The St. Louis Board of Aldermen on the floor perfected Board Bill 33, an ordinance intended to clarify the duties of the city sheriff and to add new requirements for prior reporting of certain expenditures and contracts to the comptroller and to council committees.

The measure was perfected by a recorded vote of 13–1 after debate over a 12‑month reporting clause and the scope of local authority. The bill was presented on the floor as "Board Bill 33 as amended in committee," and sponsors described it as a clarification of existing responsibilities and a new schedule for financial reporting to the city.

The ordinance matters because it formalizes procedures for advance notice of proposed sheriff expenditures and post‑expenditure reporting to the budget and public safety committees, steps proponents said are intended to increase fiscal transparency after recent media and budget concerns. Opponents argued the bill attempted to prescribe actions that, under state law, are uniquely within the sheriff’s remit.

"This is a Board Bill 33 as amended in committee. Seeks to clarify the duties of the sheriff," said the alderman from the fifth, the bill's floor sponsor, during his floor remarks. He described the reporting and expense‑notice provisions as “meant to establish a process or a procedure for this particular office.”

Alderwoman from the eleventh questioned the 12‑month sunset clause added in committee and asked that reporting be treated as a standing operating procedure rather than a time‑limited requirement. "If you got a report, you got a report," she said, urging that transparency be permanent. The sponsor said he would "stand by bill 33 as amended in committee," and declined to support a floor amendment that would strip the 12‑month provision.

Alderwoman from the twelfth delivered the most extended challenge on statutory interpretation, disputing language in the bill that cited Section 57.29 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri and arguing that the statute does not mandate certain transport duties for sheriffs. She said the statute discusses compensation if sheriffs perform transports but does not use mandatory language "shall" to require those duties. That legal interpretation was a central point of contention in floor discussion.

After the close of debate the board held a roll call and perfected the bill on a 13–1 vote; the transcript shows 13 aye votes and one no vote. The sponsor closed by asking the board to perfect the bill "as amended in committee." The board clerk recorded the motion carried and placed the perfected bill on the calendar for further action.

Discussion versus decision: the transcript records extended discussion about (1) whether the city could impose reporting obligations tied to sheriff duties that the speaker called unique under state law and (2) the 12‑month timeline added by committee. The formal action taken was perfection of Board Bill 33 as amended in committee; the bill was advanced by roll call vote 13–1.

The ordinance references state statutes in the bill text and debate: Section 57.29 and Section 57.52 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri were cited by speakers during the exchange about transport duties and compensation. The board did not purport to amend state law; rather, sponsors said the municipal ordinance sought to clarify reporting and internal procedures for city fiscal oversight.

Next steps: the perfected version will proceed according to the board’s schedule for final passage. The transcript does not record further implementation dates or any immediate change in sheriff office operations beyond the ordinance language itself.