St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills 12/2/2016 (198-203)

The following six Board Bills will be introduced at today’s meeting of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, review today’s agenda here.

• B.B.#198 – Roddy – An Ordinance designating a portion of the City as a redevelopment area known as The City Foundry Saint Louis Redevelopment Area pursuant to the Real Property Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act; and containing a severability clause.
• B.B.#199 – Roddy – An Ordinance affirming adoption of a redevelopment plan, redevelopment area, and redevelopment project; authorizing the execution of redevelopment agreement between The City and FoPa Partners, LLC; and containing a severability clause.
• B.B.#200 – Davis – An ordinance repealing Ordinance 69589 and in lieu thereof enacting a new ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any package or drink liquor licenses for any currently non-licensed premises within the boundaries of the Nineteenth Ward Liquor Control District, and containing an emergency clause.
• B.B.#201 – Davis – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 2800 block of Cool Papa Bell Avenue as Pastor Jerry Hodges Street.
• B.B.#202 – Davis – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 3600 Block of Finney as Rev. Dr. Jimmy L. Brown Street.
• B.B.#203 – Green/Ingrassia/Spencer/Arnowitz/Cohn – An ordinance amending the antidiscrimination law of the City to add pregnancy and reproductive health decisions as protected classes by amending Sections One, Five, Seven, Eight, and Nine of Ordinance 67119; and containing a severability clause and an emergency clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: No Revote on Reducing Board of Aldermen

Writing this post on my iPad Monday morning while from the juror lounge at Civil Courts

The recent Sunday Poll was about the size of our legislative body. Four years ago we voted to cut the size in half — from 28 to 14. The change is still more than four years away, but some want voters to reconsider

There are lots of pros & cons either way. Here are the non-scientific poll results:

Q: Agree or disagree: We should vote again on reducing board of aldermen from 28 to 14, voters approved this in 11/2012

• Strongly agree 13 [24.53%]
• Agree 1 [1.89%]
• Somewhat agree 2 [3.77%]
• Neither agree or disagree 2 [3.77%]
• Somewhat disagree 1 [1.89%]
• Disagree 6 [11.32%]
• Strongly disagree 26 [49.06%]
• Unsure/No Answer 2 [3.77%]

As you can see above, more than half don’t think we should vote again. While I agree, I also acknowledge we need to do a significantly better job addressing perceived & real voter disenfranchisement.

I don’t think reducing to 14 is a magic bullet, no more than staying at 28.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Should We Reconsider Reducing The Board of Aldermen?

In November 2012 more than 130,000 city residents voted on Proposition R — the measure to reducer the size of the Board of Aldermen.

Turnout for that election was 74%, but nearly 14,000 voters skipped Prop R. Turnout for the proposition was 66.9%. The following explains 2012’s Prop R:

The 14 wards called for by Proposition R would be drawn after the 2020 census. The first election in the new wards would take place in 2023. Odd-numbered wards would start with two-year terms, while the Board president and even-numbered wards would run for a full four-year term from the beginning. (St. Louis Public Radio)

This is the basis for the today’s poll:

The poll is open until 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills 11/18/2016 (195-197)

Three (3) Board Bills will be introduced at today’s meeting of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, see the agenda here.

Two of the three have been in the news the last few days:

• B.B.#195 – Krewson – An ordinance for the public health and welfare, prohibiting possession of assault weapons as defined herein; and containing a savings clause, a severability clause, and an emergency clause.
• B.B.#196 – Krewson – An ordinance for the public health and welfare, requiring unattended firearms in motor vehicles to be stored in a locked condition; requiring stolen guns to be reported to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, to establish that a rebuttable presumption exists that a firearm in a vehicle is the property of the driver of said vehicle; and containing a savings clause, a severability clause, and an emergency clause.
• B.B.#197 – Davis/Roddy – An Ordinance Approving the Redevelopment Plan for the St. Louis Midtown 353 Redevelopment Area submitted by St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation; and containing a severability clause and an emergency clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.

