[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6246231,"mediaKeyId","3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a","parentId",3218883,"title","St. Louis excise commissioner asks committee to consider fee updates, vehicle replacements","audioSeconds",2108,"startMs",3600000,"endMs",5708000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a&start=3600&end=5708","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6246231/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/St-Louis-excise-commissioner-asks-committee-to-consider-fee-updates-vehicle-replacements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246231-e11c95d6962e25e635421b2ac88a78c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770421479&Signature=HB3khuhfP766vyzkwJ-yie8q7SxhKgG3BayVC2oCkHV67Ytaqjmy5FxQw3ftnW893jZFjn0LdilRC6pxzlvgkntZWlosAlL~XXj9HNFT2QP8ZD-XjmGz0Gzipx5AiIPAtBYzJmfHglpYLY1GaXtzSH4nXxY~Fe0SAinG6f1SpxW0nnBMd2G0qAeT2eNH8BipE4TzHatN~9uofzc8JUpx1vI-5Bjnwyz3ifcrmzM4LwKZRLlWMh84PH2tWKYOxqi0ZaV9pUX2rX3KX4FYo3ciDF-kSf~7pMAwSeKNULmbEK9T0OBBpJFdYeMZqb3e8vXxxK3Xy5l0hs~dnMrClwI1fA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Louis, MO","date","2025-05-08T00:17:58.183Z","article","Miles McDonald, the city’s excise commissioner, presented the department’s FY26 budget to the Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 7 and highlighted revenue, staffing and equipment needs.

McDonald said the office’s FY26 approved budget is roughly $731,565 and described a small staff of seven full‑time employees who process liquor permits, catering permits and special event licenses. The excise office estimates annual excise‑related revenue in FY25 at about $208,638 and projected $193,700 for FY26 in permits that include 3 a.m. permits, caterers and picnic licenses.

Why it matters: Excise licensing enforces state and local liquor rules, affects downtown restaurants and events, and generates revenue. McDonald said fees the city may charge are set by state statute and noted the city has not raised local fees since 2009.

Key points
- Fee authority: McDonald described state law allowing cities to charge up to 1.5 times the state liquor license fee; he said St. Louis has not raised local fees since December 2009.
- Staffing and duties: The excise office handles application hearings and license inspections; McDonald said liquor control officers are now strictly administrative and no longer carry firearms or police powers after the recent ordinance changes and policy reviews.
- Vehicles and equipment: The commissioner asked the committee to consider replacement of two aging 2006 Ford Taurus vehicles, describing them as near 20 years old and no longer safe for staff use. The department’s vehicle request was cut from the proposed budget; McDonald confirmed the replacement request had been removed.
- Professional services: McDonald explained the excise office pays for a service that scrapes online short‑term rental and marketplace listings so staff can identify unlicensed operators; the department also budgeted for general office supplies and personnel reclassifications to improve retention.

Discussion and follow‑up
Committee members asked for detail on the licensing process and whether applicants receive reasons for denials before hearings; McDonald said applicants generally learn their status at application hearings, and staff walk applicants through requirements. Aldermen agreed to follow up offline about program specifics in downtown areas.

Ending: The committee took the presentation as informational and asked the commissioner and budget staff to continue work on classification, fleet funding and fee structures.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget and Public Employees Committee - May 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Excise Commissioner Miles McDonald presented the excise office FY26 budget and requested replacement vehicles and potential reclassification for staff; he flagged that city liquor fees have not been raised since 2009 and described the licensing process and reliance on state statute for fee ceilings.","taxTitle","St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Missouri","taxId",2587,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6246237,"Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore seeks fuller staffing, diversion and conviction‑integrity funding",2669,13753000,16422000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a&start=13753&end=16422","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a/thumbnail_13753000.jpg","/articles/6246237/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/Circuit-Attorney-Gabriel-Gore-seeks-fuller-staffing-diversion-and-convictionintegrity-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246237-88072b61b2311d6063b220c32bbc594a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770421479&Signature=m5SQsvAuxPFkmiJ~ySOI-idOqGxhKFQ3eLHQNU6nMsaogEFBN7mO7-w2GM3LTOjLhUVTGOIjAL0uoqaebVitWdLVKcdJjQYvvH9EzrjmH63qBcPjMTQNa0keZG5R9sOi6RyerWajU0P4FsblHAEUqUJPZ2dvPfrKAdzgePImegN4rvY3-nmHNnlB39jcKHG97e-dqYlKjQQjjsbj5SYvQEAtUHGigPrTzfCZbbAqZ14zxp1eCuixFT6XVX12G7dARnbuSuUwbWqcl6a31wSw~ter9n0MUVHmW67zeFDSWjj8kBjIDUoD2FHYc-D8bT3RmQS-75cr7m73yPqEmEQ~2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore asked the Board of Aldermen’s Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 7 to sustain investments that have rebuilt the prosecutor’s office and to fill outstanding attorney and technical positions.

