Latest news with #BoardofAldermen
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
St. Louis Democrats dispute election board on ballot labels
ST. LOUIS – When Cara Spencer was sworn in as the city's new mayor, she vacated her seat on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The city will hold a special election on Tuesday, July 1, to succeed Spencer as 8th Ward alderman. Five people have filed to represent Ward 8 on the board, but the ballot itself has caused some consternation for city Democrats, who are suing the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. The candidates will appear on the ballot sans party affiliation. But the St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee says that is unfair to its chosen candidate and wants a judge to force the election board to include party affiliations on the ballots. Last month, the DCC selected Shedrick Kelley as the official Democratic candidate. Although Republicans did not nominate a candidate for the race, Kelley is not without challengers. The city Libertarians nominated Cameron McCarty. Radar-indicated: Tornado likely rolled through Chesterfield The other three candidates—Jami Cox Antwi, Jim Dallas, and Alecia Hoyt—are registered Democrats but are running as independents after securing the signatures of 10% of registered voters in Ward 8 who voted in the April 8 mayoral election. In the November 2020 general election, St. Louis voters, by more than a 2-to-1 margin, supported Proposition D, which made elections open and nonpartisan for offices like the mayor, comptroller, and aldermen, and changed the primary system to allow voters to choose more than one candidate, with the top two choices facing off in a general election. But according to the city charter, since there are no primaries allowed for special elections, the local committees of 'established political parties' get to select their nominees and thus act as a primary. The city Democrats allege that keeping party affiliations off the ballot prevents the party from 'exercising its associational rights to participate in the political process as an established political party by issuing endorsements of candidates running for office.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rental assistance approved but still weeks away for tornado victims
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to expand the Impacted Tenants Fund to help provide rental assistance to renters displaced by the May 16 tornado. The fund will cover one month of rent for people who are forced to move to a new property. There are no requirements that an applicant use the funds to find a property within city limits. Michelle Jackson rents her home in The Ville and has had to move around wherever she can find a spare bed in the aftermath of the tornado. 'Sometimes, me and my grandkids have to sleep in the car,' she said. She and her daughter both lost their homes, and says they continue to be victimized. 'People are going in and stealing stuff out of my house. They stole my TVs. They stole all my stuff that's worth a lot in my house,' Jackson said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now She is happy to hear that the city approved the rental assistance bill, but it will not be an immediate fix. Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge said the application has not been approved yet and it could be a couple of weeks before people can apply. The Impacted Tenants Fund was put into play in May 2024 for renters forced to move from a condemned property. It was originally funded with $100,000 of ARPA funding, but the program has never gotten up and running. Although this new bill passed on Tuesday, there is still work to be done to get the program functioning. Board President Megan Green said last week that a vendor was picked to administer the program last year, but it is unclear why that contract was never finalized. 'We're working around the clock to set it up. This was something that should've been set up in 2023 when we originally passed it, but we're here now,' Alderman Aldridge said. The mayor's office did not return FOX 2's request for comment. Alderman Aldridge said the vendor is now in place. An application is being drafted and could be ready for final approval within a couple of weeks. Jackson says the sooner the better. The city's budget committee has also recommended adding another $1 million to the Impacted Tenants Fund so they can help more renters displaced by the storm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Spencer: Rams settlement funds eyed for tornado aid
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City is finalizing plans on a six-month lease of a 140,000-square-foot warehouse to store large donations and supplies for tornado recovery efforts, Mayor Cara Spencer said Monday. 'We're very, very pleased that this will be a hub site that will allow us to receive very large-scale donations and then to distribute them to the smaller hubs throughout the community. That will really act as the point of contact for the community who is going to need these resources,' Spencer said. The mayor provided updates on the immediate and long-term plans of the tornado recovery during a news conference Monday. She also announced that the city is planning on using $5 million of ARPA funds for the tornado recovery. Daycare death case now in hands of special prosecutor 'We've obligated all of those funds at the end of last year. So, making sure that we are in full compliance and not changing anything of the allocations but rather working within those to ensure that we are targeting here the folks that were impacted by the tornado is really the goal,' Spencer said. The mayor said the city identified other funds they are potentially looking to use for the recovery, including Rams settlement money. 'When it comes to Rams funds, you'll see a proposal this week going to the Board of Aldermen that should get us through the summer. This is a very, very long recovery process and we want to be very thoughtful and deliberative in how we deploy the funds that are going to be required,' she said. Spencer did not release specifics but said the Board of Alderman is looking into how they can legally spend the funds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Property Tax rebate approved for tornado victims
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved a bill to provide tornado victims with a property tax rebate. Friday morning, the board passed board bill 24 to help ensure that homeowners who lost their home in this month's tornado will get some property tax relief. Their taxes will be eligible for a pro-rated rate. Another bill, board bill 23, was on the agenda for final passage, but it will now be held until Tuesday after being amended earlier this week. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Board Bill 23 would provide rental assistance to tornado victims through the city's Impacted Tenant Fund. The board of aldermen has met three times this week to discuss this bill. 'Typically a board bill from start to finish takes about a month, but this board is showing how we are moving diligently, and we are moving quickly,' Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge said. Even if passed, though, it is unknown how many people will benefit. The funding for the rental assistance program sits at $100,000 right now, with another $160,000 expected to be allocated in the coming weeks. 'We are working with the budget director and the administration to identify other potential funding sources we can pull from in order to get more money into that fund. I think everybody recognizes that $260,000 is not going to be enough,' Board of Aldermen president Megan Green said. Jacqueline Hines has owned her home on Page for 18 years. The back wall of the brick house collapsed in the tornado. She says she is grateful for all of the relief options being considered, but until she knows she qualifies, she is not waiting around. 'Until then, we still have to keep going. I still need stuff to be moved and I'm not waiting on nobody. So if anybody needs a job, I'm hiring because I'm not sitting on this porch for the sun. It already burned me,' she said. If Board Bill 23 is approved on Tuesday, the city still needs to implement an application process. It is unclear exactly when renters would be able to apply for relief. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bolivar to hold ribbon cutting for first public inclusive playground
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Bolivar is opening a new playground with a ribbon cutting next week. According to a press release, the City Of Bolivar and Bolivar Parks & Recreation are celebrating the first public inclusive playground. The playground was approved by Bolivar's Board of Aldermen on Oct. 22, 2024, during a meeting. Bolivar announces new police chief The construction and design of the playground was made by Athco LLC, which is a manufacturer in Lenexa, Kansas. The company began work on the project in late March. The playground will include a pour-and-play surface, a 20-foot tower with slides, a merry-go round, a multi-seat seesaw, a six-seat swing set, multiple sets of sensory play equipment and shade structures. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be during Bolivar's annual Touch a Truck event at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 23, at the Bolivar Recreation & Aquatic Center at 1710 W. Broadway Street. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