Next week the Board of Aldermen office will be closed Thursday & Friday (24th-25th). Here’s the upcoming schedule from the bottom of today’s agenda:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 – OFFICE CLOSED (THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 – OFFICE CLOSED (THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2ND & 9TH 2016 – FULL BOARD MEETINGS – ALDERMEN/STAFF PHOTOS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 – LAST MEETING BEFORE WINTER HOLIDAY BREAK
MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016 – OFFICE CLOSED (CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY)
MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2017 – OFFICE CLOSED (NEW YEARS DAY HOLIDAY)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 – FULL BOARD MEETINGS RESUME
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 – LAST FULL BOARD BEFORE SPRING RECESS
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017 – SINE DIE (LAST MEETING OF THE 2015-2016 SESSION)

Thus, the full Board of Aldermen will meet on the following dates after today:

• December 2016: 2, 9, 16
• January 2017: 6, 13, 20, 27
• February 2017: 3, 10

I’m not familiar enough to know the last date new legislation can be introduced this session. Partisan primaries are held on March 7th, the general election to confirm the Democratic nominee is April 4th.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: New Board Bills 11/10/2016 (185-194)

City hall will be closed tomorrow for Veterans Day, so the St. Louis Board of Aldermen will meet today, review the agenda here..

The following ten Board Bills will be introduced at today’s meeting:

1. B.B.#185 – Krewson – An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Airport Commission and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment making certain findings with respect to the transfer of up to One Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars of excess moneys that the City, the owner and operator of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, intends to transfer from the Debt Service Stabilization Fund (“DSSF”) in accordance with Section 516.B of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Indenture of Trust between the City, as Grantor, and UMB Bank, N.A., as Trustee, to the “Annual Budget”, for current expenses of the government as detailed in EXHIBIT “1”, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein; containing a severability clause; and an emergency clause.
2. B.B.#186 – Krewson – An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Airport Commission, the Board of Public Service, and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, establishing and authorizing a public works and improvement program (the “Airfield, Building & Environs Projects”) at Lambert-St. Louis International
   Airport, consisting of capital improvement projects to and for the terminal complexes, concourses, parking facilities, taxiways, runways, and associated Airport buildings, structures, and facilities, roadways and environs including certain equipment and vehicles, and other associated Airport improvements, as more fully described in the attached EXHIBIT A, entitled “FISCAL YEAR 2017 PROJECT/EQUIPMENT LIST”; and containing a severability and an emergency clause.
3. B.B.#187 – Krewson – An Ordinance recommended and approved by the Airport Commission, the Board of Public Service, and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, establishing a public works project for the Lambert Airport Road Traffic Flow Improvement- Along Lambert International Blvd., Airflight Drive, Air Cargo Road Intersection Improvements, including Pan Tilt Zoom cameras, and signal optimization for intersections of Pear Tree Lane, Natural Bridge Road, Shops Drive, Cypress Road, and the entrances and exits to Terminal 2; and containing a public work emergency clause.
4. B.B.#188 – Krewson – An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the Director of Airports and the Comptroller to enter into and execute the “First Amendment to Wine Concession Agreement AL-354” (“First Amendment”) to the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport® Wine Bar Concession Agreement AL-354, between the City and Taste Inc., d/b/a Vino Volo; containing a severability clause; and containing an emergency clause.
5. B.B.#189 – Bosley – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission on November 2, 2016, to change the zoning of property as indicated on the District Map and in City Block 971, from both, “C” Multiple-Family Dwelling District and “G” Local Commercial and Office District to “C” Multiple-Family Dwelling District only, at 2601 Dayton, and containing an emergency clause.
6. B.B.#190 – Baringer – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission, to change the zoning of property as indicated on the District Map, from “A” Single-Family Dwelling District and “F” Neighborhood Commercial District to the “F” Neighborhood Commercial District in City Block 5753.05 (4650 Hampton and 4601-21 Sulphur); and containing an emergency clause.
7. B.B.#191 – Coatar – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission, to change the zoning of property as indicated on the District Map and in City Block 784 (1302-24 & 1324R Russell & 2128 Dolman), from “J” Industrial District to the “E” Multi- Family Dwelling District, so as to include the described parcels of land in City Block 784; and containing an emergency clause.
8. B.B.#192 – Vaccaro – 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.
9. B.B.#193 – Cohn – An ordinance approving a blighting study and redevelopment plan dated October 25, 2016, for the 3400 Meramec St. Redevelopment Area after finding that said Redevelopment Area (“Area”) is blighted as defined in Section 99.320 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri; and containing a severability clause.
10. B.B.#194 – Ortmann – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 2901-2909 Indiana Ave. Area, after finding that the Area is blighted as defined in Section 99.320 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri; and containing a severability clause.

The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.