Gore outlined hiring progress since his appointment, saying the office rose from about 22 trial attorneys at the time of his arrival to 48 assistant circuit attorneys currently, and that an incoming class of law‑school graduates and experienced prosecutors would bring the number closer to his FY26 budget target of 60. “This group represents hundreds of years of prosecutorial experience,” Gore said, adding the office has also hired 58 support staff to improve case processing.

Why it matters: The circuit attorney’s capacity directly affects prosecution timelines, backlog reduction and public‑safety outcomes. Gore said staffing and technology investments allow the office to pursue more trials and plea resolutions while expanding diversion programs that aim to reduce reoffending.

Program changes and needs
- Diversion and community engagement: Gore said the office relaunched a restructured diversion program in January 2024 and has added case managers, a unit supervisor and a dedicated treatment‑court attorney. He highlighted a new monthly “tap‑in center” at a City library where people can resolve outstanding warrants without arrest.
- Conviction integrity: The office created a conviction‑integrity position and credited pro bono partnerships — notably Thompson Coburn in the Christopher Dunn review and exoneration — for handling complex innocence reviews.
- Technology and data: Gore said new data analysts and crime analysts are improving case development and courtroom evidence; the office also received IT‑related positions but has struggled to fill IT roles because of market competition.
- Compensation and retention: Gore said the office granted raises to support staff and attorneys in December 2023 and December 2024 to remain more competitive with St. Louis County and other jurisdictions. He asked the committee to ensure the citywide 3% pay action is applied to the office’s FY26 budget, which budget staff said would be reconciled.

Discussion and follow‑up
Committee members praised the office’s increased community engagement and treatment court work and asked for more data on trial and plea activity. Alderman Aldo Mansaniye and others said neighborhood connections and the Citizens Academy work could improve public perception and cooperation. Gore and operations manager Becky Rincher said most support‑staff positions are filled and that unfilled roles are concentrated in IT and the newly expanded data/analytics manager role.

Outcome: Gore requested funding for two additional attorney‑1 positions and several paralegal and administrative roles that remain unfunded in FY26. He and committee members agreed to follow up with the budget office on the 3% raise accounting and on steps to fill IT and analyst roles that are critical to leveraging newly hired attorneys.

Ending: Committee members signaled continued support but asked for regular performance data from the circuit attorney’s office on hires, trial activity, diversion outcomes and technology milestones.","Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore told the Budget & Public Employees Committee the office has rebuilt attorney and support staff after several years of shrinkage, is expanding diversion and conviction‑integrity units, and needs continued funding to retain newly recruited prosecutors and IT support.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6246241,"St. Louis building division warns staffing shortfalls, rising demo and short‑term‑rental workloads",3851,1339000,5190000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a&start=1339&end=5190","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218883-0ac0d1125a521e3f87a9fd1fa6ad942a/thumbnail_1339000.jpg","/articles/6246241/St-Louis-City/St-Louis-County/Missouri/St-Louis-building-division-warns-staffing-shortfalls-rising-demo-and-shorttermrental-workloads","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246241-00578732f5969be9125606fb833f54d8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770421479&Signature=egeH3Xs~UplJaGaXA4iAMKfjRWTjFWOK3sU567FxEGBq~h3pW3fCYHhNJD-~nouqPkK0DnMVDVAMnDmSRP13Ml~CCMbfY-WF41s~PGDEmbTE~BT0-jdNMNJiQeSen~TSm-SliHXMd9U2osnf~JqsvI2Sirx~haLtcXvnkvpwWU8c4MUTFpKATTzJi0UEBdRwwpafwVYsFQLPmwXMQkxI8Aijrt7m8V~V2l3749yD-JspjMWRzlzSeT1C3qCDRzwOhjRVDkdeWR7h0ds6VayS8UPA0eDHRi0-c3SqmnEX4-BZqgj-uIkI52mm8cjKE6110yJmsKYA5Ua1DW-xa7XG6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of St. Louis Building Division told the Board of Aldermen’s Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 7 that it is operating below requested staffing levels while shouldering new duties including a short‑term rental program temporarily restrained by a court.

