for two reasons 1) for the havoc and damage they wreak, and 2) because often contracts state that “acts of God” are an excuse for delay or failure to fulfill a commitment or to complete a construction project. Many insurance policies exempt coverage for damage caused by acts of God, which is one time an insurance company gets religion. At times disputes arise as to whether a violent storm or other disaster was an act of God (and therefore exempt from a claim) or a foreseeable natural event. God knows the answer! (Law.com)
Note that flooding isn’t in the above definition. To be fair, other definitions do include flooding. As an atheist, I prefer the term, “act of nature.” But our recent flooding was neither — it was manmade.
“Land use is really a huge factor in flooding,” Holmes said. “From what I’ve seen, it trumps climate change in some areas.”
It’s definitely “a bigger game-changer,” he says, in urban areas, where paved surfaces drive more runoff into waterways and still more water is diverted by levee systems.
Bob Criss, a professor at Washington University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences who studies flooding, agrees that the cumulative impact of diverted water — and not rainfall — best explains the region’s recent major floods.
The problem, he says, was especially apparent with last week’s crest of the Mississippi River. Such a big river, he says, should not normally be so sensitive to similar episodes of rain. But he says it’s increasingly behaving like a small basin “because it’s far too squeezed” by levees that amplify flood severity. (Post-Dispatch)
The City of St. Louis divorced itself from the largely rural St. Louis Count in 1876. In the 20th century population began to spread out — consuming more land per person. Just in the nearly 27 years I’ve lived in the region I’ve seen lots of low flood plain get developed.
Chesterfield Commons has over 2 million square feet, this site was flooded in 1993.
In the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll most didn’t think flooding was an “Act of God.”
Q: Agree or disagree: Recent flooding in the St. Louis region was an “Act of God.”
Strongly agree 0 [0%]
Agree 5 [14.71%]
Somewhat agree 2 [5.88%]
Neither agree or disagree 3 [8.82%]
Somewhat disagree 4 [11.76%]
Disagree 3 [8.82%]
Strongly disagree 16 [47.06%]
Unsure/No Answer 1 [2.94%]
Flooding throughout the region will continue until we take the necessary steps to undo the causes. This means we must remove considerable non-poutous paving, and un-develop flood plains. This line of thought led me to again watch Ellen Dunham-Jones’s 2010 TED Talk on Retrofitting Suburbia.
At the 16 minute mark she talks about regreening parts of Atlanta — pulling development back from waterways. The St. Louis region desperately needs to do this. I doubt anything like this will take place, regular flooding will continue.
Two Board Bills were introduced a week ago that weren’t listed on last week’s agenda posted the day before. Number 9 is on the agenda posted online, perhaps I missed it. However, #10 isn’t on any agenda:
BOARD BILL NO. 9 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN JOSEPH VACCARO, PRESIDENT LEWIS REED An ordinance requiring the corrections commissioner to post a quarterly report on the City’s Division of Corrections website regarding administrative segregation of inmates at city detention centers; and containing a severability and an emergency clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 10 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN SHARON TYUS An ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any package or drink liquor licenses for any currently unlicensed premises within the boundaries of the First Ward, for a period of three years from the effective date hereof; containing an exception allowing, during the moratorium period, for the transfer of existing licenses, under certain circumstances, and containing an emergency clause.
Since the agendas don’t indicate if they been updated after first being posted online it’s impossible to know if an official posted agenda is changed after being initially posted. To keep track of bills & agendas I’ll be downloading the PDF as soon as it’s available — usually Wednesday afternoon. Bill pages with the actual bill text via PDF is usually posted Thursday afternoon.
Last week’s meeting can be viewed here (under 20 minutes). Mayor Krewson introduces four of her staff.
The following bills are listed on agenda #3 as of yesterday at 7am:
B.B.#1 – Pres. Reed/Conway – An ordinance making appropriation for payment of Interest, Expenses and Principal of the City’s Bonded Indebtedness, establishing City tax rates, and making appropriation for current year expenses of the City Government; for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018, amounting in the aggregate to the sum of One Billion, Fifty? one Million, Three Hundred Ninety One Thousand, Six Hundred Sixty?Six Dollars ($1,051,391,666) which sum is hereby appropriated from Revenue and Special Funds named for the purposes hereinafter enumerated and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#11 – Pres. Reed – An ordinance requiring that any proposed board bill that seeks a tax incentive for real estate development requires the potential developer to provide a Community Benefits Agreement.
B.B.#12 – Co6way/Pres. Reed – An Ordinance to provide for the borrowing of funds in anticipation of the collection of tax payments levied by The City, for deposit in its General Revenue Fund for the calendar year ending December 31, 2017, and remaining uncollected and other revenues remaining to be collected and deposited in the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, all such revenues for the General Revenue Fund in the Treasury, through the issuance by the City of its Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes, and the acquiring of credit enhancement, if necessary, in order to lower the cost of such borrowing; prescribing the form and details of such Notes; authorizing and approving certain documents and other actions; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#13 – Howard – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Neosho and Adkins by regulating all northwest? bound and southeast?bound traffic traveling on Neosho at Adkins and regulating all northeast?bound traffic traveling on Adkins at Neosho; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#14 – Cohn – An ordinance adopted to establish a Citizen Commission to be known as “The Citizen Commission on the Reduction and Reformation of the Board of Aldermen” which Commission’s purpose shall be to collect community input, gather information, conduct community outreach, study and provide advisory opinion/s to the Board of Aldermen on the implementation of Ordinance #69185, which measure was passed by the electorate of the City, and calls for a restructuring of the Board of Aldermen from a body of twenty? eight aldermen representing twenty?eight wards to a body of fourteen aldermen representing fourteen wards, and provides for a transition schedule to implement the restructuring.
B.B.#15 – Ogilvie – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Hoffman and Clifton by regulating all northbound and southbound traffic traveling on Clifton at Hoffman and regulating all eastbound traffic traveling on Hoffman at Clifton, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#16 – Ogilvie – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Berthold and Graham by regulating all southbound traffic traveling on Graham at Berthold and regulating all eastbound and westbound traffic traveling on Berthold at Graham, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#17 – Boyd – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the section of St. Louis Avenue between Semple and Arlington as Rev. Reginald D. Rogers, Sr. Avenue.
B.B.#18 – Roddy – An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the issuance and delivery of not to exceed $19,400,000 plus issuance costs principal amount of tax increment revenue notes (City Foundry Saint Louis TIF) Series 20__? A/B, of The City; prescribing the form and details of such notes and the covenants and agreements made by the City to facilitate and protect the payment thereof; prescribing other matters relating thereto, and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#19 – Davis – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for 3827 Shaw.
B.B.#20 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 1301-03 S. Boyle.
B.B.#21 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4427 Chouteau.
B.B.#22 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4401 Gibson.
B.B.#23 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4443 Oakland.
B.B.#24 – Flowers – An ordinance recommended by the Board of Public Service to vacate travel in 20 foot wide east/west and 15 foot wide north/south unimproved alleys in City Block 1228?E as bounded by Penrose, Broadway, Angelica and I?70 in the City.
Today’s meeting should be short since there are no bills out of committee for a 2nd reading and debate. The agenda indicates there are no committee meetings are scheduled for next week.
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