The division’s leader, Building Commissioner Ed Ware, outlined the department’s responsibilities and staffing shortfalls. “My name is Ed Ware. I’m the building commissioner for the city of St. Louis,” Ware said, and then described a department of about “170 active employees” spread across 14–15 sections including inspections, trades, plan exam, permitting, zoning, a short‑term rental unit and demolition work.

The lack of staff contributed to a plan‑review backlog that Ware said he inherited and is rebuilding: the plan exam section had fallen to a single examiner before recent hires, and Ware said he has rehired a chief plan examiner and is interviewing candidates to restore the prior staff level. Deputy Commissioner Dylan Mosier said the division requested a recruitment pay adjustment for senior plan examiners “to bump that up to just under 65,000,” but that request was denied during the budget process.

Why it matters: inadequate plan review and inspector staffing slows projects for builders and residents, and increases pressure on other city services. Commissioners and aldermen repeatedly raised concerns about board‑ups, demolition priorities and the division’s ability to respond quickly to unsafe structures.

Key figures and programs
- Staff and units: Ware said roughly 170 active employees cover inspections, trades, plan exam, permitting, zoning, healthy homes, fire safety, demolition and other sections. He described 4 field managers overseeing inspectors, a fire safety unit with one supervisor and five inspectors, and declining capacity in certain trade inspector categories.
- Vacancies and losses: Ware said the division lost a number of inspectors over the past year to retirement, death and other jobs; he named recent hires and said turnover is driven in part by higher private‑sector pay.
- Plan exam: Ware said the section had been “devastated” and is in a rebuilding phase; he named Tim Claus as chief plan examiner and said additional hires — including a civil engineer — were imminent.
- Short‑term rentals: Ware and Mosier said the division must regulate short‑term rentals; Ware cited industry feedback estimating “as many as 2,000 unlicensed Airbnbs” in St. Louis. The division is waiting for guidance after a judge issued a temporary restraining order that has paused enforcement. Mosier said the division and county have discussed digital plan‑review systems such as Accela to speed reviews.
- Board‑ups and demolition: the division’s board‑up crew and demolition unit are handling more work. Ware said board‑up staffing requests were cut in the budget (a requested nine utility/board‑up slots were reduced to four) and quoted Arnold Mitchell in the board‑up section saying the crew needs at least five workers to operate safely. Ware described an emergency security contract at the Railway Exchange that previously cost the division roughly $65,000 per month and said the FY26 budget includes $744,000 under an 11/21 security line as a contingency for similar needs.
- Vacant Building Initiative funds: Ware and Deputy Budget Director Jim Benoist said new legislation changed fee allocations for vacant‑building enforcement; the division has a special fund line (C6216) funded with $145,000 for a Vacant Building Initiative II. Benoist described the split revenue model established by the ordinance: a share goes to community development grants and a share to program maintenance.

Discussion and outstanding items
Committee members pressed the division on steps to reduce permit backlogs, the feasibility of a 60‑day timeline for conditional‑use hearings (Mosier noted minimum statutory public‑notice timing of roughly 15 days and capacity constraints that make 60 days difficult), and whether the short‑term rental roll‑out should be delayed to avoid mass delisting by third‑party platforms. Ware said he and Mosier were actively trying to locate funding for four inspectors and one supervisor the division had expected to be funded from account 12‑10 for a Prop NS contract with the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA); the positions were removed during budget review and Ware said he was tracking the account to reconcile the contractual obligations.

What the committee directed or decided
- Budget staff confirmed a special vacant‑building fund was created and funded per recent ordinance language; Benoist said the fund split and cost centers were added so revenues and expenditures could be tracked separately. - No formal vote on new legislation happened in the committee; the committee discussed funding priorities and asked the division for follow‑up information on the 12‑10 account and plan‑review staffing.

Bottom line: Committee members signaled support for adding inspectors and board‑up capacity but also urged the division to supply clearer account and staffing reconciliation. The division said it will continue hiring where possible, pursue digital plan review, and work with the mayor’s office and budget staff to clarify Prop NS funding and the newly created vacant‑building fund.

Ending: Commissioners and aldermen said they will continue budget follow‑up with the Building Division and the budget office to reconcile the missing Prop NS slots and assess whether additional pay or reclassification would improve recruitment and retention.","Building Commissioner Ed Ware told the Board of Aldermen’s Budget & Public Employees Committee that the Building Division is understaffed, has growing demolition and security costs, and is preparing for regulation of thousands of short‑term rentals while rebuilding plan review capacity.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

St. Louis excise commissioner asks committee to consider fee updates, vehicle replacements

Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore seeks fuller staffing, diversion and conviction‑integrity funding

St. Louis building division warns staffing shortfalls, rising demo and short‑term‑rental workloads